Cultural Factors in the Processing and Expression of Emotions
1. presenter: Habibe Aykan Psychotherapy Institute-Turkey
2. presenter: İsa Soylamış Psychotherapy Institute-Turkey
3. presenter: Tahir Ozakkas Psychotherapy Institute-Turkey
4. presenter: Nurcan Ayday Psychotherapy Institute-Turkey
In this panel, it will be discussed whether there are some cultural characteristics as a result of applying the same interventions and techniques in different cultures, regardless of the geography and culture where different theories are formed. In the panel, transfer-focused therapy with Contemporary Object Relations Theory, Masterson Approach emphasizing abandonment depression, Emotion-Focused Therapy approach based on emotions, and Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy approach will be discussed in a particular culture through cases.
These cultures, especially those of North American origin, were generally created to shed light on the psychopathological problems of the western modern world. While Transference-Focused Therapy and Masterson Approach focuses on personality disorders between psychotic boundaries and neurotic boundaries, Emotion-Focused Therapy and Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy have adopted a form of intervention in the perspective of the here and now principle based on a relational basis from a more humanistic perspective.
Obtained results of these interventions when applied on Turkish Muslim society will be discussed. In the therapy sessions conducted by certified therapists, it is investigated from which point the Western originated therapy approaches encounter cultural characteristics and how this affects the treatment positively and negatively. The theoretical structures and forms of intervention that have emerged in a particular geography and culture must be tested in order to be applied in different cultures of the world. In this context, this treatment approach created specially sourced in North America some typical results obtained on patients when administered in Turkey.
It is seen that some approaches claimed by theories treat patients more motivated and faster, while some forms of intervention delay treatment and cause the patient to drop from treatment. All these factors will be examined in this panel.
Key words: Cultural Factors, transference-focused therapy, Masterson approach, emotion-focused therapy, time-limited dynamic psychotherapy, Processing, Expression
Your proposal has been received.
Your proposal submission number is: 23697182
The Program Committee will send out notifications of acceptance by February 8, 2021.
Thank you for submitting your work to SEPI. We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 Annual Meeting.
The Effects of Turkey’s Socio-cultural Structures on Experiencing and Processing Emotions with Masterson Approach
Habibe Aykan
Psikoterapi Enstitüsü Turkey
Masterson’s psychological approach, highlights the role of the relationship with the primary caregiver in the development of self. Coining the terms false self and true self. For true self to develop, it is critical for the primary caregiver to understand and accept the emerging unique characteristics of the baby, and provide support for these characteristics and needs.
Humans are born with an innate potential to actualise themselves, however they lack the skills. The baby, separating from the mother with curiosity and discovery, needs the mother to accompany it on the journey to individuation. This kinship of the mother, maternal libidinal availability in other words, is greatly important for the baby. Since the baby lacks the skills for self-soothing and emotional regulation, being alone in this big world, the maternal libidinal unavailability, causes painful emotions in the baby. These emotions are so agonizing that the baby cannot bear them. It cannot sooth them. Since the maternal libidinal unavailability triggers the survival motivation, the baby pays a great price to reach the mother and end the suffering. It gives up being itself. Defensive (false) self emerges. This false self uses strategies to avoid the painful emotions of the early childhood through the life. This defences’ main function is to protect the individual against the negative emotional experiences such as depression, rage, guilt, emptiness and despair.
Psychological factors cannot be understood isolated from the society that they emerged. Just like the mother forming the environment for the baby, the society forms the environment of the family. The society forms the family network, the family’s intra-psychic structure. This is why the society’s ethics, cultural structure, ways of child rearing and familial life are all very influential on the development of the self. The society’s response towards emotional needs effect the emotions, the ways we experience and process them. In this work, Turkish societal structure’s effects on experiencing and processing emotions will be discussed with Masterson approach.
Keywords: Masterson approach, emotions, cultural effect
Abstract
Cultural factors in the processing and expression of emotions in Emotion Focus Therapy
İsa Soylamış
Psikoterapi Enstitüsü Turkey
Our emotions are important to continue our lives, stay in touch with people and solve problems. They are not things to be freed or ignored. Emotions are an important aspect of being human, and they carry messages that need to be heard and activate us when they are recognized. They convey that whether our life is going well and they form the actions to be taken to go well. Emotion is a structure different from thought. It has its own neurochemical and physiological basis and its own structure that speaks in the brain. The emotional brain quickly reviews preferences in decision making and contributes to the process. The emotional cortex cannot question analytically. Its sudden assessments are inattentive and careless. Therefore, people need to reflect on their emotions. The combination of emotion and thought creates harmony. Emotions play a key role in a person’s functionality. Emotions are the primary source that gives the person information about situations related to the environment, self, and body. Human beings come to life with primary emotions such as anger, shame, disgust, joy, fear, surprise, sadness. Through various experiences in his life, the person learns what to be angry with, what to fear, and in which situations to be sad, and his internal structure is formed. Emotions provide first impressions of how people will be affected by what is happening. People’s feelings are obvious on their voice and face. In this way, our own feelings and others’ feelings are regulated. We feel happy, sad, scared for a moment without thinking about anything, and then we evaluate whether these feelings are compatible or not. When we feel any emotion, we want to convey it. However, when we feel an emotion, we desire to come to a conclusion about whether to reach the need associated with that emotion, to change the direction of the need, or to transform the emotion into another emotion. Different emotions need to be addressed in different ways. Experiencing emotion is the basis of the change process. Addressing emotions in therapy is a prerequisite for changing emotions. In a safe relationship with the therapist, the therapist’s empathy with the client’s emotions is an important prerequisite for working with emotions. When universal human problems arise, the therapist guides the client in how to handle these problems. In addition, emotions have different norms of cultural expression, in therapy it is also necessary to pay attention to these different cultural norms. In this study, the application of Emotion-Focused Therapy in Turkish culture, expression, regulation and transformation of emotions will be examined.
