Decades of research in both political science and psychology have demonstrated that external, environmental factors influence individuals' mental processes, especially as they relate to politics. Inasmuch as such factors vary systematically across racial and ethnic groups, the political psychology of these groups warrants study, hence, the objective of this volume. We have assembled a number of papers from both psychologists and political scientists in an effort to combine both disciplines' understanding of the psychological underpinnings of Blacks' orientation to the political world. Our goal is to take lessons learned from previous research and incorporate them into new theories and utilize new data sources in an effort to create a unified study of Black political psychology.