Career Development and Vocational Behavior of Racial and Ethnic Minorities: (Contemporary Topics in Vocational Psychology Series)

This volume presents the single most comprehensive source of knowledge on the career development of racial and ethnic minorities. In so doing, it serves as a resource to graduate students learning about career development and career counseling, counselors and psychologists providing career counseling to racial and ethnic minorities, and psychologists and counselors doing research on the career development of these diverse groups. In recognition of the value of both culture-specific and culture-general information about the vocational psychology of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, the book has a dual focus. The first eight chapters are devoted to culture-specific information about career development and vocational behavior. The final two chapters synthesize and integrate the materials presented in the eight culture-specific chapters. The text has been divided into three sections. The first section focuses on career theory and research with racial and ethnic minorities. It consists of a review of the relevance and utility of various career theories and models from mainstream vocational psychology to our understanding of the vocational behavior and career development of racial and ethnic minorities -- African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians. These chapters also summarize other theories from ethnic minority psychology that add to our understanding of minority career development. Finally, they review the existing empirical literature on the career development of these groups and provide a critique of this literature with recommendations for future research. The second section focuses on assessment and intervention with racial and ethnic minorities. The inclusion of the assessment dimension is very important because assessment is such a large and significant component of the career counseling process with these groups. The chapter authors offer guidelines and recommendations for providing career interventions with racial and ethnic minorities. In presenting these guidelines, they also address some of the cultural factors unique to each group that may serve either as facilitators or as inhibitors in the career counseling process. The third section includes commentaries, suggestions, reactions, and syntheses of the previous sections from scholars in the field of vocational psychology. These authors identify and examine the common principles, problems, and themes running across the chapters, and offer suggestions for advancing the field of racial and ethnic minority vocational psychology. This book will become both a valuable source of current information about the vocational psychology of racial and ethnic minorities as well as an inspiration for future research into the career development and vocational behavior of these culturally different individuals.

Table of Contents:
Contents: J.D. Krumboltz, Foreword. F.T.L. Leong, Introduction and Overview. Part I:Theory and Research.M.T. Brown, The Career Development of African Americans: Theoretical and Empirical Issues. C. Arbona, Theory and Research on Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Hispanic Americans. F.T.L. Leong, F.C. Serafica, Career Development of Asian Americans: A Research Area in Need of a Good Theory. M.J. Johnson, J.L. Swartz, W.E. Martin, Jr., Applications of Psychological Theories for Career Development With Native Americans. Part II:Assessment and Intervention.S.L. Bowman, Career Intervention Strategies and Assessment Issues for African Americans. N.A. Fouad, Career Behavior of Hispanics: Assessment and Career Intervention. F.T.L. Leong, R.H. Gim-Chung, Career Assessment and Invervention With Asian Americans. W.E. Martin, Jr., Career Development Assessment and Intervention Strategies With American Indians. Part III:Future Directions.S.H. Osipow, E.M. Littlejohn, Toward a Multicultural Theory of Career Development: Prospects and Dilemmas. N.E. Betz, L.F. Fitzgerald, Career Assessment and Intervention With Racial and Ethnic Minorities.

About the Author :
Frederick T.L. Leong, Frederick Leong

Review :
"All in all, this book is full of information and easy to read. A key reference for those interested in the subject matter." —CHOICE "Having read this book from cover to cover I found that one of its advantages is that you can start anywhere and get meaty information on the topic of your choice. Excellent writing and fine editing by Frederick Leong have produced a book that is easy to read and packed full of information. I enjoyed reading it. I learned from it. I invite you to learn from it too." —John D. Krumboltz Professor of Education, Stanford University, from the Foreword "Finally we have a comprehensive, yet concise, book on the career development of racial and ethnic minority groups. The book's first part points out gaps in our knowledge and questions the applicability of current vocational theory. The book's second part goes beyond raising questions about the efficacy for minorities of mainstream methods and procedures, and offers interesting modifications and innovations. Anyone with an interest in career development and cultural diversity will find many things in this book worthy of one's time and attention." —Rene V. Dawis, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, University of Minnesota "This text is without question one of the most important contributions to the vocational counseling literature in the last decade. This volume is essential reading for students and professionals, as well as researchers and practitioners. Those of us who work in the career development field enthusiastically salute its arrival." —Thomas Parham, Ph.D. Director, Career Planning and Placement Center, University of California, Irvine "Leong has assembled an outstanding group of contributors that remind us, through this book, that career development of minority groups can only be understood through their social, cultural, political, and contextual experiences. This text is destined to become a standard resource in graduate programs of counseling, education and psychology." —Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, Berkeley/