Psychotherapy as a means of social control.

Effects of patient racial attribution on black clinicians' inferences

“…In establishing the salience of patient race among black mental health professionals, the present results lend further credence to the assertion that the psychotherapeutic enterprise is deeply embedded in the cultural surround (Halleck, 1971). However, the generally pro-black pattern of the data tends to undercut Ithe charge that mental health ideology necessarily victimizes the individual at the cultural perimeter as opposed to his mainstream counterpart (Hurvitz, 1973). For some, the research outcome will be construed as evidence of the effectiveness of the program of intensified recruitment of minority persons into professional ranks, whereas for others it will constitute substantiation of their suspicion that one set of social prejudices has inerely been exchanged for another.…”

Les paramètres d’une théorie féministe de la psychothérapie

“…Elle fait de conflits créés par l'injustice économique et sociale un problème in trap sy chique uniquement. Hurwitz (1973) dit en insistant sur l'origine intrapsychique de tout conflit, «la psychothérapie retourne la femme à elle-même et contribue à augmenter le conflit et la névrose» .…”

Further Thoughts On Psychotherapeutic Deprofessionalization

“…Hurvitz (1973Hurvitz ( , 1974 contended that psychotherapy continues to exist because it maintains the existing social order. He came to this conclusion based on the contention that the manifest purpose of psychotherapy, to help people with their problems in living, is not being fulfilled.…”

“…He follows this up by asserting that effective therapy can be done by nonprofessionals. Agreed, but the evidence is by no means definitive as to why this is so, nor is there substantive evidence to prove one type of therapy is more effective than another (Hurvitz, 1973;Strupp & Bergin, 1969). There is insufficient proof that therapeutic effectiveness can be reduced to three dimensions vested in the therapist.…”