The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Toward a Racially Inclusive Model (Wiley Series on Personality Processes) [Paperback]

Robert T. Carter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047124533X | ISBN-13: 978-0471245339 | Publication Date: February 27, 1998

A revolutionary theory, a clinical watershed, a masterful text

The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy, Robert T. Carter changes the course of a century of psychological theory, practice, and education. He debunks the traditional belief that race has a marginal impact on personality development and, with compelling empirical evidence, demonstrates that race is the defining factor above other experiences of living in the United States and a crucial ingredient in the therapeutic process.

Carter presents models of racial identity for all racial groups and offers numerous case studies of various psychosocial resolutions within racial groups. He constructs the first racially inclusive model of psychotherapy--a rigorous conceptual framework that affords clinicians a deeper awareness of how racial issues affect their dealings with patients--and creates a means of integrating that knowledge into their practices.

The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy:
* Defines the decisive role of racial identity in personality development
* Presents a racially inclusive model of psychotherapy
* Describes how this model is applied in a clinical context
* Proposes new counselor training programs based on this model.


This immensely valuable text helps students in multicultural counseling and psychotherapy develop an awareness of their own levels of racial identity as well as those of their patients. For practicing therapists, it opens new vistas in the therapeutic process and provides new avenues through which to better understand and serve their patients.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The author presents an innovative interactive model of how the psychotherapy and counselling process is influenced by the participants' race and culture. Examines research evidence for the model and offers practical guidance for its use in therapy. Describes the interactive process dynamics of diverse types of dyadic pairings and demonstrates how the affective responses and therapy outcome are influenced by the racial makeup of the therapy participants. Identifies four relational types, illustrating how each has distinctly different process impacts.

From the Inside Flap

The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy Conventional wisdom has it that race and racial identity are, at best, marginal factors in personality development. In light of the fact that in many cultures race is the ultimate measure of inclusion or exclusion, this view seems about as sensible as the claim that dietary habits have little or nothing to do with physical development. Equally strange is the belief held by many schools of thought that race is important only when a patient brings it into the therapeutic process, and if the patient happens to be a person of color, the issue of race is merely a ploy for avoiding more critical intrapsychic issues. In this groundbreaking book, Robert T. Carter stands conventional wisdom on its head and elevates race to the position of prominence it deserves to occupy in modern psychological thought. With a wealth of empirical evidence to support his claims, he clearly demonstrates the decisive role that race plays in personality development and the powerful influence it has on the therapeutic process. Just as importantly, he presents the first Racially Inclusive Model of Psychotherapy, a rigorous conceptual framework which affords clinicians a deeper awareness of how racial issues affect their dealings with patients and a means of integrating that knowledge into their practices. The book begins with a critical overview, in which the author clearly shows that race has always been excluded from theories of personality development; he then explores the shortcomings inherent in the tendency to substitute ethnicity and culture for race. In the following discussion of race and personality, Carter presents models of racial identity for all racial groups, and offers numerous case studies which help validate the notion of variable psychosocial resolutions within racial groups, where each resolution functions as an independent world view. Clinicians will be particularly fascinated by later discussions of the ways, both overt and covert, in which racial awareness influences psychotherapeutic interactions. Carter presents a model of how a clients awareness of race and that of his or her therapist can clash or intertwine to bring about varying dyadic relationships which, in turn, influence therapist/client strategies, affective responses, and outcomes. The final section of the book is devoted to practical applications. The author draws on his experiences and those of his colleagues to develop guidelines on how to apply the knowledge gained from the foregoing theoretical and empirical discussions. The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy is an indispensable working resource for all mental health professionals. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (February 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047124533X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471245339
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential guide for counsellors and clinicians!!, January 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Influence of Race and Racial Identity in Psychotherapy: Toward a Racially Inclusive Model (Wiley Series on Personality Processes) (Paperback)

This book was recommended during Nancy Boyd-Franklins' conference on 'working with black families' in London a few years ago. I was fortunate enough to purchase the last copy on that day. This book has been instrumental in helping me to further develop our work with clients from a diverse background. In addition, my colleagues, parents of black and multi-racial children and professionals in other organisations who come along to our workshops, cannot but help to broaden their view when presented with Mr. Carter's teachings.