Difficulties in Working with a Client in the Black Racial Development Process
The black racial development model captures the different stages that the black people go through when they begin to experience a shift in identifying their race. The first stage is the pre-encounter stage, where black people internalized the idea that white people were right and superior to them (Asante, 2012). A client in this stage may consciously or sub-consciously isolate themselves from fellow blacks due to internalized negativity towards their race. This may pose a challenge in trying to deconstruct their internalized negativity impeding a wholesome healing process. The second stage is the encounter stage. The stage is preceded by a significant life event that forces the individual to examine the racial bias they have experienced in their lives. According to Asante (2012), the occurrence forces the person to accept that they belong in the group receiving the discriminatory behavior. This may result in some form of existential crisis for the client, especially in cases where they have been oblivious of the blatant oppression that they were exposed to. This client may withhold vital information to their healing process as they struggle to come to terms with their new reality.
The third stage is the immersion stage, where the client actively seeks out symbols of their racial identity. The extreme effect is that they avoid symbols of whiteness. This may be dangerous in truly reconciling the full impact that racism has had on them. In the fourth stage internalization, the client is willing to forge relationships with other oppressed groups as well as white people. Although this is a positive development, the client may not observe the appropriate boundaries when seeking out these new relationships. The final stage is internalization-commitment, where the individual has integrated their race into a plan of action and are actively involved in improving the image of their race (Asante, 2012). Their tendency to surround themselves with their fellow blacks could lead to isolation from other groups. This may pose a challenge in creating a healthy perception of other groups.
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Drawbacks of a Person of Color Holding Self- and Group-Depreciating Attitudes in the Conformity Stage
The conformity stage is characterized by individuals who have an internalized sense of low self-worth due to prolonged exposure to racial oppression. According to Okosi (2018), the idea that the individual's race is continuously reinforced by the societal expression, mass media, and daily microaggressions towards their various minority groups. This may cause them to reject their own culture and racial identity and isolate themselves. They may also attempt to gain what they perceive to be acceptance from the group they perceive to be superior at the expense of their psychological well-being and dignity.
In the conformity stage, the individuals have negative attitudes towards their physical attributes and cultural characteristics. As a result, they may try to erase their cultural ties and mimic those they perceive to be superior (Okosi, 2018). There may also be attempts to alter their physical appearances to fit more Eurocentric features which they have internalized to be acceptable. In extreme cases, these procedures may harm the individual beyond a point where reparations can be made and in severe cases may be fatal. The manifestation of these beliefs harms the mental health of the individual, who may harm themselves in fits of desperation and self-loathing.
Their attitudes also extend to other minority groups and may manifest in the way that they treat these people. Individuals are seeking acceptance and integration into the white culture, consequently displaying the same oppressive and derogatory behaviors to other minority groups. The result may be social isolation from the only people who truly understand them and can offer them the kind of support structure necessary for them to healing. These individuals rate the minority groups that have features and cultural practices closer to the white people more highly than the rest (Okosi, 2018). They share the same negative stereotypes propagated against their kin and often express them. There is a perpetual sense of loss and being alone as they cannot be integrated into the white community but have rejected their community.
Why There Has Been Little Research Conducted on the Racial Identity of Helping Professionals
The issue of the racial identity of helping professionals is essential because of the potential relationship that the clients will have with them. Although there have been extensive exercises to provide mental health services for the minority groups, there has been little information collected on their exact nature (Meyer and Zane, 2013). The limited research can be attributed to the reluctance of both the patients and the professionals to provide the information they give and collect. The limited documentation of these procedures eventually trickles down to inadequate availability of information from which more research can be based, and treatment methods applied.
The issue of race also comes up; discriminatory practices have been a significant impediment towards research in this sector. There is a need to address how racial discrimination in the health sector has affected the therapeutic process (Meyer and Zane, 2013). There have been numerous cases where the health of people of color has been disregarded. The relevant health professionals and their clients are more reluctant to not only document their progress but also participate in research based on previous practices. They feel it is improbable that the groups that have continuously discriminated them will contribute to their well-being. The combined effect of past disregard and discriminatory practices has led to limited research on the racial identity of helping professionals.
References
Asante, A.G. (2012). Becoming "Black" in America: Exploring Racial Identity Development of
African Immigrants. Cornerstone. Retrieved from: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=etds
Meyer, O.L., Zane, N. (2013). The Influence of Race and Ethnicity in Clients’ Experiences of
Mental Health Treatment. J Community Psychol. (41, 7): 884–901. doi: 10.1002/jcop.21580
Okosi, M. J. (2018). The impact of racial microaggressions on therapeutic relationships with people of color (Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University-Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology).
