Integrating Concepts

THE CONCEPTS OF RELATIONAL-CULTURAL THERAPY Name Institution Affiliation Course Date of Submission  The psychological theory of connection has been found as the core of human growth and development. There are some disconnections and connections at both the individual and societal levels such as race, sexual orientations, class, ethnicity and gender influence relationships which people employ to connect across disagreement and difference. Relational cultural theory maintains a perspective that is developmental, strength based, contextually focused, and wellness centered. This theory evolved from jean baker miller, which reflects the values of individuation, autonomy and separation. The theory contends that people develop fully through connection with others becoming more relationally. The diversity of contemporary society members with respect to gender, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion among other things offers sociopolitical and relational aspects that support individual growth. The evolution of RCT was focused at exploring complexities and relational experiences of women and individuals of devalued cultural groups. It proposes that connection and context unlike individuation and separation were the basis for measuring human development in the society. This was particularly focused on experiences of women, but it is now used to understand experiences in all groups of society and more specifically the marginalized because of power and privilege imbalances. The current RCT as Jordan asserts recognizes the creation and sustenance of growth fostering relationships that are important for both male and females. RCT is integrated into the feminist and multicultural movements in psychology embracing aspects of social injustices significant focus on relationships from these movements. The relationship are said to be healing mechanisms in psychotherapy and indicators of mental wellness. (Goertz, 2006). RCT theory has focused on women primarily and their relational experiences. Such as the one narrated by Somaly Mam 2009. Freire 2000 has on the other hand provided t he principles and methods that individuals can cultivate relationships on the basis of daily life experiences thereby providing useful learning experiences. Somaly Mam and Paolo Freire works are integrated from the work of RCT theorist on concepts of relationship or alliance. Inequality is a social and personal view which makes male to belong to a dominant group and females being the subordinates as the relational cultural theorists asserts. The sense of inequality is experiences psychologically by both men and women making the oppressor and the oppressed to be dehumanized. In this case women who are oppressed have to establish their own center independent man to derive their own power through connection with other women and people of good will. This is highlighted by miller of the fact that women social strength is weak and robs them the opportunity to attain full empowerment. RCT calls for women not to ignore other women when they fit to the world dominated by men. This is what Mam harkens when she returned to Cambodia’s brothels to liberate sex slaves while exposing the moral decay in the commercial sex industry. Her experience in the brothel portrays the actual life of millions of girls’ experiences seeking the real progress as miller depicts. RCT clearly advocates for women not to become like men, but there should a way that the society seek humanization by allowing women strength to be integrated on large scale. This is where freire argues that the oppressed can not be liberated through oppression of their oppressors because the oppressors and oppressed are dehumanized, and reversal of the problem is not a solution. Somaly Mam had endured horrific sexual and physical violence in the hands of her grandfather and t he slave owners in modern days. Her experiences at the brothel are narrated clearly by her book before she was rescued by French man who married her. She moved to France with her husband where she learned French and work experience. Since the situation in Cambodia had worsened with the brothels growing in number in addition to violence, where w omen were beaten to almost death and others chained to sewers. Other girls were addicted to drugs to prevent them from running away, and being of tender age, they were having marks more than anything endured. Mam is aware that she can not be able to change the world, but she had the capability of doing something because the relationship between the oppressed and the oppressor has been violent and brutal. Signs of dehumanization are depicted because the relation of women to men is of sexual exploitation and by terrorizing and expediting violence on women (Freire, 2000). The relationship for both the oppressor and the oppressed distort the process of becoming humane, as Freire contends that the consciousness of the oppressors transforms all things that are around it as an object of dominion inclusive of human beings. Mam case portrays the dominant males such as her grandfather who sold her to slavery and later to the sex industry like selling other valuable objects in the market. Additionally, the sex industry was established to satisfy men lust and the relationship that exists here is men dominating women. The materialistic culture is anchored on the belief that life is composed of possessions and be in the class that possesses (Freire 2000). Freire has examined the relational cultural fact about the oppressor and the oppressors, and found that although both are dehumanized, the oppressed has to lead the way of liberation for both parties. He contends that when the oppressed regain their humanity from the oppressor they do not have to reverse the process by dehumanizing the oppressors but restoration of humanity for both parties. This is where he contradicts Mam who have done a lot of dehumanization to the oppressors through describing of her experiences and others in an exaggerated manner. The exaggeration as miller (1986) argued marks the period of dispelling falsities that brings the experiences of the oppressed to ...