Indigenous psychology is defined by Kim and Berry as "the scientific study of human behavior or mind that is native, that is not transported from other regions, and that is designed for its people.
[3] Since the mid 1970s, there has been outcry about the traditional views from psychologists across the world, from Africa to Australia and many places in between about how the methods only reflect what would work in Europe and the Americas.
First, there is a strong emphasis on the examining of phenomena in context in order to discover how one's culture influences their behaviors and thought patterns.
[4] Secondly, instead of solely focusing on Native populations, it actually includes information based on any group of peoples that can be deemed "exotic", in one area or another.
[4] Fourth, it debunks the idea that only members of these indigenous groups have the ability to achieve true understanding of how culture affects their life experiences.
In fact, an outsider's view is extremely valuable when it comes to indigenous psychology because it can discover abnormalities not originally noticed by members of the group.
Despite there being noticeable differences between cultures, they all share one common goal: "to address the forces that shape affective, behavioral, and cognitive human systems that in turn underlie the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, expectations, and values of the members of each unique culture"[5] Kim, Yang and Hwang (2006) distinguish 10 characteristics of indigenous psychology.
[8]: 436 Lack of national capital creates a shortage in influential professional fields like psychology and propagates the science of the leading countries.
"The current and future states of… indigenous psychologies, require the sustained growth of their scientific research base at the same pace as their applied professional interventions".
The lack of trained professionals and the demands of an impoverished population have left psychologists in India struggling to meet the needs of its citizens.
Development of indigenous psychology as a focus can limit influence of western concepts and encourage cultivation of socially appropriate methods for the area.
According to Lawson, Graham, and Baker, South African psychology should address specific issues related to apartheid such as violence, poverty, racism, and HIV/AIDS to overcome social unrest.
[10] The article defines globalization as the movement of people and knowledge across borders in the attempt to establish common goals and to develop a homogenized world view of psychology.
Although we might all agree that it is important to keep an inquiring mind, to share and learn as well as to inform and teach, we also know that our cognitive and social systems make this difficult to implement.
The advocacy of using social influences in South African society by Painter and Terre Blanche supports the effort to apply indigenous psychology in the area.
Harold Napoleon is a Yup'ik Eskimo who wrote his book to try to make sense of the profound sadness of his people, and to understand how he came to cause the death of his own son as a result of alcohol abuse.
He further suggests that denial, nallunguarluku, literally 'pretending it didn't happen', has become something of a cultural trait, one manifestation of which is difficulty in talking about painful circumstances...which can lead to alienation, anger, and self-destructive behavior that some people seek to numb with alcohol.
[14]: 226 While in the West, "incorporating religion in the rational decision-making process or in the conduct of therapy has generally been seen as unscientific and unprofessional", such spiritual "indigenous healing methods are beginning to be seen as having much to offer Western forms of mental health practice.
Ross who, while working as a Crown Attorney with First Nations went beyond the confines of the current criminal justice system to explore the aboriginal people who were forced to adhere to it.
Applied interventions will ultimately be enhanced from these and other lines of research, providing a more systematic method for addressing the affective, behavioral and cognitive psychological systems of member of a particular culture.
The demographics may be different, however many cultural aspects continue to affect the Latin American population in America today.
[8]: 437 Research in Latin America has recently become implemented in order to help with population control, economic development, and community psychology (Freire, 1970).
[full citation needed] Liberation psychology which came about in the 19th century was the original attempt to focus on issues such as overcrowding, land reform, and violence.
[8]: 440 According to Robert B. Lawson, Jean E. Graham, and Kristin M. Baker, psychology has been strongly influenced by the nation's political turmoil, particularly over the past sixty years.
[8]: 438 Today, vast efforts are being made to extend South African psychology beyond its borders, which is mostly due to the apartheid no longer isolating the field form international scholarship.
[8]: 438 The first steps for South African psychology in the aftermath of apartheid were to take a more collectivist orientation, indigenous focus, rigorous scholarship, and international exchange.
After receiving pressure from the United States and Great Britain, the apartheid system that once ruled South Africa started to become undone.
[8]: 438 While the apartheid system was still in place, South African psychology became extremely underdeveloped due to political power controlling everything in this society.
An excerpt from an article on the American Psychological Association's web site explains this idea and shows how connecting psychology with cultural beliefs can strengthen a doctor patient relationship:[20] Delhi psychologist Aruna Broota, PhD, doesn't let her doctoral training at an American university stand in the way of using Indian folk beliefs in her work.
I was being ancient as well as modern to create peace in the house"In addition to the broader dimensions of western colonial and cultural influence on indigenous psychologies, there are specific limitations for indigenous psychologies that arise from the pervasive (nearly universal) acceptance of western diagnostic tools as the primary source of diagnostic features/criteria for psychopathology.