Discussion: Alternative Psychologies
Thus far in your experience as a psychology student, you have been introduced to the field of psychology in terms of the mind and its functions in relationship to human behavior. Most introductory psychology textbooks and resources for other psychology classes emphasize a cause-and-effect scientific model, which typifies traditional psychology in the United States and the Western hemisphere in general. Throughout this course and in your course text, you read about Western psychology, which is representative of the practice of psychology in the United States.
Alternative psychologies evolved independently of Western psychology because they are suitable for the needs of non-Western cultures. One notable difference is that alternative psychologies prioritize collective or group processes over isolated individual processes. Alternative psychologies view individuals as reflections of the larger culture or society. While the various alternative psychologies do have differences, they also have common themes such as those outlined in your course text: meaning-making, collective construction of psychological reality, time-dependent processes, and normative explanations.
Liberation psychology, which is one type of alternative psychology, has been used to address the needs of the poor and the oppressed in Latin America. With liberation psychology, the focus is on social change. Social change is possible when attempts are made to improve the conditions of the entire community rather than to only address the needs of one specific individual within the group. Additionally, this type of alternative psychology makes a difference by addressing challenges of the native people where they live, in their professions, and in the world around them. Liberation psychology also helps people understand what they need in order to facilitate change.
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review Chapter 6 in your textbook, Toward a Global Psychology: Theory, Research, Intervention, and Pedagogy. Pay particular attention to the sections about alternative psychologies and liberation psychology.
· Referring to the video clips located in this week’s Optional Resources as examples, utilize the internet to identify one video that illustrates how liberation psychology empowers individuals to address their challenges.
· After viewing your selected video, identify the issues that were particularly challenging for the individuals in the video. Focus on two issues of particular interest to you.
· Reflect on how the common themes of alternative psychologies are evidenced in liberation psychology.
· Consider Walden University’s Mission for Social Change, which is to create scholar-practitioners who can effect positive social change.
With these thoughts in mind:
By Day 3
Post a description of the video you selected. Specify two issues that were particularly challenging for the individuals in the video. Explain how liberation psychology could be or was applied to address the two issues you identified. Discuss how liberation psychology reflects at least two of the themes common to alternative psychologies. Describe how you, as a Walden University scholar-practitioner, might utilize liberation psychology as a means to effect positive social change.
Course Text: Stevens, M. J., & Gielen, U. P. (2007). Toward a glob al psychology: Theory, research, intervention, and pedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
· Chapter 6, “Toward a Conceptual Foundation for a Global Psychology”
· Chapter 7, “Qualitative Research Methods for a Global Psychology”
Assignment: Culturally Appropriate Research Methods (Due 1/19/18)
In order to understand research methods that are suitable for global psychology, it is important to state what is meant by “global psychology.” Marsella (1998) refers to global psychology as “concerned with understanding, assessing, and addressing, the individual and collective psychological consequences of global events and forces by encouraging and using multicultural, multidisciplinary, multisectoral, and multinational knowledge, methods, and interventions” (p. 1284).
Culturally sensitive research methods employed by psychologists with a global perspective usually are qualitative, while Western psychologists often employ quantitative approaches. Quantitative approaches emphasize cause and effect and reflect a traditional scientific method. Quantitative methods also are objective and value statistical analyses. Qualitative methods allow more subjectivity and often involve observation and interviews that are harder to quantify. Recently, many Western psychologists have increased their acceptance of qualitative methods or blending quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed methods). However, even in the realm of qualitative methods, psychologists have identified some methods that are more appropriate than others in satisfying the needs of their discipline. Your course text explains four specific, culturally appropriate research methods: action theory, discourse analysis, grounded theory, and focus groups.
Despite global psychology’s preference for culturally appropriate qualitative methods, most peer review committees of professional journals publish studies that use traditional quantitative methods. Thus, psychologists who work internationally or globally continue to encourage researchers to apply culturally appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods.
