Culture and Psychopathology: Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Practice

This course will examine different dimensions of how Culture affects our

understanding of psychology and psychopathology, and how an

awareness of the influence of culture is essential to mental health

treatment and psychotherapeutic practice. The chosen texts will link

theory to practice, examining dominant discourses around individuality,

identity, psychopathology and treatment. Relevant theoretical issues

around universalism versus relativism, colonialism and otherness,

power, difference and racism will be explored. Students will be

encouraged and supported to examine the values and discourses

informing their own perspectives.

Each week students will be required to familiarize themselves with two

chosen texts, and contribute to a discussion of the ideas explored in

each seminar topic. Classes will involve student presentations, close

critical reading of the texts, and structured discussion. The texts will

bridge social science theory and clinical practice. Students will be able to

explore particular topics in more depth through their presentation and

essay, and the weekly reflective log will offer a context in which students

can reflect on the personal impact of texts and the ideas encountered.

This Seminar course requires a commitment to reading the assigned

materials.

This course aims to increase our awareness around the topics covered

through open-minded study and lively discussion. We will aim to

cultivate a climate of respectful listening and curiosity, sensitive

challenge, and personal reflection. Students should be willing to critically

reflect on the values and discourses informing their own perspectives

and respect those of others. In the Seminars and assessed work,

students will be invited to demonstrate a capacity to reflect on these

values and discourses, in accordance with the topics and materials

studied. We will aim to be particularly attentive to matters of equality,

diversity, privilege and difference, and participants will be encouraged to

reflect on how they themselves contribute to the group learning

experience.

2 ECTS (total 60hrs)

- Class Attendance: 15hrs

- 10min Presentation: 2hrs preparation

- Reading 28hrs (4hrs/Seminar)

- Essay 15hrs

(The Reflective Learning Log has no hours allocation as it is to be

completed as part of the process of reflection alongside the other

elements of the course, e.g. whilst reading and in response to the

seminar sessions).

1. Introduction to the course (45mins).

In this short introductory class the expectations and format will be

established, and students will be asked to choose a paper to present

in one of the subsequent Seminars. A working understanding of the

concepts of discourse, power and constructions of identity will also

be established.

- Hall, S. (1997), Foucault: Power, Knowledge and Discourse,

in S. Hall (ed.) Representation: Cultural Representation and

Signifying Practices, London: Sage.

2. Constructions of the Other

- Wilkinson, S. & Kitzinger, C. (1996). Theorizing Representing

the Other pp. 1-32 in Representing the Other: A Feminism

and Psychology Reader, London: Sage.

- Hall, S. (1997) The Spectacle of the ‘Other’, in S. Hall (ed.)

Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying

Practices, London: Sage.

3. Race and Racism

- Fanon, F. (1952), The Negro and Psychopathology, pp.109-

162 in Black Skin, White Masks (1986), London: Pluto Press.

- Rustin, M. (1991) Psychoanalysis, racism and anti-racism, in

M. Rustin, The Good Society and the Inner World, pp.57-84

London: Verso.

4. Stereotypes and Prejudice

- Bertrando, P. (2012) Cultural and family ethos in systemic

therapy. In I.B.Krause (Ed.), Culture and Reflexivity in

Systemic Psychotherapy: Mutual Perspectives, (pp.115-137).

London: Karnac.

- Bhabha, H. K. (1994) The Other Question: Stereotype,

discrimination and the discourse of colonialism, pp. 94-120

in The Location of Culture, London: Routledge.

5. Culture & Attachment

- Krause, I. B. (2002) Culture. In I. B. Krause, Culture and

System in Family Therapy, p.17-24, London: Karnac.

- Rothbaum, F. & Morelli, G. (2005). Attachment and culture:

bridging relativism and universalism. In: Friedlmeier, W. et

al, eds. Culture and Development. The importance of cross

cultural research for the social sciences. pp.99-123, Hove:

Psychology Press

6. Kinship and Genograms

- Hardy, K. V. & Laszloffy T. A. (1995) The Cultural Genogram:

Key to training culturally competent family therapists.

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21 (3), 227-237.

- Watts-Jones, D. (1997), Towards an African-American

Genogram. Family Process 36(4): 375-383

7. Refugees and Violence

- James, K. (2010) Domestic Violence Within Refugee Families:

Intersecting Patriarchal Culture and the Refugee Experience.

In The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Famiy Therapy

Volume 31, Number 3, pp.275-284.

- De Haene, L. & Rober, P. (2016), Looking for a Home: An

exploration of Jacques Derrida’s notion of hospitality in

family therapy practice with refugees. In Systemic Therapy

as Trnsformative Practice (2016) Ed. Imelda McCarthy and

Gail Simon, pp.94-110, Farnhill: Everything is Connected

Press.

8. Cultural Reflexivity

- Krause, I.-B. (2012). Culture and the reflexive subject in

systemic psychotherapy. In I.B.Krause (Ed.), Culture and

Reflexivity in Systemic Psychotherapy: Mutual Perspectives,

(pp.1-35). London: Karnac.

- Gorell Barnes, G. (2002), Getting it right, getting it wrong:

developing an internal discourse about ethnicity and

difference, pp.133-147 in Exploring the Unsaid: Creativity,

Risks and Dilemmas in working Cross-Culturally (Ed. Mason,

B. & Sawyer, S.), London: Karnac.

Learning outcomes

Critical thinking; an introductory understanding of the far-reaching

influence of culture on psychology as a discipline and how

psychopathology is understood; treatment and practice implications of

cultural factors; an insight into some of the intersections between

Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology; self-reflexivity, i.e. a

developing awareness of how factors such as culture, race, gender and

our own specific contexts may affect how we think, perceive, and are

perceived by those around us.

Assessment

Written Essay, 2,500 words - 50%

Choice of 1 of 2-3 questions inviting exploration of one of the

topics covered and the implications for psychology,

psychopathology, mental health, and psychotherapy. The essay

will require students to explore a given topic in more depth and

situate the ideas in the wider landscape of psychology and

psychopathology. Students will be invited to demonstrate a

reflective capacity regarding how their own personal context

may influence their perspective.

Classroom Presentation - 20%

Maximum 10 minute presentation in pairs exploring the issues

covered in one of the papers from the weekly topics, and

offering up some points or questions for class discussion.

Students will be asked to provide fellow class members with a

summary sheet to accompany their presentation, including

questions for discussion. Students will be assessed for critical

evaluation of the material, their consideration of potential

implications for how we think about psychopathology, and how

thoughtfully they frame the points for discussion.

Classroom Participation – 10%

Classroom participation will be assessed for level of engagement

with the material and for showing sensitivity regarding power

and difference. This means developing an awareness of how

one’s own contributions to the seminar influence the overall

learning experience. Students should be mindful of voice

entitlement and aim to foster equality of voice in the seminars

so that there is an opportunity for everyone’s perspective to be

heard, as well as expressing their own. Discussion questions and

group exercises will promote this.

Reflective Learning Log – 20%

The reflective learning log is an informal collection of personal

reflections on the material covered and the experience of

participating in the seminar course. It is not assessed according

to length or formal presentation, but should be maintained

throughout the duration of the course and demonstrate a level

of personal engagement with the topics covered, as well as

some reflections on students’ personal responses to them.

Guideline length – 1 side of printed notes for each

topic/seminar.

Attendance rules

Absence maximum: 2 sessions, at least 1 of which must be sup