Essay on Why Is Diversity Important in Psychology

As a field that explores human experiences, psychology has been pushing to include diversity in its education, research, and services. The discipline has been ensured to include a multicultural approach and diversity while emphasizing topics such as individual and cultural differences (Gallor, 2017). As of recent, psychology has been focusing on integrating social justice in its field, specifically academically and in training future professionals. Psychology textbooks and courses lack coverage of race, racism, and other forms of oppression; however, psychologists and other scholars must continue to investigate race and racism and work to eradicate all forms of oppression (Whitten et al., 2019). Although monitoring psychology’s current demographics, one can highlight its lack of gender equality, cultural diversity, and inclusion. As a broad discipline, psychology needs to be internationalized to make progress and understand the mind universally.

Psychology’s workforce is not representative of the different races and ethnicities; however, it is slowly moving towards the right path. According to APA’s Center for Workforce Studies, in 2015, 86 percent of psychologists in the U.S. workforce were white, 5 percent were Asian, 5 percent were Hispanic, 4 percent were Black/African-American and 1 percent were multiracial or from other racial/ethnic groups, which is less diverse than the U.S. population (Lin, Stamm, & Christidis, 2018). APA released that in 2013, two-thirds of the 25,000 doctoral students in the U.S. were white. In addition, the data suggests a large discrepancy among Psychology faculty, with 78 percent being white members (Green, 2016). Considering an in-depth examination of gender inequality in the workforce, women dominate the field but only in numbers. In 2013, for every male active psychologist, there were 2.1 female active psychologists in the workforce (Lin et al., 2018). Even though women are actively participating in the field, inequality can be seen in wages and status within psychology. According to the National Science Foundation, women psychologists who enter the workforce encounter lower salaries than men regardless of the subfield. The average wage gap in starting salaries for recent doctoral graduates is approximately $20,000 (Clay, 2017). Even though women represent over half of APA’s membership, they are not represented in honorary positions or higher roles. Women in academia face certain challenges as well, it usually takes women a year longer to achieve tenure than men (Clay, 2017).

Various measures can be taken to eliminate the lack of diversity and equality in the academic field of psychology. A simple solution can be recruiting a more diverse student body, which would ultimately result in a more inclusive community of psychologists and therapists. It is important to have a varied community of psychologists because it encourages different theoretical and clinical perspectives, which may help to eliminate the traditional and biased assumptions in the psychology field (Awais & Yali, 2013). Additionally, the curriculum needs to promote multicultural competency and help train future psychologists to address the complex ways in which social injustice continues to manifest itself in many aspects of society (Green, 2016).

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Another region that lacks diversity and inclusivity is research within the field of psychology. People from minority ethnic groups are under-represented in research.

For too long, psychology has disenfranchised or marginalized groups or individuals from diverse backgrounds in its research, which resulted in underrepresenting findings (Tebes, 2010). According to Trickett, it is important to consider the “Diversity of Contexts” when examining and understanding behavior (1996). There are several factors on whether the real issue of underrepresentation is due to ’ planned exclusion’, ‘inadvertent exclusion’, ‘non-participation,’ or a mixture of them (Redwood & Gill, 2013). The field's understandings of the structure and functioning of the mind are rooted in a set of centuries-old Western philosophical assumptions regarding what it means to be a person or a group member in an individualist-oriented society (Stanford, 1996). Psychology research has mistaken specific cultural twists for universal principles because most of the research subjects, as well as the researchers over the past 50 years, have been Americans or Europeans only (Stanford, 1996). An example of a method to keep research inclusive and social justice driven is “participatory action research”. This research approach involves research participants themselves in every step of the process, from collecting and analyzing data to co-developing conclusions. This theory promotes change and empowers both researchers and participants as well as community members (Gallor, 2017).

In the last few decades, psychology has expanded on an international level, which is a salient step to eliminate the under-representation. A vital movement that will help to terminate these biases is the “Internationalization of Psychology” movement. Internationalization refers to the approach in which existing or new psychological theories, methods, procedures, or data across cultures are synthesized to create a more culture-informed, inclusive, and globally applicable science and profession (Van de Vijver & Fons, 2013). As a discipline, psychology should be able to step out of its comfort zone and be prepared to apply it outside of the European/American context that it always has been. Psychological theories and practices should be globally applicable instead of the “one size fits all” approach (Van de Vijver & Fons, 2013). Moreover, to further advance internationalization in psychology, there needs to be a further development of international collaboration, where Western countries are not the dominant party, due to their advantage in terms of language, experience, and resources (Adair, Unik & Huynh, 2012). With these possible solutions, psychology will be able to abolish any biases, lack of representation, or inclusion in its discipline.

In conclusion, as a society that is continually evolving, increasingly becoming more diverse and multicultural, psychology has been attempting to ensure that it follows that change. The psychology field has historically lacked racial and ethnic diversity but with the appropriate measures, it will be possible to create a representative discipline. With solutions such as the “Internationalization of Psychology” and others, education along with research and services will be able to close the racial/ethnic gap. Even though there are several barriers that the field must overcome, it is very possible to create an inclusive environment where all groups are represented. Even though diversity can be challenging, it is intensely valuable to the field, and as the nation is diversifying, psychology should too.

References

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