The Impact Of Francis Cecil Sumner

Ludy, B. (1986). Why don't they understand us? A history of psychology's public image. American Psychologists, 41, 941-946.

Dr. Kimberlyn Leary writes about the application of treatment methodologies specific to the treatment African Americans but to make this suggestion is contrary to purpose of this paper. I assert that the creation of specific therapeutic methods for Black people and people of color would only deepen the chasm between black and white. What I am saying here is that there is a way to apply the existing psychoanalytic theories to Black people and most all of these theories address many of the issues of the

Ensuing Jefferson’s doctrine, racial science developed rapidly with the accrual of select Northern scientists whose goal was to further the boundaries of ethnology and phrenology. The most influential of these scientists were Samuel George Morton and his two cohorts Josiah Nott and Louis Agassiz; Morton launched a study

Inez Beverly Prosser (1895-1934), was an African American psychologist of the early twentieth century. Her main focus was on the significance of racism and its effects upon children relative to the obtainment of fair and adequate education. This writing will address the endeavors, perspectives, and accomplishments of this significant yet vastly under recognized African American female psychologist. A psychologist who led us on a journey through her perspectives as seen through the mind and eyes as an African American. It would

Imagine a world where prestige is evaluated by neither one’s character nor accomplishments, but predetermined by skin color. Visualize a world in which the nuances of skin color are used to sort and divide people amongst two factions: White or Black. Envision society segregated. Whites and Blacks tossed into two different worlds, as if mankind is a pile of dirty laundry which needs to be organized by color. The reality is this hypothetical world did in fact exist in the United States prior to the 1970s.

When spoken of, Francis Cecil Sumner is considered the ‘First’. Sumner was the first African American male psychologist; he was called Father of Black Psychology. Despite the odds Francis Sumner faced, he did what many felt was impossible to do. Sumner not only did the unthinkable, but he proved that no matter whom you are, what you are, or where you come from you decide your destiny. Sumner is known to many as the ‘Father of Black Psychology’. Sumner was born in a segregated community, didn’t have an education pass junior high, and was looked down upon because he was black.

Inequalities in skin color at Wilson were very prevalent. This wasn’t because of the teacher, but the world around them. Each different color segregated themselves to “keep with their own.” The differences like this kept the students at Wilson from reaching their potential. When

Though it has been apparent that people of color have been treated as a subclass within the medical field for centuries; as was brought to light in The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the recognition of forced hysterectomies and sterilizations of African American women in the 20th century and, to “The Negro Project” which worked to reduce the African American population through eugenics (Feagin & Bennefield, 2014). With even these three examples it is clear that the medical field has played a large role in creating both psychological and physical disadvantages and trauma for minority groups in America. Yet, it seems to be a subject that many professionals refuse to address. A meta-analysis conducted by Mayberry, Mili and Ofili found that,

Historical archives discovered by Dorman show that colorism had tangible boundaries within the African American community during the 1920s (47). It is stated that blacks often divided themselves into four subcategories which consisted of “black”, “brown”, “light brown”, and “yellow” Negros (Dorman 47). The above ranking would be listed in a hierarchy from “black” being at the bottom of the socially accepted hierarchy to the “yellow negro” being the most revered and desired socially.

Penned and published in 1883 during an era of widespread economic uncertainty in America, William Graham Sumner's What the Social Classes Owe Each Other stands as the seminal treatise on the purely democratic concepts of societal obligation and shared responsibility. Sumner's infamous assertions regarding the relative status of individual people, which essentially argued that human nature inevitably produces both poverty stricken and privileged classes, forcefully challenged the socially acceptable orthodoxy of compulsory altruism in an age when charity was lauded as the most virtuous of public acts. While Sumner argued eloquently that "a man who is present as a consumer, yet who does not contribute either by land, labor, or capital to the work of society, is a burden" (1952), his philosophical views were challenged by several contemporaries, including muckraking investigative reporter Nell Cusack and socialist paragon Eugene V. Debs. Both Cusack and Debs forcefully fought to protect and preserve the rights of those who occupy society's fringes, while Sumner chose to champion the advantageous positions held by the most affluent and ambitious among us. By conducting a thorough and thoughtful comparison of Sumner's statements and the work of his rhetorical opponents, modern readers are provided with the opportunity to assess such controversial and conflicted stances in the sublime light provided by historical hindsight.

‘The US military tested recruits to assign rank and found that black applicants scored lower than whites. However, analysis of the recruits were found to be due to educational differences; black recruits scored very low until the 1950s, when an increase in score corresponded to improved educational standards for all.’

In effect, while race has special meaning for African Americans, it 's absent in the psychotherapy systems and clinical sessions that typically guide a clinician 's work with African Americans. What a pickle! For all the polemicists out there, in a nutshell, there are competing visions for psychotherapy with African Americans. Neither side is monolithic. On one side, which I 'll call the Universal approach, researchers and scholars hang their hat on the belief that psychotherapy systems are sufficient for treating African Americans because

Abstract Inez Beverly Prosser was known as one of the first African American women to earn a doctorate in psychology. Prosser is best known for her dissertation on the non-academic development of Negro children in mixed and segregated schools. Prosser wanted to find out what conditions worked best for children of color being that there weren’t many educational options for them in the south. Her dissertation examined personality differences in black children that attended voluntarily segregated or integrated schools. From this observation Beverly was able to determine that black children were better educated in segregated schools.

Over the year?s minorities have been treated differently in America. There was a point in time when people did not understand people of color and even made assumptions about them. Because of this systemic factors have been established both in the mental health and education system. Counselors had their own perception

When we study the history of psychology one might assume there were minimal female contributors, but that is a big misconception. Women in the past struggled with discrimination and many hurdles to gain recognition for their work. Women psychologists have gone largely unrecognized, unappreciated, and almost unseen to historical accounts. The lack of acknowledgement for women psychologists in today’s study takes away from the comprehensive study to our generation. It is exceedingly important that we receive a well-rounded education of all the great psychologists in history and not only the male founders. The following women I will discuss mention only a few who have made an influence in psychology.