Abstract:
In many parts of the world, conceptualizations of human development, such as those regarding the concept of dependency, have been shaped within the context of white, Euro-American colonization. Within psychoanalysis, there has been a tendency to separate the psyche and the social, contributing to a neglect of sociocultural context in theory and practice. This presentation examines the complicity of psychoanalysis in colonized narratives of development and personality, and the impact of this complicity on racial minorities. I also explore post-colonial perspectives that challenge theoretical assumptions of non-white people as dependent and inferior. Drawing on theory, research, and practice, I will present a culturally informed, decolonizing psychoanalytic approach, emphasizing the influence of the therapist’s and the patient’s sociocultural context on the therapeutic relationship.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify how colonization and sociocultural trauma shape conceptualizations of human development and personality.
2. Identify how attention to sociocultural context is critical for moving toward decolonized approaches to psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
3. Develop an understanding of a culturally informed and decolonizing psychoanalytic approach to conceptualization and technique.
Bio:
Usha Tummala-Narra, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Community-Based Education at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute and Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. Her research and scholarship focus on immigration, trauma, race, and culturally-informed psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Her publications include over 90 peer-reviewed articles and chapters in books. She is also in Independent Practice, and works primarily with survivors of trauma from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Dr. Tummala-Narra is an Associate Editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues and the Asian American Journal of Psychology. She is the author of Psychoanalytic Theory and Cultural Competence in Psychotherapy (2016) and the editor of Trauma and Racial Minority Immigrants: Turmoil, Uncertainty, and Resistance (2021), both published by the American Psychological Association Books.
References:
Bhatia, S. (2019). Searching for justice in an unequal world: Reframing Indigenous psychology as a cultural and political project. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 39(2), 107-114.
Dajani, K.G. (2020). Cultural determinants in Winnicott’s developmental theories. International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 17, 6-21.
Tummala-Narra, P. (2020). The fear of immigrants. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 37(1), 50-61.
Tummala-Narra, P. (2016). Psychoanalytic theory and cultural competence in psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Rogers-Sirin, L., & Gupta, T. (2012). Cultural identity and mental health: Differing trajectories among Asian and Latino youth. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(4), 555-566.
Accreditation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Accreditation Criteria and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of Rhode Island Hospital and Rhode Island Association for Psychoanalytic Psychologies. Rhode Island Hospital is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Physicians: Rhode Island Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Psychologists: This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 3 continuing education credits. Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Social Workers: This program has been approved for 3 Social Work Continuing Education hours in Cross Cultural Practice for relicensure by National Association for Social Work RI Chapter, in accordance with 258 CMR.