Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

606 CHAPTER 14 TherapiesCULTURE AND HUMAN BEHAVIORCultural Values and PsychotherapyThe goals and techniques of many established approaches to psychotherapytend to reflect European and North American culturalvalues (McGoldrick & others, 2005). In this box, we’ll look at howthose cultural values can clash with the values of clients from othercultures, diminishing the effectiveness of psychotherapy.A Focus on the IndividualIn Western psychotherapy, the client is usually encouraged to becomemore assertive, more self-sufficient, and less dependent onothers in making decisions. Problems are assumed to have an internalcause and are expected to be solved by the client alone.Therapy emphasizes meeting the client’s individual needs, evenif those needs conflict with the demands of significant others. Incollectivistic cultures, however, the needs of the individual aremuch more strongly identified with the needs of the group towhich he or she belongs (Brewer & Chen, 2007; Pedersen &others, 2008; Sue & Sue, 2008; Triandis, 1996).For example, traditional Native Americans are less likely thanEuropean Americans to believe that personal problems are dueto an internal cause within the individual (Garrett, 2008; Sue &others, 1994). Instead, one person’s problems may be seen as aproblem for the entire community to resolve.In traditional forms of Native American healing, family members,friends, and other members of the community may beasked to participate in the treatment or healing rituals. One typeof therapy, called network therapy, is conducted in the person’shome and can involve as many as 70 members of the individual’scommunity or tribe (LaFromboise & others, 1993b).Latino cultures, too, emphasize interdependence over independence.In particular, they stress the value of familismo—theimportance of the extended family network. Because the sense offamily is so central to Latino culture, psychologist Lilian Comas-Diaz (1993) recommends that members of the client’s extendedfamily, such as grandparents and in-laws, be actively involved inpsychological treatment.Many collectivistic Asian cultures also emphasize a respect forthe needs of others (Lee & Mock, 2005). The Japanese psychotherapycalled Naikan therapy is a good example of howsuch cultural values affect the goals of psychotherapy (Reynolds,1990). According to Naikan therapy, being self-absorbed is thesurest path to psychological suffering. Thus, the goal of Naikantherapy is to replace the focus on the self with a sense of gratitudeand obligation toward others. Rather than talking abouthow his own needs were not met by family members, theNaikan client is asked to meditate on how he has failed to meetthe needs of others.The Importance of InsightPsychodynamic, humanistic, and cognitive therapies all stressthe importance of insight or awareness of an individual’sthoughts and feelings. But many cultures do not emphasize theimportance of exploring painful thoughts and feelings in resolvingpsychological problems. For example, Asian cultures stressthat mental health is enhanced by the avoidance of negativethinking. Hence, a depressed or anxious person in China andCultural Values Even after immigrating to the United States,many people maintain strong ties with their cultural heritage.Here, Arab American children attend an Islamic school. Noticethat the young female students as well as the teacher are wearingthe traditional chador, or veil. The traditional beliefs of somecultures, such as the Islamic belief that women should be modestand obedient to their husbands, may conflict with the values inherentin Western psychotherapies.many other Asian countries would be encouraged to avoid focusingon upsetting thoughts (Kim & Park, 2008; Lee, 1997;Sue & others, 1994).Intimate Disclosure Between Therapist and ClientMany Western psychotherapies are based on the assumptionthat the clients will disclose their deepest feelings and most privatethoughts to their therapists. But in some cultures, intimatedetails of one’s personal life would never be discussed with astranger. Asians are taught to disclose intimate details only tovery close friends. For example, a young Vietnamese student ofours vowed never to return to see a psychologist she had consultedabout her struggles with depression. The counselor, shecomplained, was too “nosy” and asked too many personal questions.In many cultures, people are far more likely to turn to familymembers or friends than they are to mental health professionals(Leung & Boehnlein, 2005; Nishio & Bilmes, 1993).The demands for emotional openness may also clash with culturalvalues. In Asian cultures, people tend to avoid the publicexpression of emotions and often express thoughts and feelingsnonverbally. Native American cultures tend to value the restraintof emotions rather than the open expression of emotions(Garrett, 2006; LaFromboise & others, 1993b).Recognizing the need for psychotherapists to become moreculturally sensitive, the American Psychological Association hasrecommended formal training in multicultural awareness for allpsychologists (Edwards, 1995a; Fouad & Arredondo, 2007; Hall,1997). The APA (2003) has also published extensive guidelines forpsychologists who provide psychological help to culturally diversepopulations. Interested students can download a copy of the APAguidelines at www.apa.org/pi/multiculturalguidelines.pdf