Pairing For The Prevention of Prejudice:

Authors

  • Michael Karcher Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Univeristy of Texas, Austin

Abstract

This paper describes theory and practice related to the promo­tion of interpersonal and intergroup understanding. The first part of the paper introduces the "prevention therapy" framework and "pair counsel­ing," two interventions which focus on prevention through fostering devel­opment, both cognitive and interpersonal. Part two illustrates "intergroup understanding," which is the ability to understand the meaning and expe­riences related to one's own and another's group membership, by present­ing examples from two multicultural pair counseling cases. Therapeutic strategies for promoting intergroup understanding are suggested. During their eighth session of pair counseling, Kenny and Carl were talking about why they each thought Kenny was teased so much by his 6th grade peers. Carl, who prior to pair counseling had been one of Kenny's most ferocious teasers, had many suggestions. Some were painful for Kenny to hear, like the fact that Kenny did not wear cool clothes or pay as much attention to his grooming as the other middle schoolers did. But Kenny found one of Carl's explanations most surprising. Carl said, "They call him names 'cause he's from Africa. They say his family runs around naked, don't wear shoes, and eats other people. But it's true. Seriously they do, I saw it on TV!" Neither Kenny nor the counselor knew quite how to respond to Carl's statement. Both Kenny and Carl were black, and Basil, the counselor, was white. Kenny had moved to the U.S. from Africa just before entering middle school, and he was seen as very "different" by his peers. Basil wondered how he and Kenny might respond to such prejudices. Kenny probably asked himself the same question.

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Published

1996-03-01

How to Cite

Karcher, M. . (1996). Pairing For The Prevention of Prejudice:. Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, 11, 119–143. Retrieved from https://acycpjournal.pitt.edu/ojs/jcycw/article/view/251

Issue

Vol. 11 (1996)

Section

Articles

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