UNDERSTANDING GENERATIONAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Topic: Social Changes and School

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Presenter:  Dinorah Otero LCSW R

The discussion on the workshop went beyond the topic of migration and focused on the impact of social changes in the school and within the family. There is a predominance of “new symptoms”, such as substance abuse, bulimia, anorexia, and cutting which would be associated to the hypermodern society. The “society of the market”, better known by the spread of new technological items, appears to be invasive. The person then seems to turn into an object which can soon become disposable.  The rupture of social bond and the transformation within the family may be thought of as an effect of the hypermodern society. 

Our civilization may be characterized by the fallen of ideals and the promotion of consumer objects such as cell phones, computers, and the use of internet. These objects are also offered to children and adolescents who appear to be pushed to achieve an immediate and unlimited satisfaction.  Through excessive use, technology would create the illusion of fulfilling a satisfaction, commanding their life. Many children and adolescents nowadays appear to turn away from the traditional values, exiling these values from history. One may question if this is applicable only for children or adolescents; wouldn’t it be possible to generalize it?

These changes would also be accompanied by a devaluation of knowledge. The school transmits values that now may appear to the child as obsolete. The workshop concluded with a debate on the challenges that these changes imply to parents as well as workers of education and mental health. It also led to reflecting upon new ways to approaching to this matter.

Resouceful Links to Follow:

The Culture of Hypermodern Civilizations and Contemporary Symptoms

Cross-Cultural Barriers to Mental Health Services in the United States

World Psychiatric Association