This is a report of 2 studies. Study 1, a replication of R.F. Levant and R.G. Majors (1997), examined variations in the endorsement of traditional and nontraditional masculinity ideology, by gender and race, among 270 African American and 226 European American young men and women using the Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI; Levant & Fischer, in press). Although both gender and race differences in masculinity ideology were significant, gender had a larger effect size. Study 2, focused on the effect of residence in different geographic regions of the country, compared the MRNI scores of the more metropolitan Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic sample of the present study with those of the more rural Southern sample used by Levant and Majors. This study found that the effect of geographic place of residence moderates the effect of race on masculinity ideology, which underscores the importance of subcultural variations (e.g., metropolitan vs. rural) within cultural groups defined by race.
Changes in the world of work are posing major challenges to workers, institutions, and society. Not only has the nature of work been affected by the changing work environment, increased global competition, and technological revolutions, but the characteristics of the workforce can only be described as revolutionary. Societal forces have resulted in what the authors call the "changing complexion of the workforce", the "feminization of the workforce", and the "graying of the workforce". Traditional theories of work motivation, employer-employee relations, and the role of psychology must also evolve to accommodate this challenge. The collision of these structural and demographic forces has resulted in major upheaval in society and the world of work. The authors discuss implications of these changes and urge psychologists to use their accumulated knowledge and wisdom to positively impact social policy for the greater good of people, institutions, and society.
The launching of a new journal on ethnic minority psychology is placed in the context of events of the 20th century that precede it and make it possible. Citing the Dulles conference in 1978 on the role of ethnic minority issues in psychology, the author describes how the creation of the American Psychological Association (APA's) Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs and related governance structures made the creation of APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues) possible, and hence their journal, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Issues of conflict and cooperation among ethnic minority groups are discussed as the challenge to create unity from diversity is faced. Consideration of the steady increase in doctorally trained ethnic minority psychologists, relevant research, and organizational structures provides a basis for a publication outlet for these ideas. The challenges for ethnic minority psychology in the 21st century include research on the cultural diversity underlying ethnic minority groups and the similarities revealed by these differences, as well as the differences themselves. The new journal must fulfill the broad promise of the psychological study of ethnic minority issues on which Division 45 was founded.
This article addresses theoretical principles and clinical descriptions of the phenomenon of race-related stress and trauma experienced by Asian American Vietnam veterans. A conceptual model of race-based stress is presented, comprised of five principles, by which to understand mental health difficulties that can arise in regard to race-based stressors. The model describes (a) the relationship between life threat and physical similarity to the "enemy," (b) the relationship between fear and prejudice, (c) dehumanization as it impacts race hate and combat indoctrination, (d) additive life threat related to exploitation of one's physical similarity to the "enemy," and (e) race-based remorse. The article delineates factors affecting treatment seeking and disclosure of race-based stresses, guidelines for interviewing veterans about race-related events and ethnic self-worth, and the harmful effects of race hate.
The intimate nature of psychotherapy requires psychotherapists be educated to deal with the sexualization of the sharing of intimate feelings and interpersonal closeness. Latino cultures have relatively rigid sex role expectations and norms that privilege men at the expense of women. Experiences of emotional intimacy threaten this Latino cultural discourse of boundaries between men and women and may lead to impasses in therapy and enactments of pathogenic aspects of machismo and marianismo in the therapeutic relationship. Clinical vignettes illustrating the embeddedness of such gender discourses within therapeutic conversations between a Latino therapist and his Latina clients are presented, with discussion of how an intersubjective--relational approach can be used to deconstruct oppressive machista metaphors and cultural narratives and then aid in the coconstruction of reparative narratives within a context of intergender mutuality.
Mass media sources such as television and movies arguably offer up little in the way of positive Asian/Asian American images or role models. This article contends that the media do not often portray the diversity that is inherent within the Asian American culture and that such a paucity of Asian images may greatly affect perceptions Asian Americans may hold both of their own racial group and of the larger society. This article examines both media images of Asians and Asian Americans and autobiographical information from Asian American literature to illustrate the potentially detrimental effects of being a person of color in a society that emphasizes a monoracial standard of beauty. Information gleaned from first-hand accounts from Asian Americans often points to the media as a potent source of information as to how attractiveness is defined and measured. This article concludes with a discussion of some brief case examples and ethical imperatives for mental health workers in terms of both self-awareness and education as well as considerations for culturally sensitive therapy.
