Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Due to the history of Apartheid in South Africa, cross-racial adoption is a fairly recent practice which was only legalised when the law was amended in 1991 so that prospective parents were allowed to adopt a child from a different race to them. As the consequences of the past linger, the most common form of cross-racial adoption is White parents adopting Black children. Studies on cross-racial adoption have been extensively conducted internationally, but research in South Africa is sparse. In this research study an explorative case study of a cross-racially adopted young adult was conducted in order to explore and describe the formation of his identity. The study adopted a Social Constructionist approach to knowledge and transcripts from the interviews with the participant were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA allows for a detailed exploration of the personal lived experience of a research participant and focuses on understanding how people construct their experiences and make meaning. Identity Process Theory (IPT) which is consistent with a social constructionist epistemology, was the theoretical framework used, through which the findings in this study were integrated. Findings indicated that the participant of the case study had challenges forming a coherent self-identity and that his adoption status and ethnicity played an important role in his identity development. Furthermore, findings showed that the social context both promoted and impeded his search for identity. Promotion of identity formation was always associated with a clearer understanding and sensitivity of people regarding the plight of the participant as a cross-racial adoptee. With the knowledge gained, it is hoped that families and psychological and welfare professionals will become better informed and better equipped in so far as empathy, sensitivity and best practice relating to the support for cross-racial adoptees are concerned.

The primary aims of this study are two-fold: (a) to understand what role the racial identity of African American graduate students plays in how they perceive the multicultural competence of their faculty mentor; (b) to understand how both the racial identity of African American graduate students and their perception of their faculty mentors’ multicultural competence play in their overall satisfaction in the mentoring relationship. African American participants who are in cross-racial faculty mentoring relationships—will be recruited from programs in rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and counselor education. The instruments for the study will include the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS), the Alliant Intercultural Competence Scale (ACIS), and the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS). It is hoped that this study will begin to address current gaps in the literature concerning what constitutes a culturally competent mentor and satisfaction from the protégé’s perspective.

This study aimed to explore possible ways in which racist ideology and counter positions to this ideology are played out in discourses about cross-racial adoption (CRA) in the current post-apartheid context of South Africa. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 18 psychology students at the University of the Witwatersrand. The study adopted a social constructionist approach to knowledge and transcripts from the focus groups were analyzed using discourse analysis that combined techniques from Braun and Clarke (2006) and Parker (1992, 1999). Analysis revealed that students’ discussion focused mainly on the extent to which they thought black children raised by white parents should (or should not) be exposed to black culture. The discourses underlying these opinions appeared to gain social legitimacy for their speakers through three overarching repertoires, all of which tended to be used to divert attention away from the political ramifications of arguments. Firstly, participants claimed that their arguments were made with “the best interests of the child” at heart. Secondly, participants constructed particular meanings of the relationship between ‘race’ and identity by framing these meanings as central to “knowing who you are”. Thirdly, participants distanced themselves from accountability for their opinions by framing them as reflections of “other South Africans’ attitudes” towards ‘race’ and CRA. Overall, the analysis revealed that processes of racialisation show strong persistence in both black and white people’s discourses about CRA, but tend to be overtly expressed as a value and tolerance of different cultures and ethnicities. However, counter voices to these discourses did emerge in prominent challenges to the idea that ‘race’, ethnicity and culture are intrinsic and immutable features of people. Less prominent were the occasional counter voices that suggested these constructs are nevertheless pertinent, because of the ways in which they may be used to either challenge ‘racially’-derived inequalities between groups, or to fuel the prominence of racist ideology in society.

