“Nothing
includes everything or dominates over everything. The word “and” trails along after every sentence.”
-William James (as cited by King et al., 2009).
This seems particularly appropriate in
understanding the process of migration regarding Western psychological
theories. Functionalism characterized by
its openness and applicability allowing psychology to be adaptive, flexible,
and dynamic perhaps presents an opportunity “to maintain events in their proper
dispersion (Brock, 2006, p.49)” and thus curtail the “marked discontinuity
(Brock, 2006, p. 49)” that has disfigured Western psychological theory in other
countries. Although the philosophy of
functionalism dates back for centuries prior to America, the notion of ‘being’
has been a predominant scheme tied to various religious and ideological beliefs
around the world. Yet, ‘trinity’ of the
mind, body, and soul has been severed from modern scientific, experimental, and
clinical psychology in the Western world thus creating a “discursive framework
(Brock, 2006, p. 49)” for the infusion of Western psychological theory in the
process of migration.
The spirit of unity correlates with the emphasis on the word
“and” in William James’ quote (as
cited by King et al., 2009). While King,
Viney, and Woody (2009) cite unity as being divergent from rationalism, or ‘being’,
I argue that it is the rationalization of ‘being’ explained by unity of the mind,
body, and soul that advances adaptation to Western psychological theories as it
infiltrates the philosophies of other countries.
Henry James emphasizes unity through
humanization by means of “universal salvation (King et al., 2009, p.
270).” Although Henry James pursued a
“niche in U.S. religion and philosophy (King et al., 2009, p. 270),” his ideals
of tolerance, democracy, and harmony are only attainable through congruous
acculturation. Psychology distanced from
individualism postulates a consciousness based on experience, derived from social,
cultural, relational, and behavioral complexities. Through experience, we can understand
cause-effect relations, motivation, rationalization, and a plethora of thought
processes. For psychology
to be effective and retain value, it must be adaptive, contextual, and
pluralistic.
The integration of Western psychological theories into other
countries was and remains a selective process.
As scholars ventured into other countries with preconceived notions and
intentions on examination of other cultures, or immersion, they ultimately
introduced psychological theories that were in tune with their own Westernized
interpretations and worldview.
The introduction
of Westernized psychological knowledge was either accepted or rejected based on
its applicability to cultural values as well as the ability of the culture to
translate theoretical principles in a manner that was culturally
contextual. If a theory was inflexible
and mutually inapplicable to the culture in which it was introduced, then it
would ultimately be rejected or distorted through a cultural filter so that it
could function in that given society.
Early psychological theories that failed to take into account cultural
relativity were therefore discarded or mutated complicating the migration
process.
Internationalization is and has been occurring throughout
history. So too has philosophy and
psychology migrated across borders with Western theories penetrating
non-Western ideologies. To overcome the
misconstrued assimilation that results from barriers of misinterpretation, such
as language/translation complications or mis-identification with cultural
contexts, it is critical that psychological discourse is adaptive to the
dynamics of cultural variabilities. Incorporating
the “and” which encompasses all
notions of ‘being’ in order to attain a state of harmony is essential to
finding commonality and avoiding filtration as cultures attempt to analyze the
“transatlantic migration (Brock, 2006, p. 48)” of knowledge.
References:
Brock, A. (2006). Internationalizing
the history of psychology. New York,
NY: New York University Press.
King, D. B., Viney, W., & Woody, W. (2009). A
history of psychology: Ideas and context. Fourth edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
