"ETHNICITY & FAMILY THERAPY" (ED. M. MCGOLDRICK ET AL.).   Term Paper ID:25394 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Reviews collection of essays on role of cultural differences in effectiveness & methods of therapy. Paper Introduction: This paper is a discussion of Ethnicity and Family Therapy, a collection of essays edited by Monica McGoldrick, John K. Pearce, and Joseph Giordano, studying the importance and impact of ethnicity and culture in family therapy practice. Each individual's cultural background determines the way in which he or she deals with crisis and reacts to psychological problems. This background also affects the individual's family dynamics, and therapists who include the family in the treatment program must understand the ways in which ethnicity and culture can have an impact on the intervention process. This book includes a broad range of studies, profiling the ways in which different cultures view the family, consider time, and think about outside intervention. Although some factors that first appear to be related to culture turn out to cross ethnic boundaries, many Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Although some factorsthat first appear to be related to culture turn out to cross ethnicboundaries, many other elements can affect the way a family reacts totherapy. In fact, they argue that cultural differences are often able toinspire more effective insights and treatment programs as a result of thosedifferences. The myth of the shiksa. Most important for the therapist, cultures differ in theirconsideration of illness and the treatment of disease, especiallypsychological illness. Ethnicity andfamily therapy. An overly assertive childmay be valued in one culture and proscribed in another, and an effectivetherapist needs to have a clear understanding of the cultural expectationsthat may influence specific behavior patterns. This paper is a discussion of Ethnicity and Family Therapy, acollection of essays edited by Monica McGoldrick, John K. 3-3 ). Some cultures have particular problems speaking tostrangers, especially regarding personal issues, and a therapist may needto include a considerable period of social adjustment in such cases. However, my experience with trying to bring change to families reacting to a mixed marriage suggests generally that families who are in distress tend to "think with their spinal cords" rather than their cortex, and that when those processes have that quality, expressed values are less evidence of what motivates family members than symptomatic of emotional positions they have already arrived at (p. This book includes a broad range ofstudies, profiling the ways in which different cultures view the family,consider time, and think about outside intervention. Friedman's findings serve as a cautionary note in the considerationof ethnicity in therapeutic planning. The therapist's own ethnic background must be considered in the planfor treatment, and the effective therapist should understand his or her owncultural biases. According to McGoldrick and her colleagues (1982), ethnic andcultural considerations have been largely ignored in family therapy study.Because the United States is so culturally diverse, including residentsfrom almost every other cultural background on the planet, the subject mayappear to be too overwhelming for meaningful contemplation. McGoldrick, J. McGoldrick and her colleagues raise a number of important points thatthe effective family therapist needs to consider in dealing with thediversity of families he or she is likely to encounter in contemporaryAmerican practice. H. Some cultures focus more on thepast and on continuity with history, while others have less reverence forthings that have already happened and tend to concentrate more on thepossibilities of the future. Instead, McGoldrick and her colleagues argue, the effective familytherapist must consider an individual's particular background in order tounderstand the dynamics that may affect both the patient's problem andtherapeutic response and the family's ability to participate in a programof treatment. Each individual's cultural backgrounddetermines the way in which he or she deals with crisis and reacts topsychological problems. He argues that dramatic reactions to anytype of intermarriage are almost always indications of a deeper problemthat can be addressed in a therapeutic treatment program but only after itis recognized as having nothing to do with ethnicity or the desire topreserve cultural purity. [but] problems (whether physicalor mental) can be neither diagnosed nor treated without some understandingof the frame of reference of the person seeking help" (p. 4). K. (1982). However, McGoldrick and her colleagues do not suggest thattherapists and patients should always (or even usually) be matched in theirethnicity. While this maybe useful in promoting harmony within a pluralistic society, it is notespecially conducive to treating psychological problems. 499-526). Theseinfluences change the way each will look at the world and color theresponses, whether "normal" or pathological, that each adopts. Every American, whether a first-generation immigrant newly arrived ora native-born unable to pinpoint his or her exact cultural heritage, isinfluenced by family background and cultural expectations. Giordano (Eds.), Ethnicity and familytherapy (pp. This background also affects the individual'sfamily dynamics, and therapists who include the family in the treatmentprogram must understand the ways in which ethnicity and culture can have animpact on the intervention process. Pearce, andJoseph Giordano, studying the importance and impact of ethnicity andculture in family therapy practice. A Jewish family, for example, may consider itself in need ofprofessional counselling when a child does not fulfill his or her fullpotential in school, while a Chinese family might consider disruptiveclassroom behavior as a sign of real trouble. New York: Guilford Press.----------------------- 6 McGoldrick, M., Pearce, J. A Jewish therapist, for instance, may be a good match for aWASP family, in part because of the differences that each culture tends toexperience in the expression of emotions and view of the world. McGoldrick and her colleagues (1982) observe, "[Many]therapists have not appreciated the role of ethnicity in developingtherapeutic models and interventions . In another chapter, "The Myth of the Shiksa," Edwin H. In the case of the Vietnamese family, the therapist empowered thefamily's mother by having her teach all the other participants somerudimentary vocabulary from her native language. Theeffective therapist must be willing to understand those influences, both asthey affect the patient and the family in treatment and as they determinehis or her own work. New York: Guilford Press. The diversity of ethnicities discussed gives a clearindication of the kinds of subtle differences a family therapist shouldkeep in mind. The authors solicited chapters from leading therapists thatconcentrate on the characteristics of 18 different ethnic groups, and therange of these writings