Psychology Today

For many well-intentioned white people, it is easy to slip into despair and passivity when it comes to taking action on social issues related to racism.

Language influences how we feel and how we react to things. Language is the foundation of change. Rather than avoid and deny, we need to start learning.

A new civil rights movement is happening with racial justice at its core. The movement has a new language and for many white people this language is foreign.

What if your client confessed to harming a child, but you were sure it didn't happen? A psychologist weighs the options and debates whether to report or not report.

For African Americans, the experience of trauma extends beyond what we see on the news to the everyday challenges Black people face with omnipresent racism, leading to what’s known as “race-based stress and trauma.”

People all over the nation were shocked to learn about the curious case of Rachel Dolezal, former head of the NAACP chapter in Spokane who self-identifies as a Black woman, even though her biological parents are White. What is the psychology behind race switching and our reaction to it?

Called the doubting disease, OCD can make you question your sexual ability, desires, and even orientation. The anxiety can ruin the joy of sex, resulting in relationship problems and despair.

If you are a White person in America, it can be hard to imagine someone else could be living a completely different experience. Why is it so hard to ask the important questions?

You love your children with all your heart and would never forgive yourself if something bad happened to them. However, you repeatedly see yourself sexually molesting them when they are in your vicinity. You try to ignore it but the worry just won't go away.

Racism can be perpetuated by therapists who are genuinely committed to the well-being of minorities and consider themselves progressive and egalitarian. Most of us go into the helping professions because we care about people, but even seemingly positive statements can communicate racism.

Discrimination can result in psychological and physiological stress, but can racism be traumatic? Ethnic and racial minorities may be at risk for this underrecognized mental health phenomenon. The DSM-5 opens the door to a broader perspective on race-based trauma.

Understanding people from different ethnic and racial groups can be intimidating and uncomfortable. A multicultural middle-school student shares the secrets of her success.

When we have been abused or neglected as children it can leave us feeling deprived and wronged by those we loved and trusted. Learn how to overcome these wounds with self-help techniques rooted in the trauma research.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, men and women can be equally competitive. Competition can be helpful when it motivates us but harmful in relationships, resulting in stress, aggression, and broken relationships.