Dialectics provide a framework for deeper understanding of complex constructs and processes and allow for consideration of dynamic range of movement. Context, however, is needed to more deeply understand and use a framework of dialectics. Environment, identity, and developmental processes are suggested as important contextual factors. The metaphor of a river is used to illustrate movement within dialectics and potential consequences. The movement within the dialectic process, like a river, is influenced by multiple forces, often conflicting and sometimes in crisis. Recommendations for research, practice, and training that attend to context, language, and dialectics are discussed.
Arredondo, P., Toporek, R., Brown, S., Jones, J., Locke, D., Sanchez, J., & Stadler, H. ( 1996). Operationalization of multicultural counseling competencies . Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 24(1), 42-78.
2.
Fleck, J.L. ( 2009, November). What the heck is dialectics? Retrieved from http://www.dialectics4kids.com/
3.
Hays, P.A. ( 2008). Addressing cultural complexities in practice: Assessment, diagnosis, and therapy (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association .
4.
Helms, J.E. ( 1995). An update of Helms’ White and people of color racial identity models. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casa, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 181-198). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5.
Jones, S. ( 1997). Voices of identity and difference: A qualitative exploration of the multiple dimensions of identity development in women college students . Journal of College Student Development, 38(4), 376-386. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.
6.
Jones, S.R., & McEwan, M.K. (2000). A conceptual model of multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of College Student Development , 41, 405-413.
7.
Landrine, H. ( 1985). Race × class stereotypes of women. Sex Roles, 13(1-2), 65-75. doi:10.1007/BF00287461
8.
Neville, H., Lilly, R., Duran, G., Lee, R., & Browne, L. ( 2000). Construction and initial validation of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS). Journal of Counseling Psychology , 47(1), 59-70. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.47.1.59.
9.
Orbe, M. ( 2004). Negotiating multiple identities within multiple frames: An analysis of first-generation college students. Communication Education, 53(2), 131-149. doi:10.1080/03634520410001682401
10.
Perry, W. ( 1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years. Oxford England: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
11.
Reynolds, A.L., & Pope, R.L. ( 1991). The complexities of diversity: Exploring multiple oppressions . Journal of Counseling & Development, 70, 174-180.
12.
Todd, N.R., Abrams, E.M. ( 2011). White dialectics: A new framework for theory, research, and practice with White students. The Counseling Psychologist , 39, 353-395.
13.
Toporek, R.L., & Pope-Davis, D. (2005). Exploring the relationships between multicultural training, racial attitudes, and attributions of poverty among graduate counseling trainees. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 11(3), 259-271. doi:10.1037/1099-9809.11.3.259.
14.
Watkins, M., & Shulman, H. ( 2008). From bystanding toward engaged witness. In M. Watkins & H. Shulman , Toward psychologies of liberation (pp. 64-84). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
15.
Wellman, D.T. ( 1993). Portraits of White racism (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
