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Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology (Allyn & Bacon Classics Edition) (2nd Edition)

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I read this book as a psychology major in the late 70's. It was facinating then and timely. Now it is even more so. The perspectives it shares are critical to understanding racism in its full capacity. Racism is not merely a side issue or cultural anomaly, it is the centerpiece of American life and European culture in general. It goes beyond simply naming behaviors as racist or non-racist. It allows you to understand and label the components of racism and to understand the mechanisms of the disorder. Only then can you cure yourself and help others.

Robert V. Guthrie's classic novel, Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology, is an excellent historical document that views psychology from multiple perspectives. Guthrie cites many archival documents that are not found in typical, mainstream resources, which exposes students and educators alike to not only elusive but also informative material. It is an excellent source for informing and intriguing readers and inquiring minds about the impact that African-American psychologists have had on the field of psychology.

The first part, or section, of Guthrie's literary work focuses on the "scientific" measure of race and racial differences. From physical appearance (e.g., Shaxby and Bonnell's photometer) to mental aptitude (e.g., the Stanford-Binet and Wechsler-Bellevue scales), there existed a myriad of measurement devices and instruments for measuring racial differences. Of course, the majority of these measurements indicated the racial inferiority of American minorities (viz., African-American inferiority). The spurious results were the product of three major factors: (a) experimenter expectancy, which was due, for example, to the previous research of eugenicists such as Francis Galton and Charles Davenport, (b) culturally-biased instruments or measures, and (c) suspicious statistical analyses (e.g., Charles Babbage noted the unethical practices of "trimming" and "cooking" data sets.).

As stated previously, the result of the measure of racial differences led to an assumption of minority inferiority. Even though much research has been conducted to invalidate and repudiate these claims (e.g., M. J. Mayo and Horace Mann Bond have produced literature in support of racial equality.), the segregation of ethnic groups, which was supported by prominent psychologists such as Henry Garrett, has existed in the past, and stereotypes and negative opinions about minorities continue to plague American society today. It is clear that not only the field of psychology but also society held beliefs about racial inferiority and/or superiority. As the title of Guthrie's book, Even the Rat Was White, indicates, this belief was even generalized to animals (in this case, rats). Ignoring the fact that characteristics such as intelligence are multifaceted variables that cannot be sufficiently measured with one test or instrument, research supporting the congenital abilities of animals (e.g., Robert Choate Tryon's "maze-bright" and "maze-dull" rats study) was generalized to humans. Just as the majority of researchers and theorists were White, which subsequently produced "White" theories, and measurement instruments were culturally biased in favor of European Americans, experimental rats were also white.

The second part of Guthrie's book enlightens the reader of the early trials and tribulations of African-American scholars. The author describes the systematic manner in which black scholars were denied the opportunity to study psychology, publish their work, and receive recognition and financial aid. He also pays tribute to many Black scholars by providing short bibliographies, which includes a list of contributions. Some of these scholars include Francis Cecil Sumner, the first African American to receive a PhD in psychology, and Joseph White, a founder of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi).

This historical overview of many prominent, African-American psychologists was interesting and insightful. It enables the reader to develop an appreciation for the problems faced by Black scholars and discover important contributions such as Kenneth B. Clark's research on the detrimental effects of racial segregation, which eventually influenced the 1954 Supreme Court decision that required public schools to racially integrate their classrooms. Without this resource, one would encounter much obstacle in acquiring such information.

The final section of Guthrie's book is briefly discusses the implications of previous chapters. The author demonstrates that the "myth of mental measurement" and eugenicist philosophy (as demonstrated by William Schockley) continue to exist and stereotype. This is unfortunate; hopefully, society can learn from Guthrie's writings and subsequently make progress. In conclusion, the author states, "While at present it is difficult to justify the existence of a Black psychology, there is a theoretical basis for it." Hopefully, this book will not only advance the existence of Black psychology but also will serve as evidence of its existence, purpose, and need.

Robert Guthrie's Even the Rat was White, was written from the historical perspective of African Americans and was designed to inform readers of the challenges African Americans faced and contributions African Americans made against all odds in the psychological sciences. This brief review is aimed for the general reader and will succinctly cover topics discussed in the book.

Even the Rat was White is divided into three parts. The first part discusses and analyzes psychology and racial differences. The second part of the book presents influential African American psychologists, their struggles, and their contributions to the fields of psychology. The third and final part of the book is composed of conclusions and future directions. The first part of the book painted a detailed historical picture of the stereotyping of African Americans and how psychology did nothing to dismantle these ideas; it only perpetuated the obviously flawed stereotypes that kept African Americans as inferior individuals for hundreds of years. An example of this is IQ research, IQ tests, and IQ standardization. These tests are not culturally sensitive, are designed by middle-class whites for middle-class whites to excel on. The second part of the book provides biographies of several prominent African American psychologists giving detailed background on their upbringings and the adversities they had to overcome to receive their education and have their work taken seriously. Their contributions are also noted at the end of each biography. The final chapter summarizes the first two parts and draws the conclusion that although African Americans have fought and made immense progress in the plight for higher education and respect in the field of psychology, there are still several areas of psychology that fail to recognize that research conducted almost a century ago that guides psychological practice today has been refuted and still serves no other purpose but to enable an inequality between races.

