Race in Clinical Psychology Textbooks

Race is a social construct in which people are categorised based on perceived shared physical traits, rather than a biological reality. Prior textbook analyses with introductory psychology texts revealed race (i) is defined less than half the time, (ii) is only defined correctly approximately a quarter of the time, and (iii) is discussed in a biological or unclear manner about a third of the time when considering racial differences in intelligence. This study examined how clinical psychology textbooks define and discuss race, addressing a critical gap in our understanding of how the discipline conceptualises this construct within professional education due to prior research focusing primarily on introductory texts. The research questions were (i) how is race defined? and (ii) how is race discussed in relation to intelligence? Thirty clinical psychology textbooks published between 1990 and 2019 were analysed via content analysis. Results showed that only 7% of texts defined race, with such definitions evenly divided between biological and social framings. Similarly, discussions of racial differences involving intelligence were rare and inconsistent (7% of all texts), divided evenly between social and combined social and biological conclusions. These findings, although limited in number, indicate that clinical psychology is poorer than introductory psych texts at raising race at all, and conceptualising race as a social construct. These omissions risk perpetuating colour-blind ideologies and limiting cultural awareness among future clinicians. There is an urgent need for clearer educational standards and curriculum reviews to create consistency with contemporary scientific and ethical understandings of race.