Therapy in a Collectivist Culture

If there is a show that many South Asians were talking about in 2020, it was Never Have I Ever. As I watched the reviews, one thing that stood out to me was Devi, the main character, receiving therapy after the death of her dad. This took me by surprise, due to its portrayal of South Asians accepting and receiving therapy. Therapy had always been a taboo topic in the South Asian community, especially the act of seeking therapy. In the show, Devi’s mom says that “Therapy is for white people.” Though exaggerated, these are the attitudes that stand against the normalization of therapy among South Asians.

That’s why the episode on therapy with Dr. Vijayeta Sinh is so interesting. She breaks down that one of the primary reasons that South Asians question whether they need therapy is due to our collectivist culture. Individualistic vs. Collectivist cultures examine what is important in society (the individual or the group). Collectivist cultures emphasize the needs of the group over that of the specific individual. In these cultures, it is the relationships between the members of the group and their closeness that is of importance. Among South Asians, this is seen in close knit extended families and strong religious and cultural communities. 

How do collectivist cultures connect with seeking therapy? Well, collectivist cultures emphasize the reliance on relationships to solve problems and not seek a commodity to fix emotional, relationship based issues and concerns. Therefore, there is a lack of understanding of the role that therapy plays in your life when there are so many close family and friends who serve a supportive role in your life. This culture also contributes to the idea of how therapy differs from the supportive role that your close family and friends play.

With this connection between collectivist culture and the reluctance to seek therapy, we also see the view of therapy as a product you purchase and one that is only needed for extreme circumstances. Therefore, the Never Have I Ever depiction of therapy has done a great deal to normalize therapy among South Asians. However, there is still much to do in removing the biases related to therapy and finding a balance between our collectivist culture and making choices that benefit us individually.

by Kartik Ramkumar