Overall this book was an interesting read that provided an alternate history of psychology that is not normally discussed in most textbooks or most undergraduate psychology courses. Even the Rat was White brings to light the issues that are still being covered up today in psychological research and practice. As a graduate student in psychology, I would recommend that every psychology professional read this book. It will make you think twice about commonly employed practices in the professional setting such as IQ testing and research ethics.

Robert V. Guthrie's book Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology, 2nd Edition lays out the historical dynamics between African-Americans and the field of psychology. Guthrie demonstrates how religious, cultural, scientific, social and economic forces across hundreds of years wove a network of oppression that disrupted the contributions of African-American scholars to psychology and the helpfulness of psychology to African-Americans. He outlines how the eugenics movement and phrenology were used to justify oppression and sterilization of African-Americans, and how psychology contributed to applied eugenics programs by touting IQ tests as accurate measures of intelligence that could be reliably used to select candidates for sterilization.

The latter part of Guthrie's book is more hopeful. He writes of the importance of the historically Black colleges, as well as the challenges that the professors at these colleges overcame. One chapter of Part II presents several early African-American psychologists who managed to create successful careers despite overwhelming prejudice. Guthrie describes how these psychologists exposed the unscientific past of psychology while bolstering the field by improving research on African-American groups. Although Guthrie has presented the reader with a very ugly past, with its falsehoods and pseudoscience, he presents evidence that among very intelligent, sophisticated, well-connected individuals, the eugenics movement lives on. Because this movement is so closely linked to both the perversion of psychological research and the oppression of minorities, Guthrie's book is a necessary read for all psychology students.

One of the main discussions that I have noticed while glancing through the previous synopsizes on Even the Rat was White was that people tend to get the wrong idea while investing their time into this book. What I got out of the book, Even the Rat was White, was that Guthrie meant for it to be an informative book on the biases that existed among the psychologists from early on until the 20th century. Guthrie explains the procedures and the tests, mainly the IQ tests, which were used to find the intelligence of people, and how those tests helped pinpoint "logical," in the minds of the ones administering the tests, why the tests differed between the races. Guthrie never makes a claim that would suggest that his intentions of this book were anything but scientific. His information is base on facts and he has evidence to back up the fact that psychologist did somewhat racially profile people while constructing tests or giving credit to people for their studies and research. I believe that Guthrie is merely trying to point out the mistakes of the past so we, in the psychological field, are not doomed to repeat them. Some psychologists, such as Robert Bean, were too wrapped up in their own opinions and beliefs that the made their studies and findings agree with those bias beliefs. But, as I said only some of the psychologist altered tests while others tried to correct the "mistakes" or the intentional tweaking, Horace Mann Bond v. Robert Bean, so that psychology could grow into a respectable science in America.
Guthrie also brings up the fact that only a slight few of the black colleges had programs in which students could earn a degree in psychology. By not having many programs, students were being discouraged, mainly black students, from studying psychology since it did not serve a purpose. This caused a train wreck of events, by not having graduate programs there were very little black figures in the field of psychology, which meant that there were no real role models for students, and the few students that did graduate from one of the psychology programs offered, often suffered once out of college from the lack of employment options.
I know that a lot of Guthrie's book had to deal with ethnical differences, not only between whites and blacks, but it also concerned Native Americans and Hispanics. However, racial differences were not the only statistics brought to the surface, since IQ tests were a major development in psychology; the mentally ill were often looked down upon as well. My psychologists believed that sterilizing any person who was mentally ill or anyone who was from a dysfunctional home, was alright because it would stop the cycle and allow a dominance of a more superior being. Unlike the IQ tests, the sterilization laws did not last long in the science field, there was no real proof that if you came from a dysfunctional family that you, yourself, would bare dysfunctional children.
Although this book does bring up racial and intelligence factors into many peoples minds, it is meant to teach. I knew that every science, every subject actually, has gone through some sort of race or sex issue because people have the fear of degrading the specific field. Most people who would think that this is a racial book would not think anything of the fact that women were not allowed to publish stories or books at one point in time. Guthrie, in my opinion, was trying to help show people who are looking into the psychology field that there are repercussions for biased opinions, and even though you view the world or people in one way, which does not mean that everyone else agrees with you.

