I'm a psychiatrist and I agree completely. As mental health professionals, we are trying to help the individual in front of us. Anything that focuses on societal or "structural" factors -- even if it is true--is disempowering and takes agency away from the individual. This trend of training psychologists (and doctors and teachers) to be political activists is sinister beyond belief. What ever happened to "do no harm?"
Great piece. We need every single black person in the US who is tired of black people being treated as infantile academic failures, to voice this sentiment. This is the narrative we need from "Black America." This strength, mental and physical, got black people out of slavery, past it, through reconstruction, up to the deprivations of 1950s white supremacy, and then in concord with white liberals, through the struggles of the 1960s.
Its ironic this pampered generation of super cool young black people, with all the privilege culture could ever bestow, and woke academics living off the race industry, are obsessed with petty complaints and ahistorical claims. (Its ironic they somehow support Palestine, if they can locate it that is, but thats another story). Its doubly ironic that the most materialistic and psychologically pampered black people that ever lived are the ones claiming they need help and can't get through school.
Its a pity you have to put the picture of your lovely family, but alas, how else is a white man to make a comment anymore without the obvious retort, "you don't understand."
Psychology as a field is not a science. Its a practice. My daughter is a psychologist. We talk about these issues all the time.
The challenge with the practice is that their is not a clear treatment plan. There also isn't a clear end-state "cured" measure. Its really up to the person being counseled. That's why its so hard for insurance companies to insure counseling.
Many psychologist are not interested in making it so patients don't need to come back. Its a guaranteed form of income. Make the patient dependent on the psychologist.
The challenge is that patients need to have a clear objective on what they are trying to achieve by going to a psychologist. Many patients want the psychologist to tell them whether they are "good".
It was more straightforward when people used their pastors/priests for counseling.
Bottom line, the psychology world has very little ability to measure or monitor whether the counseling is ethical. If you're looking for a counselor, choose wisely.
Rather than get drawn into a fruitless debate over the role of Marxism in "contemporary American cultural ideology", I would refer anyone interested to Dr. Waldrep's May 16, 2023 article The Anti-American Psychological Association. I am not interested in winning debating points, but mourn the demise of APA, that has been taken over by political activists and ideologues (whatever one may wish to label their ideology). I am active in my psychological associations only to the extent that is necessary to maintain my license to practice. I understand it is even worse in Canada.
Thanks for having the fortitude to share this. Unfortunately, our field is increasingly training political activists, who will not tolerate opinions with whom they differ.
Insightful and well presented. My only quarrel is the insistence that things like this have anything to do with Marxism. I find American fixation on Marxism as a cause of what are clearly issues with American culture very fascinating and a tad odd.
So much of the behaviors labeled white, patriarchal, etc. are just basic societal norms to avoid despair. Work hard, stay in school, get a full time job, wait until married to have kids, etc. These aren't exclusive or privileged approaches to production, they are like the law of gravity for functioning societies.
Such a well-written piece! This ideology affecting the medical and mental health world is particularly disturbing to me. It really does seem ubiquitous these days, so voices like yours are so important.
I'm a psychiatrist and I agree completely. As mental health professionals, we are trying to help the individual in front of us. Anything that focuses on societal or "structural" factors -- even if it is true--is disempowering and takes agency away from the individual. This trend of training psychologists (and doctors and teachers) to be political activists is sinister beyond belief. What ever happened to "do no harm?"
Great piece. We need every single black person in the US who is tired of black people being treated as infantile academic failures, to voice this sentiment. This is the narrative we need from "Black America." This strength, mental and physical, got black people out of slavery, past it, through reconstruction, up to the deprivations of 1950s white supremacy, and then in concord with white liberals, through the struggles of the 1960s.
Its ironic this pampered generation of super cool young black people, with all the privilege culture could ever bestow, and woke academics living off the race industry, are obsessed with petty complaints and ahistorical claims. (Its ironic they somehow support Palestine, if they can locate it that is, but thats another story). Its doubly ironic that the most materialistic and psychologically pampered black people that ever lived are the ones claiming they need help and can't get through school.
Its a pity you have to put the picture of your lovely family, but alas, how else is a white man to make a comment anymore without the obvious retort, "you don't understand."
Psychology as a field is not a science. Its a practice. My daughter is a psychologist. We talk about these issues all the time.
The challenge with the practice is that their is not a clear treatment plan. There also isn't a clear end-state "cured" measure. Its really up to the person being counseled. That's why its so hard for insurance companies to insure counseling.
Many psychologist are not interested in making it so patients don't need to come back. Its a guaranteed form of income. Make the patient dependent on the psychologist.
The challenge is that patients need to have a clear objective on what they are trying to achieve by going to a psychologist. Many patients want the psychologist to tell them whether they are "good".
It was more straightforward when people used their pastors/priests for counseling.
Bottom line, the psychology world has very little ability to measure or monitor whether the counseling is ethical. If you're looking for a counselor, choose wisely.
Rather than get drawn into a fruitless debate over the role of Marxism in "contemporary American cultural ideology", I would refer anyone interested to Dr. Waldrep's May 16, 2023 article The Anti-American Psychological Association. I am not interested in winning debating points, but mourn the demise of APA, that has been taken over by political activists and ideologues (whatever one may wish to label their ideology). I am active in my psychological associations only to the extent that is necessary to maintain my license to practice. I understand it is even worse in Canada.
Thanks for having the fortitude to share this. Unfortunately, our field is increasingly training political activists, who will not tolerate opinions with whom they differ.
Insightful and well presented. My only quarrel is the insistence that things like this have anything to do with Marxism. I find American fixation on Marxism as a cause of what are clearly issues with American culture very fascinating and a tad odd.
So much of the behaviors labeled white, patriarchal, etc. are just basic societal norms to avoid despair. Work hard, stay in school, get a full time job, wait until married to have kids, etc. These aren't exclusive or privileged approaches to production, they are like the law of gravity for functioning societies.
Great article
Thanks
Such a well-written piece! This ideology affecting the medical and mental health world is particularly disturbing to me. It really does seem ubiquitous these days, so voices like yours are so important.
Well said.