Universalism

Core Belief within the Counseling Field

Historically, the dominant view within counseling has been that theories and practices are to be viewed as universal hypotheses that require empirical examination to test their veracity, meaningfulness, and effectiveness. Developmental theories examining moral and cognitive development as well as counseling theories such as behaviorism and Gestalt are just a few examples of theories that purport to address the concerns and realities of all individuals. Even though attention to individual differences has always been a core belief within the counseling profession, the universal assumptions within many of these theories were not rigorously challenged until multicultural scholars identified them as being culturally insensitive and not inclusive of alternative worldviews. This etic point of view suggests that it is possible and productive to fully understand all aspects of psychology, and even a particular culture, from a universal standpoint. Examples of such universal assumptions include how we define what is “normal,” what is “effective” counseling, and who is a “good” client. Another universal assumption is the belief that all disorders occur in all cultures and present in similar ways.

Fields such as counseling, psychiatry, and assessment have all experienced the effects of universal assumptions and biases that have led to discussions, sometimes controversial, about their effects on theories, diagnosis, norm groups, and standardized testing. The ultimate effect of universalism on theories and practice can be ethnocentric, androcentric, and even counterproductive when human complexity and diversity are not actively incorporated.

Cultural relativism is an alternative approach to understanding the behaviors, beliefs, and perspectives of others. Rather than presume that the experiences, beliefs, and developmental processes are the same for all others, examining specific cultural and individual realities help to inform this alternative perspective. This belief does not presume that having a global understanding has no value but rather that universal and cultural realities can be mutually considered and applied to bridge cultural, political, and other group differences and further our understanding of human behavior.

Universalism and Cultural Differences within Multicultural Counseling

Within multicultural counseling, various philosophical assumptions about multicultural perspectives in counseling have been used to organize the assumptions and strategies used for multicultural counseling and training. Descriptions of those diverse perspectives vary depending on an author's point of view. A universalistic or etic definition of multiculturalism encourages a transcendental perspective that is grounded in human commonalities. This universal approach tends to emphasize within-group differences as being greater than between-group differences. In other words, differences within groups (like unique aspects of American Indians) are more significant than differences between groups (like African Americans and Latino/a Americans). Some proponents of the universal perspective have expressed concern that focusing on cultural differences can lead to stereotyping, over-generalization of group perspectives, or a type of cultural determinism that takes away both individually unique and universal aspects of a person. Universalism within the multicultural movement has a different perspective than the universal perspective present in the larger field of psychology. Individuals within the multicultural movement who embrace universalism do not deny culture but rather choose to focus on the human bond that connects all individuals. They believe many aspects of psychology, such as emotion, may be universally present in all cultures, but they manifest differently across cultures.

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