Cultural Mistrust and Its Effects on Expectational Variables in Black Client-White Counselor Relationships

• Published in: Journal of counseling psychology 1989-10, Vol.36 (4), p.447-450
• Main Authors: Watkins, C. Edward, Terrell, Francis, Miller, Fayneese S, Terrell, Sandra L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Black People; Client Attitudes; Counselor Characteristics; Expectations; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Racial and Ethnic Differences; Transportation. City planning; Trust (Social Behavior); White People
• ISSN: 0022-0167; 1939-2168
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-0167.36.4.447

In a previous analogue study, Watkins and Terrell (1988) found highly mistrustful Blacks assigned to White rather than to Black counselors generally had lower expectations of counseling. To extend this earlier study, we examined the effects of cultural mistrust on Blacks' expectations about counselor credibility and counselor competence and their willingness to see someone like the described counselor for counseling. In a 2 (subject sex) × 2 (subject mistrust level) × 2 (counselor race) factorial design, subject mistrust level and counselor race interacted significantly on several dependent variables. In comparison to Blacks low on mistrust, highly mistrustful Blacks regarded the White counselor as less credible and less able to help them with four problem areas: general anxiety, shyness, inferiority feelings, and dating difficulties. The implications of the findings for Black client-White counselor relationships are discussed, and the further need for counselors to be aware of the cultural mistrust issue is emphasized.