| Summary: | The article discusses the subject of white racism and some of its ramifications for social work practice. The article author believes that a thoughtful person must admit that white racism is indeed a major cause of what is called the black problem. There exists a large body of research on the reasons people give for their dislike of various racial groups. Social workers know that one of the most effective means of problem solving is utilizing the process of psychosocial diagnosis, that is, exploring the past for clues to present functioning. As mental health professionals, they are obliged to go beyond the few glimpses they have had into the possible workings of the white psyche as it relates to the black man and to examine other causes of white racism. The white practitioner himself must get away from the martyr syndrome in relation to his interaction with blacks. The white practitioner must also be attuned to the fact that the value system subscribed to by social workers is not exclusive to the so-called middle class. They need help in testing the reality of and their judgments about negative racial attitudes.
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