To prepare for this Assignment:
· Review Chapter 7 in your course text.
· Think about culturally appropriate research methods, such as action theory, discourse analysis, grounded theory, and focus groups.
· Use the link provided in this week’s learning resources to review several past issues of the International Psychology Bulletin.
· Within the past issue of your choice, select one peer-reviewed article which is of interest to you that does not use action theory, discourse analysis, grounded theory, or focus groups.
· Think about whether the research used in the article is quantitative or qualitative.
· Consider how you might use action theory, discourse analysis, grounded theory, or focus groups to conduct a study about this same topic.
· Think about why the research method you selected could benefit a study of this topic.
The Assignment (3–4 pages):
· Summarize the study in the research article you selected, including a description of the type of research method that was used.
· Is the study qualitative or quantitative? Discuss how you know.
· Pick two culturally appropriate research methods (action theory, discourse analysis, grounded theory, or focus groups) and explain how you could apply each method to conduct a study about the same topic described in the research article you selected.
· Explain why the research methods you selected could benefit a study about this topic and describe how they compare to the type of research methods originally used.
Course Text: Stevens, M. J., & Gielen, U. P. (2007). Toward a glob al psychology: Theory, research, intervention, and pedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
· Chapter 6, “Toward a Conceptual Foundation for a Global Psychology”
· Chapter 7, “Qualitative Research Methods for a Global Psychology”
Discussion: Healing as a Form of Intervention (Due 1/20/18)
A psychotherapeutic intervention is a treatment that addresses a physical problem, a mental problem, or both. Psychotherapeutic interventions are targeted differently in non-Western cultures. In Western cultures, such interventions tend to focus on the mind. They are separate from medicine, which focuses on the body. Psychotherapeutic interventions in non-Western cultures (referred to as “traditional cultures” in your text) often are identified as healing and focus on the health of the whole person rather than on addressing an individual problem. In non-Western cultures, medical interventions are not separated clearly from psychotherapeutic interventions.
The use of psychotherapeutic interventions in different parts of the world is influenced by both society and culture. Your text refers to these influencers as “the sociocultural context.” The term sociocultural context includes such factors as religion, community beliefs about health and illness, rituals such as initiation or purification ceremonies, and relationships with family.
To prepare for this Discussion:
· Review Chapter 8 in your course text, paying particular attention to the section on psychotherapy in its sociocultural context. Review non-Western healing therapies such as Morita, Naikan, and Zen.
· Review the articles: “Buddhist psychotherapy” and “The effect of yoga on functional recovery level in schizophrenic patients.”
· Review this week’s media about psychotherapy in Argentina. You may wish to view the clips more than once and take notes.
· Select a non-Western psychotherapeutic intervention and think about how that intervention is an expression of its sociocultural context.
· Consider the similarities and differences between the psychotherapeutic intervention you selected and psychotherapeutic interventions in Western cultures.
· Using the Walden University library, search and find one current peer-reviewed article that reports on a psychotherapeutic intervention practiced in traditional cultures.
With these thoughts in mind:
By Day 3
Post a description of the non-Western psychotherapeutic intervention you selected. Explain two ways in which this intervention is an expression of its sociocultural context. Finally, explain two similarities and two differences between the psychotherapeutic intervention you selected and psychotherapeutic interventions in Western cultures
Course Text: Stevens, M. J., & Gielen, U. P. (2007). Toward a glob al psychology: Theory, research, intervention, and pedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
· Chapter 8, “Psychotherapeutic and Related Interventions for a Global Psychology”
Shibusawa, T., & Chung, I. (2009). Wrapping and unwrapping emotions: Clinical practice with East Asian immigrant elders. Clinical Social Work Journal, 37(4), 312–319.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Blando, J. A. (2009). Buddhist psychotherapy with older GLBT clients. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 5(1/2), 92–81.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Kavak, F., Ekinci, M. (2016). The effect of yoga on functional recovery level in schizophrenic patients. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 30(6), 761–767.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
