Strengths and Weaknesses of Humanistic Psychotherapy - Term Paper Example

Humanistic Psychotherapy and Culture Humanistic Psychotherapy and Culture To appreciate and comprehend the complexity andthe diverse therapies that we have today we have to first of all understand the social, economical and historical forces that have shaped today culture as a whole (McLeod, 2003). It is important to acknowledge and recognize that people for centuries and in any societies have been dealing in their own way with distress and problems, and respond to them in their own indigenous way and have found a helpful response to their mal de vivre. The rural world in which the majority of the western society lived until the eighteen century had a dramatic transformation when the age of the industrial revolution started the latter did not just revolutionize the way we worked but most profoundly changed the structure of our societies and values where capitalism became the new god and the science replaced the religious beliefs that for a long time have been playing a supporting role for the people in need during difficult times. Humanistic therapists emerged in the USA in the 1950s such as Maslow Abraham and Rogers Carl. These therapists formulated different humanistic theories and procedures for effective psychotherapy. Rogers delivered a speech in 1940 at the University of Minnesota about new concepts of psychotherapy that became the origin of humanistic psychotherapies. The American Psychological association (APA) launched the first journal on humanistic psychology in 1973. It is a professional organization representing psychology and consists of researchers, educators, physicians, consultants, and students. Culture may be defined as patterns of norms derived from traditions that influence personal behavior. These norms may include values, beliefs, customs, thoughts, and institutions such as religious, racial, ethnic and social groups. Cultural beliefs are passed from older generations to younger generations within a given society. Interaction with different cultures causes behavioral and psychological changes within an individual. Individuals migrating from one society to another have difficulty when adapting to the culture of the new society (Lago, 2006). Culture is not static, and interaction with other cultures may cause culture change. On the other hand, ethnicity can be defined as the sense of belonging to a group alienated to a particular society. Ethnicity is caused by social pressure and can only be resolved through psychological interventions. Race refers to the physical appearance of individuals as determined by the genetic composition. Humanistic therapy involves personal views of oneself such as uniqueness, holistic, self-actualization, and responsibilities (Fernando and Keating, 2009). Individuals have different values, principles, and aspects of reality, which must be considered carefully by therapists to facilitate healing of patients. Emotions and human will are some causes of psychological problems and therapists must show empathy when dealing with patients. Humanistic psychotherapy is an applied branch of humanistic psychology and philosophy that stresses deep personal inquiry into the purpose and meaning of life. It incorporates the conditions through which people intimately know themselves in order to fulfill their aspirations. It is influenced by the humanistic theory which comprises of what leads to the feeling of being fully human, and how that perspective leads to a fulfilled life (Patterson, 1996). This approach to psychology stresses upon personal experience and reflexivity by allowing people to open up and leap forward towards self understanding and human relationships. Human beings exist on five levels namely body, feelings, intellect, soul, and spirit. Human beings are not static and experience continuous change and development from infancy to adulthood. Although social transformation was not the primary focus, a large percentage of humanistic psychologists investigate social, cultural, and gender issues. The psychology of human beings is consistent with their culture, and psychotherapy must involve cultural aspects while trying to resolve psychological problems. An individual upholds values and beliefs learnt from the cultural practices, which help shape the personality of a human being. The behavior of an individual is influenced by culture and addressing cultural issues in psychotherapy can act as a breakthrough. Psychotherapists require different set of skills and emphasis for effective counseling of various cultural groups. People from different cultures experience discrimination and prejudice; therefore cultural backgrounds are incorporated in psychotherapy. Culture defines the role of its members in the community and family, and their hierarchical relationships. Individuals learn self-control, cordiality, dignity, and respect for community from their cultural backgrounds. Learning these values is essential for developing oneself and psychotherapy cannot rule out culture from its intervention strategies (Patterson, 2000). Every current work of psychotherapy is based on the idea of Carl Rogers that there are core conditions for successful therapy that have to be observed by any person aiming at working with people (Palmer and McMahon, 1997). Rogers pioneered the use of tape recorders, which are used by modern therapists for training purposes and feedback on their own effectiveness. He proposed the application of a person-centered therapy where the therapist provides empathy, openness, and unconditional positive regard to the patient. A therapist is supposed to act like a mirror to reflect the client’s individual thoughts and feelings. According to Rogers, every individual has an inherent tendency to grow and develop continuously within them. Therefore, self-esteem and self-actualization are manifested continuously within the life of a human being. Human beings have a soul and a spirit, which are inseparable with the body. The soul interacts with supernatural spiritual beings depending on the religion of an individual. The soul participates in the self actualization and the creation of the ideal self. Client-centered psychotherapy can also utilize the interaction between the soul and the spiritual being in creating the self-concept of an individual (Rogers, 2003). Sigmund Freud is considered to be the father of modern psychotherapy through his negative bias is evident from various essays and private correspondents. He did not believe in the existence of God and disagreed on several philosophical grounds. He believed religion was pathological and did not qualify as a psychotherapy intervention. Freud believed that patients displace their feelings to their psychotherapists without reservation and these feelings are based on their experience with earlier figures in their lives. Cultural artifacts have significant symbolism in the mental development of a human being (Freud, 2007). Carl Jung believed believer’s faith was threatened by psychotherapy and religion had a significant role in psychotherapy. Jung believed religious figures such as Jesus exist within the human psyche and different religious believes affect human psychology. He believed the mind has both the conscious and unconscious parts, which are responsible for human memories. The ego is the conscious part of the mind and is closely tied to the personal unconscious that holds things that are presently unconscious but can become conscious. The mind has the capacity to suppress some memories forever or bring to consciousness memories that were once unconscious (Jung, 2005). Multiculturalism is the concept of a given society containing several cultures. It describes the cultural diversity or the demographic make-up of a specific society. Large scale immigration into western countries has created a society that is made up of different ethnicities and cultures. It ensures that all citizens keep their identities and remain proud of their ancestry. This gives immigrants a sense of belonging, which is necessary for personal identity. It serves as a social doctrine that distinguishes itself from assimilation and supports the recognition of citizenship rights and cultural identities of minority groups (Palmer, 2002). Individuals in a given society have their own cultural beliefs, which govern the values they uphold. However, these beliefs allow for a healthy coexistence between individuals of different cultures. Several policies have been formulated t protect the peaceful coexistence between different cultures and protect the cultural diversity of a given society. Supporters of multiculturalism view it as a fair system that allows the true coexistence of people within a society and adapts better to social issues. Multicultural counseling provides diversity by attending to minority groups within a society. Members of minority groups experience mental disorders and may fail to access supportive treatment (Gielen, Draguns and Fish, 2008). These groups require emotional support through psychotherapeutic interventions. Minority groups within a given society can have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This calls for a universal counseling and therapy mechanism that serves all cultures (Patterson, 1996). The Muslim community has received several injustices since the bombings of September 11 in USA and July seventh in Britain. Young Muslims in these countries have been subjected to intense surveillance, monitoring and intervention by security agencies. Counter-terrorism regulations have labeled the British Muslims a risky, suspect population. The Muslim community in Europe forms the second largest religious group and has a diverse mix of ethnic, religious affiliation, political persuasion, and language. Victimization of Muslims can be attributed to Islamophobia, racist, and xenophobic resentments. The largest population of Muslims in Europe arrived in the 1960s as immigrant workers. Since then, Muslim communities from different ethnic groups have resided in several European countries. Several Muslim organizations exist in these countries, which are involved in social and political activities. This participation is important for social cohesion although Muslims with a secular outlook are not involved with these organizations. Discriminatory practice experienced by Muslim communities is potential provocation for alienation from the wider society. The general population has an overall negative picture of Muslims in European countries. They view them with suspicion of involvement in