Robert V. Guthrie's "Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology" is an excellent historical overview of the role of African Americans in psychology, a group whose contributions have typically been omitted from or severely neglected in mainstream texts. The book is divided into three sections, each of which addresses an important group of issues. The first section focuses on unveiling early attempts to provide empirical evidence for the intellectual inferiority of African Americans via the use of psychometric methods as well as demonstrating how slavery and racial discrimination were justified by distorting religious texts. The second section focuses on the challenges faced by early African American psychologists in pursuing higher education and employment, which included being denied admission to colleges and universities, being refused financial aid, being unable to publish research and being denied employment. It also offers a historical overview of prominent African American psychologists, universities and organizations. The final section focuses on the implications of the information presented in the preceding chapters and how these issues of the past continue to impact society today.
While Guthrie's book fails to address the trials and tribulations that have faced other ethnic groups and women in the field of psychology throughout history, it does present a wealth of information on the plights faced by African American psychologists, some of which the average reader has likely not been introduced to and will, thus, find both informative and intriguing. However, by the third chapter, Guthrie's argument starts to disintegrate due to a continuous and increasing lack of proper citing and referencing and an overall failure to provide sufficient information.
Nonetheless, Guthrie's "Even the Rat Was White" is an invaluable source of information on the pivotal role African Americans played in the history of the field of psychology. It is also a much-needed reminder of how blind acceptance of false information can result in racism, discrimination, stereotyping and even violence and murder. Guthrie cautions the reader that, "Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present controls the past (p. xv)." However, he also warns the reader that this is not an excuse for apathy. The mere fact that the Zeitgeist accepts and supports a particular view or practice does not mean one is justified in following suit. Guthrie's purpose in writing this book was to make the reader aware of the trials faced by African Americans in the past, along with the tribulations they still face in the present, in order to motivate him or her to take action to eliminate such evils from the lives of all individuals both in the present and the future. While I believe Guthrie did accomplish this important goal, his unfortunate lack of thoroughness and consistency distract from the impact of the information and overall message he presents by causing the reader to question its source and, thus, its accuracy.

Very informative and gives a better understanding of the contribution made to psychology by persons of color.

Even the rat Was White is a overly interesting and revealing book. The author Robert V. Guthrie touches on one of the most hidden issues in today's society: racism. Reading this work we can clearly understand where we get our contemporary ideas of racial differences from. No other book that I have ever reed have touch racism and discrimination as cut and dry as this one does. It was really amazing to learn about how racial differences were assessed prior our times, the biased theories that supported it was only the white man that could have intelligence and that beside the white man all other races where significantly inferior. We also can have a realist side to the story because the author himself was an African American. The author then describes all the hazel that American Black psychologist had to go through to first eve have the right to study at a University and even more problematic to be able to be recognize as professional that had valuable contributions to make to the field of Psychology. Towards the end of the book we can say that it wants to change that negative perspective of the dark beginnings of psychology and its linkage to racism and discrimination -the author talk about a series of psychologist who them where fully recognize. This book is an amazing work not only for psychology or those interested of knowing about history of a certain field of education-this book awakes your senses and makes you reevaluate you core values and analyze the facts that are given in the book for what they are. Psychology have been granted with a realistic, research based, revealing and unforgettable work with the publication of this book. This is a book that not only those in field of psychology should read -everyone who wants to give a second though to their schemas about other people, races or costumes most read

By elucidating psychology's biased and myopic efforts to subjugate a portion of society, Guthrie focused attention on bad science. When science works, it allows the testability of an experimental hypothesis and the retention or rejection of the null hypothesis. What Guthrie found was science with an axe to grind and a Eurocentric mindset. Testing instruments designed and administered by elite white psychologists presented just what was intended; Afro-Americans were inferior. Because intelligence was considered a heritable trait, no amount of education could improve these defective individuals. The most compelling aspect of his book is its exploration of unabashed institutionalized racism. Guthrie, a victim of this system described in detail how he and others struggled out of the quagmire and helped others do the same.
The book, divided into three sections, examined how psychology exacerbated racial differences, how psychology and white psychologists perpetuated suspect research, and how if we are not vigilant the past will be repeated. I recommend this book to anyone in the sciences, the humanities, and particularly psychology.

Even the Rat was White: A Historical View of Psychology, 2nd Ed., by Robert Guthrie, presents a unique perspective of the role of African Americans in psychology that has been historically overlooked. The book provides an elaborate picture of the cultural context within which various atrocities occurred, and how the zeitgeist of the times allowed the prevailing racists views to remain relatively unchallenged.
In the first part of the book, Guthrie highlights many of the stereotypes that existed for African Americans and how they were used to perpetuate false ideas and prejudiced research in psychology. White psychologists justified their racist claims by touting their use of "precise measurement techniques" such as those used to determine the exact degree of "blackness" in a person's skin. The second part of the book discusses the many influential African American psychologists that have made critical contributions to the field of psychology that have been largely ignored in traditional texts and compiled histories of the discipline. Guthrie emphasizes with heartbreaking clarity the many obstacles that these figures had to overcome in order to received recognition and validation for their work. In the final part of the book, the author offers conclusions and stresses that the quest for racial equality in psychology is an ongoing endeavor whose proponents must continue to work for its achievement, despite the seeming insurmountability of the task.
As a student of psychology and a believer in the equal treatment of all people, I believe that this book is laudable in its blatant honesty about the racism that is inherent in this discipline even to this day, and despite the many accomplishments made, how much work is still left to be done. Guthrie should receive commendation for his role in educating readers and inspiring change.