Cultural competency and humanistic psychology.

Abstract

Developing cultural competence is increasingly important for humanistic psychologists in our ethnoculturally diverse society. In the past, training in ethnocultural issues involved learning about the cultural values and characteristics of a small number of cultural groups. Today, cultural competence requires that the psychologist become aware of their own ethnocultural values and their own ethnocentrism. This process of self-examination can be emotionally challenging. This paper addresses some of the problems encountered on the path to increasing cultural sensitivity and the effect of unexamined cultural values upon the therapeutic interaction. Psychologists are encouraged to become aware of the privilege associated with European American culture, with the cultural values embedded within psychological theory in general, and with cultural values of humanistic psychology.When two individuals come together, in whatever setting, they bring together complex systems of socially defined expectations. These expectations are based on individual experience, cultural stereotypes, as well as cultural values passed down through families from generation to generation. Until there is conflict with our cultural values, until we run into social obstacles, or experience psychological distress, these values operate outside of our awareness.These values influence and channel our perceptions of the world, also mostly outside our awareness. We prefer to navigate our world without continually questioning ourselves and our reactions to others. To question every perception would be cumbersome and make it impossibly difficult to navigate reality. Still, if we are to do justice to the clients we work with, and if we intend to make hu-This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

How do graduate student therapists incorporate diversity factors in case conceptualization?

“…They appear throughout psychotherapy theories, training, and practice (Ancis & Szymanski, 2001). The failure to incorporate the White male client's culturally significant issues into case conceptualization speaks to the ways in which unexamined value systems uphold Whiteness as a cultural standard (Johnson, 2001) and obscures it from view (Rains, 1998). Not noticing clinically significant issues in White and Asian American clients may point to biased judgment errors (Ridley, 2005).…”

An existential–spiritual model for coping during and after COVID-19.

“…Cultural considerations regarding an individual’s ability to discover meaning during COVID-19 include acknowledging that European–American emphasis on individualism and a strong focus on self-actualization may not be as valued in different cultures where a focus on a culturally defined collective good is a more desired goal (Johnson, 2001).…”

Humanistic psychology and the good: A forgotten link.

“…Culture is an extremely important concept in humanistic psychology (Fromm, 1955; Johnson, 2001; Maslow, 1968), though as Criswell (2003) and Hoffman (2016) rightly note, humanistic psychology has often struggled to realize its own valuing of culture, preferring to focus instead on the experience of the individual person. Culture can help human beings know and do things that they cannot know and do alone.…”