terrorism activities (Choudhury and Fenwick, 2011). Counter terrorism measures adopted by these countries aim at alienating Muslims from the rest of the community, especially young people. Police officers and other security agents have increased powers for gathering intelligence and information, and terrorist suspects are treated distinctly from other crimes. The government has also created different rules and procedures of questioning and detaining terrorism suspects. The security agencies in Britain have increased the threat level from terror attacks from substantial to highly likely. Neighborhoods with Muslim residents are under constant CCTV surveillance. These cameras track certain individuals suspected of terror activities. The enactment of the Terrorism Act allows security officers to stop and search suspected terrorists without the need of a valid reason. In most cases, Muslim residents are stopped and searched by police officers for no apparent reason. Muslims are also subjected to high levels of screening and luggage checks in airports and ports. Body scanners have been installed in airports and all passengers especially Muslims have to be screened (Choudhury and Fenwick, 2011). The United States is experiencing a wave of mass immigration characterized by new comers from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Immigrants are faced with several difficulties in the country especially integration challenges. Integration entails uncomfortable adjustments among immigrants and the host society where they settle. They face natural barriers which deny them full participation in political, economic, and social activities. Inadequate understanding between the new arrivals and the host community, and the change in the traditional family roles greatly challenge immigrant integration. Practitioners dealing with immigrants must deal with their reasons for leaving their homeland, experience of migration, and their receptiveness of the new country. Immigrants are faced with a duality of cultures, and they have to function within the norms and expectations of Americans, which often conflicts their cultural values. They plan their move and carry some assets, but the move is usually dangerous or traumatic for most immigrants. American citizens have disparity in perceptions of immigrants, which exacerbates conflicts for newcomers. Most immigrants experience oppression and discrimination at the hands of Americans (Uma and Mayadas, 2005). Immigrants have been denied opportunities due to their skin color, accent, or their mode of dressing. They usually have limited resources from which they establish their living, a situation worsened by institutionalized discrimination. Cultural conflicts, marginalization, and language barrier are common threats facing immigrants in USA. Immigrants have to overcome these barriers before they perceive themselves as members of the community. In most instances, immigrants feel powerless and deprived of basic privileges they previously had in their home countries. Economic insecurity and high poverty levels are also experienced by immigrants, which increase their stress and anxiety levels. Some of them engage in substance and drug abuse as they attempt to cope with these challenges. Different cultural beliefs and values determine the rate of engagement in drug use; Indians rarely use drugs but alcoholism is acceptable in Latin societies (Uma and Mayadas, 2005). Psychotherapy interaction aims at drawing psychological principles to create changes in the client’s behavior, thoughts and feelings. Patients require self-support that enables them face their problems boldly and reduce their anxiety levels (Palmer and Laungani, 1999). Multicultural issues lead to behavior changes, and psychotherapy helps individuals resolve the internal conflicts that cause these behavioral changes. Freeing the ego of an individual serves as a means of overcoming internal conflicts that hinder self development. Minority groups in multicultural societies are reluctant to seek therapeutic interventions. Minority groups are more likely to receive supportive treatment then the majority groups. Immigrants and Muslims experience higher proportions of poverty and social stressors that lead to psychiatric and psychological disorders. This requires therapists who understand the cultural background of these groups and provide culturally responsive forms of treatment. These groups require guidance and advice, which is provided by psychotherapists. Self-fulfillment by minorities is achieved through emotional and psychological satisfaction (D’Ardenne and Mahtani, 1999). Culturally sensitive psychotherapy is important to facilitate self-disclosure by the affected individuals. Therapists help build confidence in clients, which creates a favorable environment for clients to express their thought, feelings, and experiences. Self-disclosure makes the client known to the therapist and engages in a therapeutic self-exploration (Wanda, 1999). Psychotherapy aims at providing responsibility, independence, and ability to resolve individual problems by clients. Culture-specific techniques for people in the minority groups boost the self-realization process of immigrants and Muslim communities (Clarkson and Pokorny, 1994). Therapists show empathy for