PYSC 354 How Might Western Trained Counselor Explain Behavior

PYSC 354 How Might Western Trained Counselor Explain Behavior essay assignment

PYSC 354 How Might Western Trained Counselor Explain Behavior essay assignment

The readings for Week 6 cover cross-cultural challenges in mental health.  Symptoms of anxiety and depression exist in all cultures.  However, most mental health diagnostics and treatments were developed by white, western males from relatively individualistic cultures, especially British, Americans and Germans.  Now it is increasingly obvious that persons from more traditional and collectivist cultures can show symptoms and explanations for their anxiety and depression that differ greatly from western explanations!  For example, some may explain that their anxiety or aggressive behavior or depression is caused by a curse or “evil eye” spell or a demon.  That is why cross-cultural psychology is now concerned with Culture-Bound Syndromes (CBS) to explain symptoms of depression and anxiety .

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In this conference discussion imagine that you are a high school counselor.  A teacher asks you to talk to a 14 year old immigrant Cambodian boy who is often disruptive in his class.  The teacher has become so frustrated that he is considering asking to have the boy expelled, but he first wants to have you, the counselor, talk to the boy before asking for the drastic measure of expelling him.  On some days the boy seems very shy and withdrawn and fearful and the teacher has seen the boy crying on several occasions.  At other times the child is very aggressive and angry.  The boy has several times asked the teacher not to expel him and not to send notes home to his parents nor to ask them to come to the school because he fears this will shame the family and he will be severely punished for discussing family matters with “outsiders.”  He says that he has terrible nightmares, robbing him of sleep, to explain his sleepy behavior in class and, worst of all, he explains that his angry outbursts are due to an evil spell someone put on his family.  Given only this information and your readings:

  1. How might a western-trained counselor explain his behavior?
  2. Knowing what you have learned in this course, how might you explain his behavior differently and what would you do in this situation?