1st Edition

Multiculturalism as a fourth force

By Paul Pedersen Copyright 1999
    300 Pages
    by Routledge

    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    Until recently the field of psychology has been a monocultural science in a Euro-American envelope. Profound global changes in social, economic, political, and academic development have resulted in a more multicultural perspective for psychology. The field of psychology is now growing more rapidly outside than inside the U.S. As a result of these changes, multiculturalism adds a dimension to psychodynamic, humanistic, and behavioral psychology as much as the fourth dimension of time adds meaning to three dimensional spaces. The contributors to Multiculturalism as a Fourth Force seek to separate what we know from what we do not yet know about the importance of multiculturalism to these changes in the field of psychology. Topics include cultural diversity within and between societies, multiculturalism and psychotherapy, and culture centered interventions. Each contributor describes the need for multiculturalism in psychology, the difficulties in establishing a multicultural perspective and what has to happen before multiculturalism can claim to be a Fourth Force to supplement the other forces for psychology. In addition, the contributors examine the role of culture to the changing field of psychology and provide case examples of this phenomenon. It is the author's hope that by making culture central rather than marginal in the area of psychology, the psychodynamic, behavioral and humanistic theories can become more effective and less culturally biased.

    1: The General Issues of Multiculturalism as a Fourth Force; 1: Culture-centered Interventions as a Fourth Dimension of Psychology; 2: Cultural Diversity Within and Between Societies: Implications for Multicultural Social Systems; 3: Self-heterogenization and Cultural Milieu Selection: Two New Directions in Counseling; 4: Climbing the Multiculturalism Summit: Challenges and Pitfalls; 2: Particular Issues: Productivity Within the Multicultural Perspective; 5: Multiculturalism and Psychotherapy: The Turkish Case; 6: Multiculturalism and Mental Health in a Changing South Africa; 7: Multiculturalism and the Deaf Community: Examples Given From Deaf People Working in Bicultural Groups; 8: Identity Formation in Confucian Heritage Societies: Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice; 9: Relationship Counseling Across Cultures: Cultural Sensitivity and Beyond; 10: The Positive Consequences of a Culture-centered Perspective

    Biography

    Paul Pedersen