Nature, nurture, neither, nor: Black-white differences in beliefs about the causes and appropriate treatment of mental illness

We use the 1996 General Social Survey (GSS) to explore racial differences i n perceptions of the etiology and treatment of mental illness. We find that African Americans are more likely than whites to reject the idea that ment al illnesses are caused by either genetics or an unhealthy family upbringin g, but this effect does not extend to other biological or environmental exp lanations of psychological disorders. We propose that blacks may be more sk eptical than whites of genetic- and family-based explanations because of th eir resemblance to arguments that have been used to criticize blacks and ju stify their disadvantaged structural position. Additionally, we find that r acial differences in etiological beliefs play a substantial part in explain ing African Americans' tendency to have more negative attitudes than whites toward professional mental health treatment These findings suggest not onl y that etiological beliefs may reflect broader political debates about race but also that these beliefs may be at the care of some of the differences in the attitudes of blacks and whites toward professional help-seeking.