Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1996

Thesis Director

William G. Kirk

Thesis Committee Member

William T. Bailey

Abstract

The present study examined two major variables: a comparison of Minority and White student's attitudes toward psychological help seeking and the influence of ethnicity on student's preference of counselor ethnic characteristics. It was expected that 1) Minority students would have a more negative attitude toward seeking psychological help than Whites students; 2) Minority college students would prefer to see a counselor who is older, belong to a minority group, the same race, the same gender, the same socioeconomic status and have an university degree; 3) female students would have a more positive attitude toward seeking psychological help than male students, and 4) Minority college students who have a strong acculturation to their culture will have a more negative attitude toward seeking psychological help than those minority students who have a weak acculturation. One hundred and twenty-four subjects from several cultural and service organization completed the Fischer and Turner (1970) Pro-Con Attitude Scale and a personal information form. It was found that Minority students had significantly more negative attitudes toward seeking help that White students; female students had significantly more positive attitude toward seeking psychological help than male students; individuals' commitment to their culture did not influence whether one had more of a positive or negative attitude toward seeking psychological help. Finally, no specific characteristic for counselor preference was viewed as important.

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