affected individuals and identify the expectations of troubled clients. Personal qualities of a counselor such as empathy, genuineness, non-possessive warmth, and trust are essential for effective mental health care. The emotional bridge or rapport between the client and the therapist creates a comfortable unconstrained mutual trust and confidence. Showing humanity creates a better relationship between a therapist and a racially and ethnically different client. Respecting the culture of the client, being honest, and honoring the presence of ethnically different clients creates a working environment without any tension. Understanding the problem from the perspective of the client, allowing the individual to explore his or her own values, and providing solutions to the individual solution are core qualities for multicultural therapy (Palmer and Laungani, 1999). Most of these groups have limited contacts with therapeutic professionals. Their relationship with therapists who emphasize on individual responsibility for solving these problems speeds up the healing process. Therapists define their role in the therapeutic process at the beginning of the sessions to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding. Structuring defines the role of the therapist and the client and provides a framework for conducting therapy sessions. Interpersonal relationships provide the client with a chance to reflect upon oneself. Person centered therapy requires the therapist to reflect the thoughts and feelings of clients for self-evaluation. Therapists may share past experiences with their clients to facilitate the self reflection process (Lago, 2011). Clients belong to different groups, which influence the individual perceptions, behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Therapists must understand the contributions of these factors before embarking on intervention programs. Different cultures require different techniques, and therapists must adopt skills that meet the characteristics of various clients (Pedersen, 1999). Psychological disorders experienced by immigrants and Muslim minorities can be attributed to roadblocks erected by the white majorities on the path towards self-actualization. These difficulties may force individuals to develop distorted self-concepts brought about by the view of others towards the minority groups. Psychotherapy helps these individuals make choices and engage in actions in accordance to their personal values and needs. Discrimination forces individuals to become confused, unhappy, and poorly adjust to the new conditions in the new world. Therapeutic interventions depend on the client qualities and values, and therapists do not impose their personal values (Leach and Aten, 2010). Reflecting the client’s thoughts and feelings encourages them to explore their inner thoughts and get in touch with the part of the self that had become condemned or disowned due to social discrimination. Accepting clients as human beings and respecting their basic worth helps therapists fit between their feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Clients from different cultures have different interpretations of events, which a therapist must understand for psychotherapy to be effective. Acceptance by the therapist helps the client to explore deeper within the inner self and change the perception regarding the overall self by feeling appreciated and wanted. Internal harmony and orderliness creates a stable quality of the self that raises an individual’s esteem and perception. Perceived success or failure is generalized within the inner self and is modified by thoughts and beliefs held by an individual and are linked to the cultural background. Altering these perceptions alters the inner self of an individual (Clarkson, 2003). The first step in working with these individuals is the creation of a relationship with clients. This relationship or rapport encourages self-disclosure by the patient and the therapist must be an active listener. Psychotherapy involves continuous dialogue between the client and the therapist. Person-centered therapy requires the client to control most of the talking by expressing his/her thoughts, feelings, and fears. Clients use dialogue to express their inner feelings in order to get into contact with their inner feelings. Therapists are active listeners; they are attentive to the client in order to understand their feelings and experiences. Active listening shows interest on clients and encourages them to attend more therapy listening. Psychotherapists also pay attention to gestures and other nonverbal cues that are used by clients to indicate their underlying feelings or conflicts. Communication between the client and therapist shows interest and gestures such as eye contact make them feel wanted and valued. Clients of therapists perceived to be more empathic and warmer show greater improvement than those of other therapists irrespective of the intervention. Interactions with the client must reflect the theoretical point of view of the therapist. Therapists do not engage their individual values in therapy sessions and solely concentrate on the views of the client. Psychotherapists utilize psychological principles drawn from research and theory of practice. Avoiding individual values and