Abstract
It is unfair to conclude that Western and Eastern differences have caused conflict in the practice of counselling, especially in mandated counselling. It is reasonable to assume that without the Western approach and understanding of counselling, the East would still be unable to develop their own theory of helping. How then does one compare different approaches? Such an assessment can be argued clearly from a cultural perspective as in the case of mandated counselling. This paper discusses the influence of culture which has shaped the practice of mandated counselling and the appropriate practice of mandated counselling in a Malaysian setting. Many of the points discussed here are drawn from the data informed by seven informants in a research entitled ‘Mandated Counselling In Malaysia: A Heuristic Phenomenological Inquiry Of Involuntary Participation’. The phenomenon of counselling as originated and practised in the West, which has served as the significant model for the Malaysian style of counselling, is discussed. The concept of guidance and crisis intervention in counselling as practised in Malaysia has shaped the appropriate acceptance of mandated counselling. Respect for authority, a need to ‘save face’, directives from the authority and the values of we-ness makes mandated counselling in a Malaysian setting a relevant intervention.
Highlights
Culture is a set of a behaviour patterns related to thoughts, manners and action, which members of a society have shared and passed on to succeeding generations
Opponents of mandated counselling argued that mandated counselling is ineffective, is directed more toward the organisational or referral party’s goals rather than the individuals, and is unethical as it undermines people’s autonomy to decide on their own
Mandated counselling can be assumed as a universal phenomenon, but a reactant to it is culturally different from one culture to another
Summary
Culture is a set of a behaviour patterns related to thoughts, manners and action, which members of a society have shared and passed on to succeeding generations. In help-seeking behaviour, evidence suggests that seeking and receiving help be guided by general concerns of dependence versus independence (Nadler, 1997) This is clearly a construct of different cultures. In discussing four synthetic cultures to address cultural differences on values of people in more than 50 countries around the world, Hofstede (2001) concluded that Malaysia could be considered an Alpha culture with a key characteristics of large power distance societies as in family, school and workplace. This included a concept whereby inequalities are both acknowledged and required. In general, Alpha culture connotes that everyone values authority and there exists as inequality between higher-ups and lower-downs
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