Preventing Prejudiced Psychological Practice: Social Justice Education in Undergraduate Psychology Programs

Abstract

In order to provide sufficient mental health care services and produce ethical research, psychologists must be motivated to inhibit their personal biases. Bias in psychological research and mental health care settings can contribute to the perpetuation of oppression, preventing clients who identify with marginalized groups from receiving adequate mental health services. Prejudice amongst mental health care providers can influence misdiagnosis and wrongful prescription of medication. Psychological research informs clinical practices, thus biased research can lead to prejudiced mental health care practices. To ensure that members of marginalized groups receive effective health care, there is a global need for ethical, culturally sensitive, and socially just mental health care practitioners. The vast majority of prejudices adopted by psychologists are rooted in White-supremacist and Eurocentric perspectives that have gained dominance as a result of colonization and globalization. The following inquiry poses that social justice education in undergraduate psychology programs is essential to reduce prejudices among psychologists by exposing students of psychology to global systems of oppression to foster motivation to inhibit prejudices. The following article seeks to uncover global continuity in the definition of social justice, and asserts that social justice principles are deeply embedded within the principles of psychology on a global scale. Social justice education in undergraduate psychology programs should be implemented for the sake of providing all people with ethical and socially just research and mental health care services.