involving systematic interaction strengthens the relationship between the therapist and the client. Psychotherapists are also required to instill the sense of improvement in their clients. Psychotherapists do not promise or guarantee cure but instill hope for improvement in their clients. Positive expectations act as a mobilizing force for efforts to overcome individual problems. Encouraging clients enables them to explore deeper into the inner self in order to resolve the existing conflict. This leads to faster improvement on the side of the client. Showing empathy encourages clients to express themselves more and creates a better understanding of client problems. The solo humanistic approach experiences several limitations during psychotherapy. This approach assumes that all clients are basically good and need to better themselves and the world. This approach focuses on the noble human capacity to overcome pain, despair, and hardships. Humanistic approaches reject scientific interventions such as experiments and concentrates on qualitative research methods. Scientific approaches are seen as dehumanizing and unable to capture the ultimate conscious experience. This rejection encourages a behaviorist approach in psychotherapy, which might prove inconclusive. Biological attributes of self-concept such as testosterone levels are ignored by psychotherapy. Biological activities in the body of a client contribute to the creation of the self-image. The belief of free will opposes the deterministic concepts of science. Human beings are not entirely subjected to free will but are affected by other external forces. Humanistic psychotherapy concentrates on the expression of thoughts and feelings ignoring the unconscious mind. Some feelings and thoughts are suppressed within the unconscious mind and may be manifested at later stages. The therapist and client interact during a client-centered humanistic psychotherapy and establish a relationship. This relationship is essential for information sharing and openness, where clients share their past experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Several cultural issues such as religion and immigration affect humanistic psychotherapy. Muslims in America and Britain experience a lot of discrimination since the New York and London bombings. . Discrimination and prejudice is also common to immigrants, which increases their stressors. Humanistic psychotherapy helps these individuals interact with their inner self by expressing their thoughts and feelings. This helps them improve their self-concept and aim at personal development and actualization. Psychotherapists have to consider cultural differences and different roles and expectations from individuals of every culture. This strengthens the relationship between the client and therapist, which speeds up the recovery process. Dialogue between the client and therapist acts as the main communication channel and active listening by the therapist creates mutual understanding. The effectiveness of the therapy process is determined by the relationship between the client and therapist. References Clarkson, P. 2003. The therapeutic Relationship. London: Whorr. Clarkson,P., and Pokorny, M.1994. The handbook of psychotherapy. London: Routledge. Choudhury, T., and Fenwick, H. 2011. The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities. Manchester: Equality and Human Rights commission. D’Ardenne, P., and Mahtani, A. 1999. Transcultural Counselling in action, (2nd Ed.). London: Sage. Fernando, S., and Keating, F. 2009. Mental Health in a Multi-Ethnic society: A Multidisciplinary Handbook. London: Routledge. Freud, S. 2007. The interpretation of dreams. [Belle Fourche, SD]: NuVision Publications. Gielen, U.P., Draguns, J. G., and Fish, J.M. 2008. Principles of Multicultural counseling and therapy. New York: Routledge. Jung, C. G. 2005. Modern Man in Search of a Soul. London: Routledge. Lago, C. 2011. The Handbook of transcultural counseling and psychotherapy. Maidenland: Open University. Lago, C. 2006. Race, Culture and Counseling: The ongoing Challenge. New York: Open University press. Leach, M. M., and Aten, J. D.2010. Culture and the Therapeutic Process: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals. New York, London: Routledge. McLeod, J. 2003. Doing counselling research. London, Sage Publications. Patterson, C. H. 2000. Understanding psychotherapy: fifty years of client-centred theory and practice. Ross-on-Wye, Angleterre, PCCS Books. Patterson, C. H. 1996. Multicultural counseling: from diversity to universality. Journal of counseling and development, 74, 227-231. Palmer, S., and McMahon, G. 1997. Handbook of counseling (2nd Ed). New York: Rutledge. Palmer, S. 2002. Multicultural counseling: A Reader. London: Sage. Palmer, S., and Laungani, P. 1999. Counseling in a Multicultural Society. London: Sage. Pedersen, P. 1999. Multiculturalism as a fourth force. New York: Taylor and Francis. Rogers, C. R. 2003. Client-centered therapy: its current practice, implications and theory. London: Constable. Uma, A. S.and Mayadas, N. S. 2005. Assessment of Issues facing immigrant and refugee families. Child welfare, 84 (5), 563-583. Wanda, M.L. L. 1999. An introduction to multicultural counseling. Minneapolis: Accelerated Development. Read More