Psychology and Indigenous Australians - Coursework Example

Psychology and Indigenous Australians Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Psychology and Indigenous Australians Introduction The indigenous Australian indicates the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These indigenous Australian are affected and influenced by psychological challenges minding they encountered a lot since European colonizer that is before and after Australian independence. This contributed to the development of mental illness that affected them during and after independence. In psychology, the mental illness is associated with clinical behavior or psychological syndrome that is contributed by an anxiety disorder, mood, psychosis and even personality disorders. These are significant distress and disabilities that are related to impact or situation that happened and influenced normality of people. The diagnostic measures for mental illness affecting indigenous Australian require being conducted by psychologist and expert clinician such as psychiatrists basing on the cultural context. This provides a more accurate assessment that integrates the relevant cultural issues, recognition of availability of therapeutic support and social and emotional counseling. Therefore, the study seeks to scientific principles that are essential in mental testing and eugenics and how they influence psychological interaction with the indigenous Australian. Furthermore, the study focuses on the important considerations that psychologists are supposed to undertake while working with indigenous Australian. Identifying The Scientific Principles Used As A Rationale For Mental Testing And Eugenics. How Did it Influenced Psychology's Interaction with Indigenous Australians Rationale for Mental Testing and Eugenics Mental Functioning and Testing: Psychologists had played a part in researching and testing mental functioning and understanding the intellectual capacity of indigenous Australian. In relating to social revolution, the mental traits of the indigenous Australian and individual in specific are influenced by the culture and stage experienced. The mental traits are connected to the stage of culture development as it relates to information gathered (Browne, Thorpe, Tunny, & Adams, 2013). The European colonizers fully influenced the mental functioning of early indigenous Australian. In this platform or view, it helps in providing strong impetus in understanding the primitive man in the study of mental functioning. The psychologists have undertaken biologically supported view using genetic underpinning of intelligence. Using the normal distribution curve of development, the scientific view regarding the mental functioning of indigenous Australian can be deducted and related to the influence of European colonizers. The Cambridge Anthropological Expedition that was undertaken in late 19th century helped in studying indigenous Australian mental test. The test scores indicated some sensorimotor functions and were compared to European people. Differences were found that made it difficult in relating and interpreting results basing on Darwinist perspective in mental performance. In the early 1900s, another series of maze tests were conducted through screening devices to the pupil (Eggington, 2012). The study focuses on determining the relationship of the pupil mental test with that of adults in North Western and Central regions of Australia. The results indicated that the mental performance of indigenous Australian in these regions was lower level. The variation was indicated by exposure o the pupils to the western schools experience compared to indigenous Australian with less exposure. This led to the conclusion that biological genetics does not determine intelligence but it’s a result of experience and exposure. The psychologists from the University of Western Australia in the 1930s conducted a study testing mental functioning. This study tested indigenous Australian and discovered a wide range of scores leading to deduction of a high degree of native intelligence. The test score indicated that indigenous Australian and white Australian people had equivalent test score. This relation in the mental test developed questions that are connected to differential experience and test performance among the indigenous Australian population (Street, Baum, & Anderson, 2007). A series of tests and investigations have been conducted since the late 1950s to determine cognitive ability. The Queensland Test involving indigenous Australian children and adult provided varying degrees. This difference was influenced by the contact with white people culture. This led to the conclusion that Australian indigenous people are inferior to Europeans. Furthermore, the same approximate degree in difference was estimated due to lack contact with European group. The intelligence-testing focused on the educational, vocational and other social issues and policies that affect indigenous Australian. The results provide different rationale regarding intelligence testing and how indigenous Australian mental functioning respond to tests scores (Rose, Kamin, & Lewontin, 1984). The intelligence does not have a standard cultural setting, and hence it influences those who are directly in contact with other cultures. The culture is biased in assessing the intelligence as norms and beliefs influence it. Describing Some Things That You Would Need To Consider As a Psychologist Working With Indigenous People Today Given Their History Respectful relationship As a psychologist working with indigenous Australian community today, the most important consideration is ensuring the respectful relationship with other communities. This would help in the elimination of the racial discrepancy and prejudice. The issues such as stereotypes contribute in widening the gap between the indigenous Australian with other communities. Furthermore, the age difference of the old indigenous Australian and children accessing western cultures in schools requires being united (Dudgeon, Rickwood, Garvey, & Gridley, 2014). This age difference has shown adrift regarding mental health and understanding. Therefore, it is essential for having a respectful relationship between all the communities and age difference among the indigenous Australian. Governance Governance plays a great role in ensuring the communities unite and work as a unit. The indigenous Australian community lives in poverty due to lack of appropriate leadership and governance. Proper leadership would contribute to civilization and enlightening community of positive and advantages of integrating with other Australian communities. Good governance and leadership ensure the resources are equally distributed (Eggington, 2012). This would ensure the community such as indigenous Australian got appropriate share to improve their livelihood. The access to the public goods such as proper sanitation, clean water and schools would have contributed to the development and mental health improvement. Cultural competence Culture helps in