Chapter 6.Current Theoretical PerspectivesCHAPTER REVIEWChapter 6 provides an introduction to contemporary postmodern perspectives of the helpingrelationship and psychological processes of human development and change.These perspectivestranscend the traditional theories discussed in Chapter 5.They are more culturally sensitive,integrative, and multi-perspective, and they challenge some of the traditional assumptions.Constructivism is an outgrowth of cognitive/behavioral theories.This perspectiverecognizes the reciprocal relationships of thinking, feeling, and behavior; integrates past andcurrent human development experiences, conscious and unconscious thinking, and informationprocessing; and respects diversity of all types.The focus is on the collaborative co-constructionof new and optional meanings and perspectives.Feminism stresses the impact of gender development within sociocultural and politicalcontexts. These approaches emphasize egalitarian, empowering helping relationships.Criticalanalysis of traditional power structures and the impact of these structures on the self-concept anddevelopment of individual women is encouraged.Attention is paid to political and social action,as well as change agentry as components of helping strategies.The multicultural approaches require sensitivity to and awareness of inter- andintracultural differences about lifestyles and values.They focus on the culturally differentmeanings of self, relationships, life values, beliefs, and attitudes of both the helper and helpee asessential components of the helping relationship and process.The integrative multimodal perspective values and integrates the unique contributions ofdiffering therapies.Technical eclecticism is encouraged, whereby helpers are encouraged tocombine strategies from different models according to the situations and needs of clients.The ecological systems perspective focuses on interpersonal and person/systemsrelationships in context.The symptoms of an individual both reflect and control interpersonalrelationships, which, in turn, reflect and are controlled by larger sociocultural systems.Thishelping approach is based on the theoretical assumptions of the ecological perspective discussedin Chapter 1.Three contemporary approaches are also reviewed: 1) Motivational Interviewing basedon phenomenological theory; and 2) & 3) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and DialecticalBehavioral Therapy which incorporate mindfulness perspectives into cognitive-behavioralapproaches.MAJOR TEACHING OBJECTIVES1.To explore contemporary theoretical views as extensions or critical responses to the majortraditional societal and theoretical views discussed in Chapter 5.2.To facilitate consideration by students of all aspects of multicultural human development,behavior, and change in increasingly complex and confusing situations.
