George V. Gushue, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Much of Dr. Gushue’s research applies theory and research from the areas of cognitive and social cognitive psychology and group relations to three specific areas in multicultural counseling psychology: clinical assessment, high school career development and group dynamics.
In the first area, he has explored how recent social and cognitive scholarship regarding race, social schemas, memory, judgment, and attribution may further illuminate both how race and culture influence clinical assessment and how those effects might be strengthened or attenuated by counselors’ racial attitudes. This research seeks to uncover potential impediments to the equitable delivery of mental health services resulting from racial or cultural bias in assessment and treatment planning. Currently his research team has begun to examine the impact of motivation on multicultural interactions. Another research project is exploring the influence of race and cultural attitudes on clinical judgment including: perception, clinical detail salience, and evaluation.
In the second line of research, Dr. Gushue and his team have examined how high school students’ ethnic identity and gender role attitudes affect their career development through their impact on students’ beliefs in their abilities, expectations for the future, and career goals. These studies have pointed to the need for a more systemic approach to career counseling and education – one which takes into account the ways in which students’ gender and cultural identities and the larger social context may influence the development or thwarting of career interests. One current research projects include a study on the impact of gender role attitudes and future family plans on STEM career interests, goals, and self-efficacy beliefs. Another examines the influence of the career adaptability and career self-efficacy on career planning behaviors.
A third line of research, Dr. Gushue’s lab is conducting a study exploring how differences in relationship style, social group membership, and worldview orientation may influence perceptions of a single shared group experience. The study seeks to determine if participants’ social identities, cultural values, and attachment styles can predict their perceptions of personal authority, experiences of and attitudes towards external authority in a group experience, and assessments of the group climate. Results will help shed light on when and how people take up power within group settings, and whether these behaviors are influenced by individual’s social identities and associated forms of social power. Ultimately, this study hopes to contribute to ongoing efforts in psychology to understand the ways that leadership, authority, and power operate in culturally diverse settings.
Dr. Gushue has completed a decade as the associate editor of the Journal of Career Development and serves as a reviewer for numerous journals in the field. He is the former Director of Training for the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a Ph.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University in Counseling Psychology.