defining the norms and beliefs of the community. As a psychologist, it is essential to encourage the indigenous Australian community to consider the progressive culture that is informative and progressive. The culture has to be maintained if it reflects and aligns with the development (Street, Baum, & Anderson, 2007). There is need of accepting changes to improve the welfare of community and relation with other communities. The indigenous Australian community should focus on the culture and beliefs that integrate with dynamic development. Indigenous Australian Education and Employment The indigenous Australian community is supposed to seek education and employment. The psychologist should focus in enlightening the indigenous Australian community to broaden their visionary and mind to secure themselves in education. Education has helped in improving the culture of indigenous Australian as they learn and experience other cultures while in school (Ishikawa, Oudie, Desapriya, Turcotte, & Pike, 2014). Interaction with other communities helps in enlightening and hence learning through experience. Securing employment positions also help in integration, learning and improving skills through interacting with people from different cultures. Traditional Culture and Aboriginal Health According to the archaeologists, indigenous Australian that covers Aboriginal people has been in existence since 45,000-50,000 years in Australia (Robinson, Lee, & D'Antoine, 2016). These communities enjoyed their social setting in Australia and consumed nutritious native food that was balanced diet consisting of protein and vegetables. The health was defined by traditions and culture of indigenous Australian as there were strong reinforcing factors influencing their mental illness. The indigenous Australian had a collective sense that connected to all aspects of community spiritually and cultural dimensions. The culture provided a platform for the community through defined rules and understanding in relationships. These defined social roles in the community were initiated by kinship (Ishikawa, Oudie, Desapriya, Turcotte, & Pike, 2014). The sense of meaning and understanding was also impacted to indigenous Australian by kinship to connect to their country states and social life. The spiritual beliefs helped in offering guidance, comfort, and sense of connection among the member of community despite the issues such as distress, death, and loss of loved ones. Indigenous Australian focused on the customary law that elaborated on the rules and consequences to ensure peace and unity in the community. The method of communication that was used by indigenous Australian was over 200 traditional languages that helped in expression and interaction during social and formal ceremonies. Poverty and Racism Affecting Indigenous Australian Health and Wellbeing The poverty and racism provide the statistics framework that relates the health wellbeing of indigenous Australian. The significant proportion of indigenous Australian population lives in absolute poverty as indicated by United Nations. The abject poverty has contributed to diseases such as scabies that are directly related to lack of adequate sanitation and proper living conditions. The indigenous Australian community lives in remote rural areas with a persuasive culture that has contributed to the continuity of poverty. Stereotyping and Prejudice Social psychology influences the mental health through generalization and categorization. The indigenous Australian has been influenced by the impacts of prejudice and racism under the institutionalized racial differentiating. Categorizing people into different social groups influences and undermines their mental function. Social categorization can be used to identify viable features of the group in age, gender, ethnicity race and even social status. The use of stereotypes leads to a generalization of these descriptions of the group (Dudgeon, 2000). The stereotype and generalization lead to complexity of the social world as it aims in coming up with cognitive shortcuts in social negotiations with reality. The essence of social categorization and stereotype contributes to prejudice if they are used in favoring or discriminating one group against another. The social categorization and stereotype subjected to human cognition have contributed to psychologists to indicate prejudice being natural and inevitable. The affective and motivational factors are considered as manifestations of prejudice and disposition of cognitive categorization. The application of developmental psychology and theories of social learning has indicated that children and young people tend to acquire stereotypes branded to their culture (Walker, McPhee, & Osborne, 2000). These stereotypes are usually causing a negative impact to the community and making it inferior. Furthermore, they contribute to unconscious inferences that affect the community in behavior and attitude toward other people. Psychology as a Professional Practice The psychology practice has a great impact on the mental health interventions as it broadens human health and welfare delivery. It is essential to seek psychology intervention as it supports and empower self-determination. The indigenous Australian community requires psychology health in understanding their social determinants that would help in reinforcing their mental health. This would enhance the realization of social disadvantages and other fundamentals regarding empowerment to maintain strong social relations (Ranzijn, McConnochie, & Nolan, 2009). The negative impacts of the psychology are viewed through the deficits models that are essential for the intervention of mainstreaming assimilation approaches. The impact of psychology can be determined to be clearly through relating previous centuries when psychology was not well-established. In the 1970s, pervasive influences were realized through scientific mainstreaming of psychology policies. These policies are notable in indigenous Australian protection that is derived from scientific views in applied inferior normative comparison. Conclusion The scientific principles that are applied in mental and intelligence testing and eugenics define the level and grade score of indigenous Australian. The standards that are employed helps in relating to other communities in Australia. The results enable to realize that intelligence is learned through experience but not from genetic. Culture, norms, and social factors are major contributors of mental illness and intelligence. Psychology operation in the current world has changed and hence seeking to improve the indigenous Australian culture. Different factors influence the psychology of the indigenous Australian community ranging from basic needs. These factors have contributed to great extent to a mental health problem. Psychologists are supposed to take part in enlightening and guiding indigenous Australian in focusing on the developmental culture and norms. This would ensure acceptance and integration with other communities. References Read More