suggests how many others might also bear closeinvestigation. In certain cases, a therapist may even need to consider whether he orshe will be able to be effective with a particular patient, simply becauseof the gulf between his or her own ethnicity and that of the family seekingtreatment. . While therapists must look at thepatient's family background and observe ways in which culture and ethnicityhave an impact on both the problem and the way in which the problem istreated, too heavy an emphasis can be as dangerous as ignoring such factorscompletely. Friedman(1982) discusses a phenomenon that he originally attributed to the Jewishcommunity, the situation in which one family member's decision to "marryout" (marry a non-Jew) inspired a dramatic reaction from another member ofthe family. McGoldrick (1982) cites numerous examples ofdifferent responses to typical therapeutic techniques that can bemisinterpreted easily by the therapist; for instance, "Puerto Rican womenare taught to lower their eyes and avoid eye contact. Somecultures may inhibit a female therapist's effectiveness because of theirgender bias or customs. The book also suggests that the therapist's own ethnic backgroundis a factor for consideration, affecting his or her reactions to the familyand interpretation of therapeutic efficacy. Friedman shows that this mythical creature rarely exists in actualfact, often sparks an overreaction completely out of proportion with thefamily's actual history and devotion to the faith, and can frequently befound in non-Jewish families. Pearce, & J. Ethnicity and family therapy: An overview.In M. McGoldrick (1982), in her overview which forms the book's openingchapter, notes, "Ethnicity describes a sense of commonality transmittedover generations by the family and reinforced by the surrounding community"(p. Ethnicity can hold important keys to understanding psychologicalproblems. In M. While every therapist does not need to become anauthority on every possible ethnicity or cultural perspective, a therapistfamiliar with a range of different kinds of cultural backgrounds is morelikely to be able to approach each case with understanding. Different commonalities define different ethnicities, and, whilegeneralizations can lead to stereotypes, certain consistent patterns dotend to appear within specific groups that help to characterize a culture.Many Asian cultures, for example, prize concern for the society over thekind of rugged individualism that is generally thought of as American (butis, in fact, more the product of the British American heritage oftenlabelled White Anglo-Saxon Protestant). (1982). It canshow why role playing might be extremely effective for one family anddestructively harmful for another. (1982). McGoldrick and her colleagues include several chapters that deal withspecific issues and examples of the ways in which understanding culturaldifferences can affect the therapist's work. They also indicate that atherapist whose patient traces lineage to the West Indies will probablyhave at least a slightly different perspective than the patient whosefamily comes from the Dominican Republic, and such subtleties must beimportant to any therapeutic approach. Being able to conduct some of the sessionsin her own language helped her to clarify her needs and her role in helpingthe whole family to cope more effectively with its problems. . Yet ethnic awareness can also blind a therapist to the real problemand the most effective solution, as Friedman (1982) observes: Blessed with a cortex and the power of speech, it is only logical to assume that members of a family can be changed by resorting to these inherent tools. K., & Giordano, J. Some cultures may discourage individuals from seeking help,particularly when the help is for a psychological problem. Ethnicity and Family Therapyprovides a thought-provoking overview of the kinds of issues that must beconsidered in any approach to planning a family therapy treatment program. In fact, language sometimes proves to be anobstacle within the family itself, as younger members and those born inAmerica may not speak the original language at all and may not be able tocommunicate with their relatives any more effectively than the therapistcan. One chapter discusses workdone with a family of Vietnamese refugees, in which language barriers and alack of social support had isolated the widowed mother in the family.Language is often a factor that needs to be addressed in family therapy,since new immigrants (especially older family members) often have moredifficulty mastering English and are consequently unable to participatefully in the therapy process. xv). Manytherapists may have chosen to focus on the commonalities among humanbeings, rather than the elements that differentiate them. McGoldrick, M. McGoldrick,J. Pearce, & J. K. Culture can be akey or a mask, and the skilled therapist needs to understand its workingswell enough to interpret its effects. New York: Guilford Press. 24). References Friedman, E. This acknowledged herimportance and allowed her family (and her therapist) to recognize that herinability to speak English fluently was not an indication of weakness,ignorance, or insignificance. By recognizingthose types of behavior that are culture-bound and separating these fromthose that are unrelated to ethnicity, a therapist may be able to get tothe real root of a patient's problem more effectively. Just ashealthy families frequently benefit from the infusion through intermarriageof fresh perspectives and behavior patterns, so families in trouble canoften benefit from the outsider's intervention processes. Giordano (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (pp. The Jewish term, shiksa, indicates a scheming, non-Jewishwoman who is set on seducing a Jewish man away from the tradition andsecurity of his native culture, ultimately helping to undermine the entireJewish society: "This attractive will-o'-the-wisp, as folk imaginationwould have it, is seductive, immoral, ignorant, and insensitive to Jewishvalues" (p. Therapists need to consider the impact thatculture may have on the way an individual reacts in a session. Understanding ethnic clues can also provide therapists with importantkeys to diagnosing and treating psychological problems. 499). 525). The problem lies in thinking of every individual difference asbeing the product of culture, when, in fact, common patterns often crossethnic lines and can be useful in considering therapeutic approaches. American therapistsare taught to read lack of eye contact as an indication of inability torelate to others" (p. Culturaldifferences may also affect the way in which problems themselves aredefined. It can explain why one person's reticence in discussing personalissues is an indication of pathology, while another's is perfectly normalwhen viewed within the cultural context of familial expectations. The variations between Puerto Rican families (Chapter 8) andCuban families (Chapter 9), for instance, show the sorts of contrasts thatmight be missed in the broader "Hispanic" label. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.