This article addresses career development as a special task in life‐span development. Career development is discussed as a counseling intervention based on Eurocentric concepts, a conceptualization that might not address the needs of African American clients. Specifically, it is argued that individual behavior is organized with respect to values, attitudes, and beliefs of a reference group, in this case, a cultural reference group. Career development for African Americans then, is conceptualized within a complementary framework termed Africentrism. A heuristic model is advanced for understanding the origins of culturally relevant values some African Americans hold toward work and careerism. Inclusion of these and similar culturally relevant values enables fuller service to this (and all) ethnic minority clients regardless of counselor's theoretical perspectives.
Multicultural coursework, pedagogy, and support services that honor diverse needs and voices can enhance the environment for graduate students of color.
This study examined the widely reported contention that the social and intellectual development of African-American college students is nurtured better by traditionally Black collegiate institutions (TBIs) than by predominantly White collegiate institutions (PWIs). It was hypothesized that if the reported environmental effects exist, then students at TBIs ought to be more developmentally advanced than their counterparts at PWIs. Three areas of psychosocial development were examined for 250 African-American students attending the two types of institutions in the same northeastern state. The Racial Identity Attitude Scale, the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Inventory, and the Career Decision Scale were used. The results did not provide clear support for the superiority of the TBIs in facilitating the development of African-American college students. Results and implications for counseling and future research are discussed.Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the effects of college environments on certain developmental characteristics that distinguish African-American students at traditionally Black collegiate institutions from their counterparts at predominantly White collegiate institutions. Allen (1985) reported that African-American students at traditionally Black collegiate institutions display greater psychosocial adjustment, academic gains, cultural awareness and commitment, and attainment aspirations. From a cross-sectional study of African-American and White students in various college settings, Fleming (1984) concluded that African-American students at predominantly White collegiate institutions "showed evidence of intellectual stagnation in the senior year and frustrated achievement drive" (pp. xiii-xiv).A specific focus within this area of research has been minority students' social and psychological maturity. Gosman (1986, 1987) noted a high correlation between African-American students' progress and their socialization in the collegiate environment. Madrazo-Peterson and Rodriguez (1978) pointed to minority students' experience of isolation and displacement at predominantly White collegiate institutions. Hughes (1987) also has noted the de-We express appreciation to the Alumni Society of the College of Education of Pennsylvania State University for a faculty research grant, which in part supported the research reported here. We also extend thanks to Judith Thomas and cooperating faculty at Lincoln University, to Mary Anne McNally, Yvonne Terrell, and John Patrick for their thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of this article, and to Hoi K. Suen for his helpful suggestions on the data analyses.
Due to theoretical orientation and training received, the rehabilitation counselor working with the Black disabled client may encounter a set of atypical client responses and requirements. This paper reviews some of the literature addressing counselor and client characteristics and prospective factors for failure in counseling Black disabled clients. The Eurocentric theoretical basis of training and practice is discussed, followed by an overview of the Africentric approach which potentially provides for rehabilitation counselors' improved service delivery to the Black disabled client.
Archival research was used to compare intake judgments made by women counselors about women clients seen for an initial intake interview. Sociopsychological variables, which have been shown to influence counselor judgments, were controlled for in the research design. Forty-one African-American and 41 White female clients (17-38 years of age), matched on demographic and pretreatment variables, were seen by African-American and White female counselors. Chi-square analysis and analysis of covariance showed no significant differences in counselor judgments for the matched client groups. Results support the need to control for sociopsychological variables that may influence counselor judgments when examining potential bias as a function of ethnicity.Few studies examining the judgments counselors make about clients have included client ethnicity as an independent variable (Baum & Lamb, 1983;Bishop & Richards, 1987; Harrison, 1975). Even fewer studies have included counselor ethnicity as an independent variable (Atkinson, 1983). A meager body of research has examined the relationship of both counselor and client ethnicity and the judgments that counselors make about clients. Some researchers (Epperson, 1981; Fiester, 1977; Fiester & Rudestam, 1973) have suggested that the interaction of counselor and client variables has greater explanatory value in studies examining counseling process and outcome than does either the counselor or the client variable examined independently. June (1986) noted the importance of client ethnicity and gender in counseling Black clients. Moreover, Cheatham and Bell (1985) suggested that both ethnicity and gender of counselor and client are variables that may influence the qualitative functioning of cross-race and cross-gender counseling dyads. Brody (1987) specifically addressed the implications of White female counselors working with racial/ethnic female clients.
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