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Cultural Mistrust in Multicultural Counseling Relationships 271

color may become guarded, vigilant, and not trust the relationship suffi ciently
to disclose personal information. A relationship distance between Whites and
people of color has been identified as due to aversive racism and cultural

mistrust (Dovidio et al., 2002; Crocker, Major, & Steele, 1998; Ridley, 2005). A
large proportion of White Americans report never having an intimate rela-
tionship with someone from another race and may be disinclined to do so
because of unconscious bias (Cheatham, 1994; Sue & Sue, 2008). On the other

hand, people of color may have difficulty trusting Whites in light of the his-
tory of discrimination and continuing experiences of oppression (Jones,
1997; Ridley, 2005; Sue & Sue, 2008). Clients of color, therefore, are likely to
approach a therapy session with considerable guardedness and mistrust of
the White helping professional.
The term “ cultural mistrust ” refers to a suspicion of the intent and motives
of Whites, their rules and regulations, and their institutions (Terrell & Terrell,
1984; Whaley, 2001). The assumption is that White Americans have inherited
a worldview of superiority, are likely to treat people of color as inferior, to
be biased against them, and to act in ways that are detrimental to psychologi-
cal well - being and life decisions (Constantine, 2007). Thus, the guardedness
exhibited by people of color toward White Americans may be based upon
reality rather than pathological perceptions (Ridley, 2005). During the Third
World and the Civil Rights movements, for example, many people of color
openly questioned the well - intentioned motives of Whites. Rather than seeing
their mistrust of Whites as “ paranoia ” or pathology, many Black helping
professionals stressed that it was a healthy psychological mechanism. Cultural
mistrust on the part of Blacks toward Whites has been described as a functional
survival mechanism used to combat racism and to prevent being deceived
(Grier & Cobbs, 1971).

Heightened Perceptual Wisdom
Because of their experiences with racism, sexism, and heterosexism, many
marginalized groups have developed a heightened perceptual wisdom (Sue,
2003) that allows them to more accurately discern the truth as it relates to
oppressors (Hanna, Talley, & Guindon, 2000). This power of perception is
all important for those most disempowered because it allows them to not be
easily fooled, to read between the lines, and to intuitively ascertain the true
attitudes, motives, and meanings of biased contradictory messages of oppres-
sors. Thus, people of color may become hypervigilant toward Whites; women
become hypervigilant toward men; and LGBTs become hypervigilant toward

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