The author proposes that psychotherapy in a collectivistic culture tends to view therapeutic change as dissolving the self by merging with the environment (communion), whereas psychotherapy in an individualistic culture tends to view therapeutic change as enhancing the self by experiencing control over one's self and the environment (agency). By using D. Bakan's (1966) concepts of agency and communion, the author critically investigates the differences in how therapeutic change is viewed as well as how these differences are reflected in the therapeutic procedures of the various forms of psychotherapy between two different cultures (i.e., North America and Japan). It is suggested that psychotherapy in individualistic cultures may benefit from adding more focus to dissolving the self and merging with the environment and that psychotherapy in collectivistic cultures may benefit from adding more focus to enhancing the self by controlling the environment.
This article attempts to address standards of physical attractiveness in the United States and the effects these standards have on Asian Americans. In the U.S., attractiveness appears to be defined overwhelmingly by White criteria, and people of color are often neglected or overlooked. There appears to be convergence from a number of fields (i.e., ethnic studies, film studies, and literature, in addition to experts in the field of ethnic minority mental health) that White standards of attractiveness exert a deleterious effect on Asian Americans. This article will discuss the limited mental health research that does exist in this area and make suggestions for further research in this field. Discussion will center around acculturation and ethnic identity as possible mediating factors that may influence reactions to standards of attractiveness.
The purpose of this study was to assess ethnic differences in the negative symptom profile of 25 Anglo American and 26 Mexican American subjects with schizophrenia. Subjects were rated at the end of a 1-2-week medication washout period (time 1) and at discharge (time 2) with the Negative Symptoms Assessment (NSA), Brief Psychiatric Research Scale, (BPRS), the [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition)] DSM-IV negative factor score and LAECA acculturation scale. Total NSA scores were significantly higher among Mexican Americans both at time 1 and time 2. Among the five subscales of the NSA, ethnic differences were significant only for the Cognition subscale at time 1. Results indicate no ethnic differences in core negative symptoms (alogia, avolition, flat affect), but do suggest that a cognition-related factor differs between Mexican American and Anglo American schizophrenic patients.
Much has been written about intimate violence and American Indians, but little empirical data are available. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of intimate violence among 104 members of a Southwestern American Indian tribe. A semistructured psychiatric interview and a measure of intimate violence were administered to 104 tribal community members from an overall study sample of 582. Both men and women reported high rates of lifetime (91%) and recent (31%) intimate violence; much of this behavior was interactive. However, female victims were more likely to require medical attention because of sustained injuries and to have their children involved with the violence than were male victims. For women in this study, forced sex was the only incident significantly associated with lifetime affective disorders and lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder. In this Southwestern American Indian community, intimate violence appears to be another variable in an environmental context that includes alcoholism, other psychiatric disorders, and traumatic events.
Frontnote - James Baldwin Native Gay and Lesbian Issues - Terry Tafoya The Two Spirited A National Survey of the Intimate Relationships of African-American Lesbians and Gay Men - Letitia Anne Peplau, Susan D Cochran and Vickie M Mays A Look at Commitment, Satisfaction, Sexual Behavior and HIV Disease Leaving the Confederate Closet - Bonnie Ruth Strickland Female, Lesbian and Jewish - Sari H Dworkin Complex and Invisible From Apartheid to Mandela's Constitution - Cheryl Potgieter Black South African Lesbians in the Nineties Symbol of Privilege, Object of Derision - Armand R Cerbone Dissonance and Contradictions Exploring the Lives of Older African-American Gay Men - Clarence Lancelot Adams Jr and Douglas C Kimmel Greek American Lesbians - Leah M Fygetakis Identity Odysseys of Honorable Good Girls Crossing Borders and Boundaries - Oliva M Espin The Life Narratives of Immigrant Lesbians Ethnic Minority Lesbians and Gay Men - Beverly Greene Mental Health and Treatment Issues Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Know - Connie S Chan The Formation of a Homosexual Identity and Sexual Expression among Asian-American Lesbians The Relationships among Self-Esteem, Acculturation and Lesbian Identity Formation in Latina Lesbians - Marta A Alquijay Sexual Identity and the Discontents of Difference - Carla M Trujillo Cultural Diversity and the Coming-Out Process - Althea Smith Implications for Clinical Practice Endnote - Audre Lorde
Rates of sexual aggression among Asian Americans are relatively low. It is possible that these low rates are because Asian Americans are less likely than other groups to develop developmental, motivational, and situational risk factors associated with sexual aggression. Moreover, an emphasis in Asian cultures on self-control of sexual and aggressive behavior may serve as a protective factor. Nevertheless, patriarchal aspects of Asian cultures may place some Asian Americans at risk for sexual victimization or perpetration of sexually aggressive behavior. Although Asian Americans may be at less risk for sexual aggression than other groups, interventions that counteract the patriarchal aspects of Asian cultures may further reduce risk.