The Cambridge Anthropological Expedition that was undertaken in late 19th century helped in studying indigenous Australian mental test. The test scores indicated some sensorimotor functions and were compared to European people. Differences were found that made it difficult in relating and interpreting results basing on Darwinist perspective in mental performance. In the early 1900s, another series of maze tests were conducted through screening devices to the pupil (Eggington, 2012). The study focuses on determining the relationship of the pupil mental test with that of adults in North Western and Central regions of Australia.

The results indicated that the mental performance of indigenous Australian in these regions was lower level. The variation was indicated by exposure o the pupils to the western schools experience compared to indigenous Australian with less exposure. This led to the conclusion that biological genetics does not determine intelligence but it’s a result of experience and exposure. The psychologists from the University of Western Australia in the 1930s conducted a study testing mental functioning.

This study tested indigenous Australian and discovered a wide range of scores leading to deduction of a high degree of native intelligence. The test score indicated that indigenous Australian and white Australian people had equivalent test score. This relation in the mental test developed questions that are connected to differential experience and test performance among the indigenous Australian population (Street, Baum, & Anderson, 2007). A series of tests and investigations have been conducted since the late 1950s to determine cognitive ability.

The Queensland Test involving indigenous Australian children and adult provided varying degrees. This difference was influenced by the contact with white people culture. This led to the conclusion that Australian indigenous people are inferior to Europeans. Furthermore, the same approximate degree in difference was estimated due to lack contact with European group. The intelligence-testing focused on the educational, vocational and other social issues and policies that affect indigenous Australian.

The results provide different rationale regarding intelligence testing and how indigenous Australian mental functioning respond to tests scores (Rose, Kamin, & Lewontin, 1984). The intelligence does not have a standard cultural setting, and hence it influences those who are directly in contact with other cultures. The culture is biased in assessing the intelligence as norms and beliefs influence it. Describing Some Things That You Would Need To Consider As a Psychologist Working With Indigenous People Today Given Their History Respectful relationship As a psychologist working with indigenous Australian community today, the most important consideration is ensuring the respectful relationship with other communities.

This would help in the elimination of the racial discrepancy and prejudice. The issues such as stereotypes contribute in widening the gap between the indigenous Australian with other communities. Furthermore, the age difference of the old indigenous Australian and children accessing western cultures in schools requires being united (Dudgeon, Rickwood, Garvey, & Gridley, 2014). This age difference has shown adrift regarding mental health and understanding. Therefore, it is essential for having a respectful relationship between all the communities and age difference among the indigenous Australian.

Governance Governance plays a great role in ensuring the communities unite and work as a unit. The indigenous Australian community lives in poverty due to lack of appropriate leadership and governance. Proper leadership would contribute to civilization and enlightening community of positive and advantages of integrating with other Australian communities. Good governance and leadership ensure the resources are equally distributed (Eggington, 2012). This would ensure the community such as indigenous Australian got appropriate share to improve their livelihood.

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