Race and ethnicity

diverse group of college friends walking to class together

A characterization of people based on having a shared culture (e.g., language, food, music, dress, values, and beliefs) related to common ancestry and shared history.

The social construction and categorization of people based on perceived shared physical traits that result in the maintenance of a sociopolitical hierarchy. The term is also loosely applied to geographic, cultural, religious, or national groups. Self-reported race frequently varies owing to changing social contexts and an individual’s possible identification with more than one race.

Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology

Resources from APA

Helping psychologists work with American Indian and Alaska Native communities

Cultural humility supports patients and increases trust

New research on Black girlhood expands developmental science

Engaging Black girls as partners in studying their own experiences

Challenging assumptions

The inaugural summit on Black boys' and men's mental health models how psychology can better serve overlooked populations

Black Boys and Men Mental Health Summit

Inaugural gathering focused on institutions, relationships, and systems

More resources about race and ethnicity

What APA is doing

Advocacy

Race, ethnicity, and religion

APA Services advocates for the equal treatment of people of all races, religions, and ethnicities, as well as funding for federal programs that address health disparities in these groups.

people dancing at Day of the Dead festival

Divisions

Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race

APA’s Division 45 encourages research on ethnic minority issues and the application of psychological knowledge to ethnic minority issues.

diverse group of people applauding a speaker

Program office

Ethnicity, Race, and Cultural Affairs

APA’s Ethnicity, Race, and Cultural Affairs office seeks to increase the scientific understanding of how both culture pertains to psychology and how ethnicity influences behavior.