Psychodynamic Theory
Psychodynamic Theory
The psychodynamic theorist such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung suggest that psychological, emotional, and motivational forces occur in an unconscious level. Given the diverse cultural backgrounds that exist it is pivotal that professionals in the field develop an understanding of the ethnocentric limitations of the psychodynamic theory. Understanding the psychodynamic theory and multicultural elements coincide, but given the ethnocentric limitations discussed in this paper one can conclude that psychodynamic theory is not necessarily a universal concept (Cervone & Pervin, 2010). This paper will provide a definition of psychodynamic theory in addition to discussing the ethnocentric limitations and culturally diverse interactions. Ethnocentric limitations of psychodynamic Theory The key features of the psychodynamic theory including the collective unconscious assume there are no differences between humans. Failure to acknowledge obvious differences in culture, race, ethnicity, skin tone, gender, and age can have repercussions for which the founders of psychodynamic theory did not account. The basic assumptions of the psychodynamic theory, such as behavior as the root of childhood experiences does not take into account that childhood experiences vary based upon factors such as race and environment. For example, a dark skinned girl from East India whose parents have relocated to a small mid-western American town where the newcomers are in the obvious minority would experience childhood differently. Some experiences could include problems assimilating to the culture of the region to which they moved, dealing with stereotypes based on skin tone and accented English. In addition, psychodynamic theory also includes the basic assumption that behavior has a cause or reason. The limitation for this assumption is the interpretation of the reason or cause of the observed behavior. The psychosocial development
The psychodynamic theorist such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung suggest that psychological, emotional, and motivational forces occur in an unconscious level. Given the diverse cultural backgrounds that exist it is pivotal that professionals in the field develop an understanding of the ethnocentric limitations of the psychodynamic theory. Understanding the psychodynamic theory and multicultural elements coincide, but given the ethnocentric limitations discussed in this paper one can conclude that psychodynamic theory is not necessarily a universal concept (Cervone & Pervin, 2010). This paper will provide a definition of psychodynamic theory in addition to discussing the ethnocentric limitations and culturally diverse interactions. Ethnocentric limitations of psychodynamic Theory The key features of the psychodynamic theory including the collective unconscious assume there are no differences between humans. Failure to acknowledge obvious differences in culture, race, ethnicity, skin tone, gender, and age can have repercussions for which the founders of psychodynamic theory did not account. The basic assumptions of the psychodynamic theory, such as behavior as the root of childhood experiences does not take into account that childhood experiences vary based upon factors such as race and environment. For example, a dark skinned girl from East India whose parents have relocated to a small mid-western American town where the newcomers are in the obvious minority would experience childhood differently. Some experiences could include problems assimilating to the culture of the region to which they moved, dealing with stereotypes based on skin tone and accented English. In addition, psychodynamic theory also includes the basic assumption that behavior has a cause or reason. The limitation for this assumption is the interpretation of the reason or cause of the observed behavior. The psychosocial development
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