Slife Response Paper

I found the information presented in Slife’s “managing Inescapable Values in Psychotherapy: Moving from Modernist Neutrality to Continental Dialogue” to be very valuable to the way that we look at society and each other. To briefly summarize the author, in the Premodern Era held the psychological perspective that values should be “subjective” and “absolute.” And just as most trends form, the values of “objectivity” and “relativity” in the Modern Era were a reaction to the Premodern values. So where else were the values of therapists to go but to neutrality?

There was no other direction left to take. While at first glance this approach seems wise, as Slife puts it, there is no scientific validation for science and approaching clients with no values is itself, a value. The problem that is that being a therapist who believes in not imposing their own believes and ideals upon their patient inadvertently do just that. Soon, the progress and success of the client is judged based on how much the client has changed to be “value free” like them.
I think this approach is not just prevalent in the therapists of today, but also in society as a whole. I feel that many in this country ostracize and criticize those who have strong “non-neutral” beliefs. I think that it is very important that we are aware of other people’s values instead of condemning them. It is possible to be knowledgeable of other values and ideas without losing your own. My issue of racism for example can even take the same basic concept I have expressed here. People are naturally different, there is no denying that. Many of the people trying to end racism are going about it by preaching colorblindness. Well what a paradox THAT creates because the acknowledgement of different colors is in the definition of being colorblind. Instead, as Slife said, engagement is the key.