Cultural Considerations - Psychosocial Theories and Therapy

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

The major psychosocial theorists were white and born in Europe or the United States, as were many of the people whom they treated. What they considered normal or typi-cal may not apply equally well to people with different racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds. For example, Erikson’s developmental stages focus on autonomy and independence for toddlers, but this focus may not be appropriate for people from other cultures in which early individual independence is not a developmental milestone. Therefore, it is important that the nurse avoids reaching faulty conclusions when working with clients and families from other cultures.