Keywords: Emotion, Culture, Emotion Regulation, Therapy
Cultural Factors In The Processing And Expression Of Emotions by Transference Focused Therapy
Panel-
37th SEPI Congress
Tahir Ozakkas
Psikoterapi Enstitüsü Turkey
Transference Focused Therapy is based on the theory of object relations that emerged in England after classical psychoanalytic theory. Melanie Klein, the founder of Object Relations Theory, mentions a developmental division in the inner worlds of babies in internalized object relations, and thinks that some defense mechanisms such as libidinal unit, aggressive unit, idealization, devaluation, projective identification, and primitive denial are the first cornerstones of the establishment of mental structure.
When individuals who are loaded with aggression cannot neutralize it with the libidinal unit, the developmental compartment turns into a permanent defense. Transference-Focused Therapy is seen as the contemporary object relations theory. This approach, which was established by Otto Kernberg and his team, was supported by empirical studies and revealed that it is an effective therapy method in personality disorders. With the Contemporary Object Relations theory, Transference-Focused Therapy has standardized the treatment method, differentiated from the classical analytical or object relations theory, and defined all personality disorders between the psychotic level and the neurotic level as introverted and extroverted in the form of face-to-face therapy. He named high-level and low-level personality disorders as borderline organizations. He has fit all personality disorders into this intermediate category and kept personality disorders in the neurotic level separate from them.
Otto Kernberg and his team believed that the aggressive unit is innately loaded and that temperament has a significant effect. In their interventions, they aim to; obtain a neutralized structure of aggressive unit with the libidinal unit, formation of the whole self and the whole object, elimination of the split with the clarification, confrontation and interpretation interventions for all the personality disorders in the borderline organization level.
This treatment approach, which has been formed in North America, has achieved successful results in multi-center studies in American culture and European culture, and the therapists have been explained in detail with the developed guides. Likewise, the effects of different cultures on borderline personality organisation, especially borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and schizoid personality disorders are investigated.
Located in the crossroads of Europe and Asia, mainly in Turkey, where community type of society, the cultural characteristics are dominant, because the Muslims of Turkish culture and unique features are being investigated to what extent these therapies are effective.
In this study, cultural factors will be examined through a case made by certified therapists who are applied Transference-Focused Therapy and followed by supervisors. In some cases, it has been observed that the therapy is more successful when the way and time of clarification, confrontation and interpretation suggested by Transference-Focused Therapy are changed in accordance with the culture. Of course, this study, which will be presented on a single case, should be supported by different studies. The purpose of this speech is to accept that a theoretical view style born in a particular center is a construction form of both the theorist and the culture. It is believed that a phenomenological approach in which subjectivity is taken as a basis, different rules can emerge in different ways in different cultures. This study is an example of this.
Key words: Cultural Factors, Transference-focused therapy, Processing, Expression, Emotion
Your proposal has been received.
Your proposal submission number is: 23697180
The Program Committee will send out notifications of acceptance by February 8, 2021.
Thank you for submitting your work to SEPI. We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 Annual Meeting.
Cultural Factors İn The Processing And Expression Of Emotions by Dynamic Psychotherapy With Limited Duration
Nurcan Ayday
Psikoterapi Enstitüsü Turkey
In this study, it is aimed to consider cultural factors in terms of dynamic psychotherapy with limited duration within the scope of cultural factors. Dynamic psychotherapy with limited duration is a short-term interpersonal psychotherapy. Its purpose is to replace the patient’s functional interpersonal patterns with new experiences and understandings in the context of the therapeutic relationship. It is to change the way the desired person relates to himself and others.
Therefore, the main goal is not to reduce symptoms; Rather, it is to change established patterns in interpersonal relationships or to change what has traditionally been called character structure. In this process, it is not possible to ignore the effect of culture while considering the character structure change with time-limited dynamic psychotherapy.
Culture: As a union of social heritage and traditions: ‘It is the unity of practices and beliefs, material and spiritual elements that we learn through a social process that determine the structure (relations) of our existence’ (Sapir), as a way of life and form: ‘the way of life of a group’ (Marquet) , as ideals, values and behaviors: ‘the meanings, values and rules manifested and objectified by the obvious actions and means in the socio-cultural universe, their interactions and relations, their integrated and unintegrated groups.’ (Sorokin), as adaptation to the environment: ‘(Sumner and Keller), as education in a broad sense:’ are behavioral patterns and patterns that are socially learned and instilled into new generations in the same way. ‘(Tozzer), alien to the culture and cultural character for framing the therapy model suitable for the client in terms of cultural factors. should not be. In the context of cultural factors, SSDP’s use of interpersonal relations therapy model was seen as a priority.
Historically, the influence of cultural factors depends on the tradition of object relations. Based on the object relations theory, it is inconceivable that the relationship established with the first object would take place without the influence of culture. Psychological symptoms and problems in SSDP are thought to arise from interpersonal difficulties. Studies have been conducted on how the person can develop the distorted interpersonal relationship style. SSDP’s assumption is that disorders in adult relationships result from inaccuracies in relationships with primary caregivers. From this point of view, the effects of knowing the client culturally in the context of the relationships reflecting the same interaction seem inevitable.
According to other dynamic psychotherapy theories, the fact that the average number of sessions of dynamic pychotherapy with limited duration (average 20 sessions) is effective in determining the frame by creating a prediction process. In our study, it will be investigated how the cases encountered due to the distinct features seen in Turkish culture can be studied with dynamic psychotherapy with limited duration.
Key Words: Cultural Factors, İnterpersonal Relationship, Dynamic Psychotherapy With Limited Duration, Culture