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Ethnocentric Monoculturalism and Ernest Becker: an Existential-Psychoanalytic Explanation of Cultural Encapsulation John Snyder Pacific Nu Iversity

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Ethnocentric Monoculturalism and Ernest Becker: an Existential-Psychoanalytic Explanation of Cultural Encapsulation John Snyder Pacific Nu Iversity View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CommonKnowledge Pacific nivU ersity CommonKnowledge School of Professional Psychology Theses, Dissertations and Capstone Projects 4-18-2008 Ethnocentric Monoculturalism and Ernest Becker: An Existential-Psychoanalytic Explanation of Cultural Encapsulation John Snyder Pacific nU iversity Recommended Citation Snyder, John (2008). Ethnocentric Monoculturalism and Ernest Becker: An Existential-Psychoanalytic Explanation of Cultural Encapsulation (Master's thesis, Pacific nivU ersity). Retrieved from: http://commons.pacificu.edu/spp/93 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations and Capstone Projects at CommonKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Professional Psychology by an authorized administrator of CommonKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ethnocentric Monoculturalism and Ernest Becker: An Existential- Psychoanalytic Explanation of Cultural Encapsulation Abstract The importance of culture in psychology is increasingly being acknowledged. Despite this, cultural competence has been slow to develop in the field (Hall, 2006). Sue (2001) has posited that psychologists themselves represent a major barrier to cultural competence because many are unconsciously trapped within their own Eurocentric worldview, a phenomenon that Sue refers to as ethnocentric monoculturalism. An unfortunate result of ethnocentric monoculturalism in psychology has been an overly narrow focus regarding not only the types of interventions implemented with culturally diverse clients but also the roles that a psychologist should fill (Sue, 2001; Hall, 1997). My purpose in this thesis is to explore the underlying causes and functions of cultural encapsulation represented by ethnocentric monoculturalism through the theory of cultural anthropologist, Ernest Becker. Becker's existential-psychoanalytic theory of culture represents an untapped resource in multicultural clinical psychology for understanding the psychological functions and mechanisms of cultural encapsulation. According to Becker (1973), a fundamental motivating force in human behavior is the awareness of death. Becker believed that culture itself exists in part, as a means for coping with the fear of death. A major argument in this thesis is that one of the reasons that people cling so strongly to their personal belief systems and reject others is because people's belief systems are intimately tied to their own sense of mortality. Degree Type Thesis Rights This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This thesis is available at CommonKnowledge: http://commons.pacificu.edu/spp/93 Copyright and terms of use If you have downloaded this document directly from the web or from CommonKnowledge, see the “Rights” section on the previous page for the terms of use. If you have received this document through an interlibrary loan/document delivery service, the following terms of use apply: Copyright in this work is held by the author(s). You may download or print any portion of this document for personal use only, or for any use that is allowed by fair use (Title 17, §107 U.S.C.). Except for personal or fair use, you or your borrowing library may not reproduce, remix, republish, post, transmit, or distribute this document, or any portion thereof, without the permission of the copyright owner. [Note: If this document is licensed under a Creative Commons license (see “Rights” on the previous page) which allows broader usage rights, your use is governed by the terms of that license.] Inquiries regarding further use of these materials should be addressed to: CommonKnowledge Rights, Pacific nivU ersity Library, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, OR 97116, (503) 352-7209. Email inquiries may be directed to:. [email protected] This thesis is available at CommonKnowledge: http://commons.pacificu.edu/spp/93 ETHNOCENTRIC MONOCULTURALISM AND ERNEST BECKER: AN ~XISTENTIAL-PSYCHOLANAL YTIC EXPLANATION OF CULTURAL ENCAPSULATION . A THESIS SUBIVllTTED TO THE FACULTY OF SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY P ACJFIC UNIVERSITY FOREST GROVE, OREGON BY JOHN St\TYDER IN PARTIAL FULFILLNIENT OF THE REQUffiEMENTSFORTHEDEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY April 18, 2008 APPROVED: __________________ Daniel, S McKitrick, Ph.D. ii Abstract The importance of culture in psychology is increasingly being acknowledged. Despite this, cultural competence has been slow to develop in the field (Hall, 2006). Sue (2001) has posited that psychologists themselves represent a major barrier to cultural competence because many are unconsciously trapped within their own Eurocentric worldview, a phenomenon that Sue refers to as ethnocentric monoculturalism. An unfortunate result of ethnocentric monoculturalism in psychology has been an overly narrow focus regarding not only the types of interventions implemented with culturally diverse clients but also the roles that a psychologist should fill (Sue, 2001; Hall, 1997). My purpose in this thesis is to explore the underlying causes and functions of cultural encapsulation represented by ethnocentric monoculturalism through the theory of cultural anthropologist, Ernest Becker. Becker's existential-psychoanalytic theory of culture represents an untapped resource in multicultural clinical psychology for understanding the psychological functions and mechanisms of cultural encapsulation. According to Becker (1973), a fundamental motivating force in human behavior is the awareness of death. Becker believed that culture itself exists in part, as a means for coping with the fear of death. A major argument in this thesis is that one of the reasons that people cling so strongly to their personal belief systems and reject others is because people's belief systems are intimately tied to their own sense of mortality. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................... .ii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 CULTURE AND THE CULTURAL WORLDVIEW ......................................... 12 ETHNOCENCTRIC MONOCULTURALISM ................................................. 13 INTRODUCTION TO ERNEST BECKER ..................................................... 16 IN DEPTH REVIEW OF BECKER'S WRITING .............................................. 19 The Paradoxical Nature of Man: Half Creature, Half Symbolic .... ................. 21 The TetTOr of Death ........................................................................ 25 Freedom and the Fear of Life ................................................. , ............34 Character as a Vital Lie ................................................................... 48 The Illusion of Culture ..................................................................... 56 Empirical Evidence: Terror Management Theory ......................................71 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................... 74 CONCLUSION ................................... , .................................................. 79 REFERENCES ...................................................................................... 81 1 Introduction In his theory on culture, cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker offers a compelling anthropological, existential explanation for the creation of culture and the function it serves. This thesis is a review of his theory on culture and an attempt to incorporate it into contemporary multicultural literature in clinical psychology. This thesis offers an explanation regarding the development of cultural worldviews and why these worldviews are so difficult to challenge. This understanding is important for clinical psychologists struggling to obtain cultural competence. Becker's work will be related to the contemporary concept of ethnocentric TnonoculturalisTn. Essentially, ethnocentric monoculturalism describes the phenomenon whereby one group's cultural worldview comes to be viewed as reality (Sue, 2004). Relying on Becker's work, this thesis takes the position that cultural worldviews are intractable to change and often violently defended because one's own sense of personal mOltality is symbolically wrapped up in one's cultural worldview. Viewed from this position, alternative worldviews are implicitly and sometimes explicitly threatening on a mortal level because they threaten our shared cultural symbols (Becker, 1973). To reiterate, the benefit of this thesis will be found in an in-depth psychological explanation of culture and the cultural encapsulation (ethnocentric monoculturalism) that psychologists must battle against in themselves and within the sub­ culture of psychology in order to obtain some level of cultural competence. The importance of culture in psychology is increasingly being acknowledged. In the American Psychological Association's (APA) Guidelines on multicultural education, 2 training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists, the authors state that, "All individuals exist in social, political, historical, and economic contexts, and psychologists are increasingly called upon to understand the influence of these contexts on individuals' behavior" (2003, p. 377). The APA defines culture as," ... the belief systems and value orientations that influence customs, norms, practices, and social institutions, including psychological
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