Foundations for an Arab/MENA Psychology

Arab/Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) American psychology is a field rooted in ethnic studies and multicultural psychology. Although its study is relatively nascent in U.S. psychology, it has slowly been growing since the 1990s. The events of 9/11 resulted in an increase in psychological research on the Arab/MENA population in the United States, providing empirical evidence to inform the historical and social foundations for an Arab/MENA psychology. This article seeks to identify key elements and factors present in an Arab/MENA psychology focusing on issues of identity and recognition, discrimination, cumulative racial-ethnic trauma, acculturation, and cultural values, such as hospitality and generosity, morality, family centricity, honor and shame, religiosity, and communication style.

Aprender HaciendO: Undergraduate Curriculum Development for a Latinx Mental Health Service-Learning Course

Service-learning provides an experientially-based pedagogical approach that can increase student engagement in the learning environment and promote the development of cultural competency when working with diverse populations. This article reports on the curriculum development of a Latinx mental health undergraduate service-learning course that discussed disparities in Latinx access and utilization of mental health services and used service-learning as a teaching method to increase students’ cultural awareness and skills by putting their knowledge into practice in community-based settings. We provide an overview of the course including specific guidelines for readings, assignments, and group facilitation for future application of this course in Latinx mental health. Students of this course have developed critical awareness of their identities as it relates to their work with Latinxs, and a continued commitment to meet community needs. We briefly discuss challenges in implementing similar ethnically-rooted and service-learning multicultural psychology curriculum.

“AmeriKenyan”: Lived Acculturation and Ethnic Identification of Kenyan Natives During Their Youth

This qualitative study investigated the immigration, acculturation process, and ethnic identity experiences of six Kenyan emerging adults who immigrated to the United States during their adolescent years. Themes emerged from the data to describe their (a) immigration experience, (b) acculturation process into an individualistic culture with more of a Western worldview, (c) ethnic and racial identity, and (d) emotional response and coping. Subthemes and additional factors illustrated their experience as it relates to social life, academics, cultural context, family values, and more. Implications for multicultural psychology research and practice are addressed.

Multicultural Competence Building Blocks: Multicultural Psychology Courses Promote Multicultural Knowledge and Ethnic Identity

Background: Literature on undergraduate multicultural psychology instruction is limited. Prior research has included primarily White samples, yielded mixed results, and largely ignored assessment of learning in skills-based domains such as ethnic identity development. Objective: We aimed to replicate and extend prior research by examining growth in multicultural knowledge and ethnic identity among students in multicultural psychology courses and considering possible moderators of this growth. Method: Multicultural knowledge and ethnic identity were measured before and after the semester among 169 undergraduate students enrolled in multicultural psychology courses. Results: Multicultural knowledge and ethnic identity significantly increased from before to after, but important moderators also emerged. Knowledge increase was greater among White students, while ethnic identity increased the most among White students with no multicultural experience in courses employing small-group, online discussions. Conclusion: Our findings replicate prior research by showing that multicultural courses can effectively promote multicultural knowledge and extend our understanding by demonstrating that other aspects of competence such as ethnic identity can also increase among students of these courses. Teaching Implications: The benefits of multicultural psychology instruction are evident. However, variability in outcomes based on student and course characteristics suggests that instructors should consider these critical factors in course design.

Is psychology purely a western philosophical concept?

There is a widespread belief and allegation that Psychology is a Western product. This paper examines this allegation looking at its philosophical origin, scientific advancement and contemporary development. The Western perspective on Psychology is contrasted against Eastern perspective. The paper reviewed several literatures on the history and advancement of Psychology. It also reviewed the literatures on indigenous and multicultural psychology. The paper concluded that until 20th century Psychology was exclusively Western product. The recent emphasis on the role of culture in human psychology has given the space for Eastern perspective. We can be hopeful that Psychology will be more inclusive, diverse and global in future.

The Role of Critical Theory in the Development of Multicultural Psychology and Counseling

The discipline of psychology has historically been based upon Western, Eurocentric perspectives on human behavior. Critical theory has played a central role in pushing psychology out from its insularity and perceived objectivity. This chapter examines the role of critical pedagogist Paolo Freire and liberation psychologist Ignacio Martín-Baró in the shaping of a multicultural perspective within psychology that has revolutionized the way that psychologists understand and treat mental health conditions. Freire and Martín-Baró gave voice to the marginalized and disenfranchised and pushed psychologists to engage in their own conscientization of their history and complicitness in perpetuating oppression. Implications of their work are examined in light of their contributions to theoretical underpinnings, clinical diagnosis, and treatment approaches.

Multicultural Considerations in Telepsychology

Although an expanding body of research demonstrates the potential benefits of telepsychology, little is known about its application with ethnoracial minority populations. Research with ethnoracial minority populations points to various factors that predict positive treatment outcomes; thus, it should be considered in multiculturally sensitive telepsychology practice. In this chapter, the authors discuss the multicultural telepsychology literature and provide recommendations for practice and research. The respective literature in multicultural psychology and telepsychology and their intersection suggest that multicultural telepsychology offers substantial promise for improving the lives of vulnerable and underserved ethnoracial minority populations by increasing access to health information and mental health treatment and reducing mental illness stigma. The chapter ends by discussing potentially fruitful avenues for research.