From Psycho-analysis to Culture-analysis

The title of this abstract in the title of my recent book published in 2015. Psychotherapy, typically, analyses the intra-psychic domain in order to restore the intra-psychic order. During this process unconscious drives are revealed and self actualization is encouraged, which may lead to guilt feelings and to confrontations with the family and the social environment where the client is the weakest party. In order to avoid these confrontations metaphor therapy and culture-analysis are suggested. In metaphor therapy the inner world is addressed and dealt indirectly and symbolically without bringing unconscious content to the consciousness, thus avoiding guilt or confrontation with the family. In culture-analysis therapist identifies subtle contradictions within the belief system of the client and employ cultural aspects that may facilitate change. Similarly to how a psychoanalyst analyses the psychological domain and brings conflicting aspects to the consciousness (e.g. aggression and guilt) in order to mobilize change, a culturanalyst analyses the client’s belief system and brings contradicting aspects to the consciousness in order to mobilize revision in attitudes and behavior. The assumption that underlies culturanalysis is that culture includes many inconsistent values and attitudes and that culture unconsciously plays significant role in people’s lives and conflicts. When therapists inquire into and learn about the client’s culture, they may find some unconscious aspects that are in conflict with the conscious attitudes of the client. Once the therapist brings these aspects to the awareness of the client, a significant change may be effected. Unlike the unconscious drives which are revealed through psychoanalysis, these intra-culture conflicts are not supposed to be threatening because all aspects revealed are culturally and morally legitimized. Some examples of culture-analysis will be presented.