The Roots of the Backlash Theory in Mental Health

Abstract

A primary objective of this paper is to give more con ceptual substance to the legitimacy of an African cultural referent in the field of mental health. It has been reported, for example, that the omission of such a referent has resulted in intragroup conflicts among Afro-American professionals. Similarly, the lack of a consideration of the African roots to many of the at titudes and behaviors of Afro-Americans has been shown to thwart comprehensive assistance to the Afro- American community and its individuals. Carried a step farther, this paper will provide a framework for understanding the relationship between contemporary conflicts between Afro- and Euro-Americans and their antecedent cultures. This objective is crystallized in the backlash theory in mental health, and this theory is dis cussed in terms of its cultural antecedents and contem porary applications to mental health research and con cepts.

Facing the Cultural Crisis in Chid Care

“…The cookie cutter forces individuals to cast off those cultural characteristics which do not fit the mainstream mold to produce a homogeneous society. This approach has been described as "realistic humanism" (Weaver, 1981) or "diunitalism" (Jackson, 1979) in contrast to the deficit approach of the color blind. Some would argue that the current perspective in mental health is actually a "backlash" against this third perspective.…”