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This qualitative study explored a number of paradoxes embedded in the mentoring phenomenon. Designed as cross-dimensional case study, the questions sought to better understand: (a) what challenges and barriers did the mentor and mentee face in their cross-racial, cross-cultural, and/or cross-age peer mentoring relationship in this specific organization? (b) How did the mentor and mentee address cross-racial, cross-cultural, and cross-age barriers? (c) What skills and/or competencies, as perceived by the mentor and mentee's experiences are needed to make a cross-racial, cross-cultural, and cross-age peer mentoring relationship successful? The unit of analysis for this investigation was one pair - female mentor and mentee- with cross-dimensional differences, thus setting the framework for different cultural perspectives. Data collected for this study were transcriptions from three interviews, the mentee, mentor, and the dyad together. Characterized by the case and field method of research, combined data sources were used concurrently â at different times to compare the participants, views, values, perceptions, experiences and philosophies. The study's goals involved examining the challenges and experiences, of mentoring in a multicultural work setting, and identifying issues relating to cross racial, cross-cultural, and cross-age mentoring relationships. Although linguistic and cultural barriers crested challenges for this mixed pair, their co-created relationship helped to overcome cultural differences. Thematic findings that embodied the foundations of the multicultural relationship were categorized into six areas: Trust and respect, willingness to participate, cultural understanding, mutual compatibility and psychosocial support, knowledge sharing and role modeling, and leadership. Trust emerged as the overarching construct, which laid the foundation for the mentoring relationship structure, linking The Five C's (Characteristics) - compatibility, confidence, capabilities, communication, and cultural understanding. Unique in this pair was a source of motivation that transcended their individual selves for a greater cause, which has profound implications for future research. The study's conclusions addressed: a) mentoring at a macro level for the community, and for a greater good, and b) a form of dialogue to foster an appreciation of multiculturalism — an appreciation of human differences and commonalities. Recommendations were made for future research. / Ph. D.

This project delves into the role of American churches, notably the United Methodist Church (UMC), in perpetuating a segregation mindset and normalizing whiteness. The UMC's efforts toward a beloved community, exemplified by the Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural (CR/CC) appointment, are scrutinized, emphasizing the need to confront racial and cultural challenges to prevent erasure, silencing, and assimilation by underscoring the importance of recognizing and addressing these issues for collective well-being, encapsulated in the principles of honoring, communication, and integration. Introducing the concept of re(de)fined and rethought Christian Conferencing, the project emphasizes the integration and honoring of diverse narratives, particularly through the Transformative Community Conferencing framework. Based on a narrative mediation approach, this framework seeks to challenge the pervasiveness of white cultural norms within the UMC, promoting collaboration between predominantly white congregations and clergy from non-white backgrounds. The project explores the transformative potential of this framework, stressing the importance of active engagement and concrete actions for genuine transformation in local UMC congregations, with a case study at Pound Ridge Community Church.

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No description available.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of self-identified White students currently enrolled at a predominantly White institution who were cross- racially involved for at least ten weeks in a multicultural association, club, or organization that had students of color as the racial majority. This study also examined students' consciousness of Whiteness and the development of students' White identities based on their cross-racial experiences. Utilizing a sample of 4 students in concert with a review of relevant literature, the principal findings of this research are that cross-racially involved students have heightened awareness of difference based on race, including their own White racial identity. Although racial tension exists between individuals' White identities and the collective organization’s multicultural identity, White students who were more deeply involved in multicultural organizations indicated that they (a) had a higher sense of belonging with their peers of color, (b) became more conscious of their Whiteness both inside and outside of their multicultural organizations to a certain degree, and (c) desired to more completely understand their ethnic heritage. Findings from this study can contribute towards literature on the development of racial justice allies in college. In order to influence racial justice ally development at a predominantly White institution, findings from this research suggest that student affairs administrators should encourage White students to engage in multicultural organizations so they can understand how their Whiteness "shows up" for others including the impact of privilege and oppression in a multicultural society. / Graduation date: 2012

The Wechsler Memory Scale –iii is the newest version of a six-decade old neuropsychological inventory. Since its conception, the Wechsler Memory Scale has been highly utilized by practitioners to accurately assess various memory functions in adult subjects. Revisions made within this inventory include the Faces I subtest, a facial recognition scale, which was added in order to strengthen the instrument’s accuracy at measuring episodic memory. Facial recognition, both cross-race and within-race, has been researched extensively and consistent biases have been found between race of test taker and cross-racial identification. Theories of exposure/contextual interaction (environment) and biological foundations have been the subject of study in the past in order to determine from where these racial identification deficits stem. The current study focuses on revealing bias in the Faces I subtest, regarding to an unequal distribution of racially representative faces in the testing materials. Eighty-eight college students were recruited to view forty-eight pictured faces from the Faces I subtest and determine the racial category to which the pictured face belonged. The subjects’ categorical responses were the basis for calculating a percent agreement score for racial category of each face. It was determined, using the results of subjects’ responses, that the Faces I subtest contained an unequal distribution of racially representative faces in both the Target and Interference testing material. This confirmed the presence of an inherent bias within the subscale. The implications of memory accuracy for the WMS-iii are discussed as it relates to different fields of study, but none more directly than the criminal justice system. Eyewitness testimony is a pivotal evidentiary tool in the criminal justice system, and ramifications of cross-racial identification deficits and biases in the tools to accurately assess memory are increasingly bringing this once heavily relied upon tool into question.