CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF PREJUDICE IN PSYCHOTHERAPY - TOWARD A STRATEGY OF ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT

Social bias is an issue of concern to both practitioners and clinical researchers. This article considers race and ethnic prejudice as a pro minent clinical feature in three psychotherapy cases. Diagnostic and S tatistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) diagnoses, General Ada ptive Functioning ratings, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inven tory scores are considered in terms of the level of patient disturbanc e and severity of outgroup prejudice. Two Eases exemplify chronic adve rse outgroup ideation, reflecting a constellation of traits of persona lity disturbance, disinhibition, and adverse behavioral response (e.g. , panic, hostility, and/or aggression) to intergroup contact, while on e case evidences prejudicial ideation as a transitory, conditioned res ponse to traumatic victimization by a member of a racial outgroup. Pre judice is considered as a clinical syndrome, with treatment strategy c onsidered in terms of the severity and chronicity of prejudicial ideat ion.