Critical race theory in undergrad respected?

[Diirez]

What's the psychology viewpoint on Critical Race theory? I just took a new job in a lab that has me on a project that is doing qualitative analysis through the the lens of CRT. I am a very empirically minded person, so this is definitely worrying that it will be too far out of the realm of science to be recognized by graduate schools.

I know it has some merits in multicultural psychology, which is the field I'm trying to get a broader experience in, but I haven't been able to find much on whether or not it is respected in the field.

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[psych.meout]

I'm not super knowledgeable about Critical Race Theory in terms of psychological research, but lots of people study race and racial bias in their clinical research.

They might compare implicit racial biases with some other clinical construct(s), like healthcare provider perceptions towards psychiatric or medical patients with certain forms of psychopathology or medical problems.

 

[modestmousktr]

What's the psychology viewpoint on Critical Race theory? I just took a new job in a lab that has me on a project that is doing qualitative analysis through the the lens of CRT. I am a very empirically minded person, so this is definitely worrying that it will be too far out of the realm of science to be recognized by graduate schools.

I know it has some merits in multicultural psychology, which is the field I'm trying to get a broader experience in, but I haven't been able to find much on whether or not it is respected in the field.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I guess it depends on what you mean. Anecdotally (as in, in my experience, so n=1) it's a huge part of my education in counseling psychology, and I see it widely used/respected in the academic circles I run in as someone who does research on disparities in access to care or racially-biased diagnosis. I've framed my work from a CRT and liberation psychology framework and have still gotten some grants, my work is accepted to peer-reviewed journals, national conferences, etc. I'm not looking to be an R1 researcher though, so take that with a grain of salt.

You might look into the following APA divisions:
The Society for Community Research and Action (APA Division 27)
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9)
Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race (Division 45)

as well as Div 17 and a few others.

 

[WisNeuro]

Well, as long as they're not just using the methodologically dubious IAT in the lab, at least you might learn some new research techniques.

 

[PsyDr]

Here's my problem with CRT or any critical theory from the Frankfurt school: It starts with an assumption. That's unscientific. From this assumption, it moves to several formal errors of logic to protect itself from any criticism.

That method is reprehensible to me, because it can easily be turned into very negative things.

Basic idea for critical theories: "We assume that society is structured like X, so that is now fact. We assume the structure is harmful. The correct method to study these two assumptions is to eschew the scientific method. If you disagree with our assumptions, it confirms our assumption."

Apply that method to anything. It's bad news.

 

[deleted480308]

It's a deeply flawed ideology

 

[deleted343839]

What's the psychology viewpoint on Critical Race theory? I just took a new job in a lab that has me on a project that is doing qualitative analysis through the the lens of CRT. I am a very empirically minded person, so this is definitely worrying that it will be too far out of the realm of science to be recognized by graduate schools.

I know it has some merits in multicultural psychology, which is the field I'm trying to get a broader experience in, but I haven't been able to find much on whether or not it is respected in the field.

If you're interested in multicultural psychology, it's definitely worthwhile to get some exposure to these interdisciplinary theories and methods. There is certainly a place for it in the field. Although there aren't many purely qualitative research programs in psychology, mixed methods approaches are very popular and "sell" well. Just make sure you also get sufficient exposure to traditional research design and quantitative methods.

As for the content of the theory itself (or your PI's take on it - it's a big tent), the good news is that you are under no obligation to agree or commit to anything ideologically. You're there to learn how a particular kind of sausage gets made in the academic factory, and you are free to become an adherent, a skeptic, or something in between. Bonus points for carefully observing your personal reactions to the work.