Introduction
The progress of indigenous psychologies has been observed in many countries during the last several centuries. The main idea of this concept is to study human minds and behaviors addressing indigenous (never taken from other nations and areas) research approaches, own cultural norms, and social problems.
The countries like Mexico and New Zealand suffered from the imposition of Western paradigms and gender-based schools of thought to be implemented as universal truths for the local population (Ciofalo, 2019). It was hard for citizens to support their ideas and ways of healing because of the existence of one science for all individuals, which promoted inevitable indigenous people’s subordination, power inequality, and limited opportunities.
Creating postcolonial psychology schools was based on such concepts as feminism, egocentrism, and power. Mexican history of psychology is highly multifaceted and proves that indigenous psychologies introduced through positivist paradigms help focus on individuals and apply cultural differences in a fair and professional way.
The History of Mexican Psychology
Mexicas or Aztecs were indigenous Mexican tribes who lived in the territory of modern Mexico City and formed a relatively peaceful community, caring about themselves and others. All the indigenous Mexican tribes were highly intelligent, dedicated to their work, respectful, and loyal to their territories. Furthermore, it is said that these people lived in a democracy, which means any decisions were made by voting of every member of the society (Villajuana, 2018).
Religion impacted indigenous Mexican mentality: this helped them live peacefully and build a sustainable psychological environment. French and Spanish cultures mainly influenced Mexican psychology due to colonization. In times of colonization, the population’s mentality drastically changed because they had to fight without showing any mercy for their land (Villajuana, 2018). Conquistadors were prejudiced against indigenous Mexicans and believed that some of them did not have a soul (Villajuana, 2018). This affected the attitude toward them, and such a stereotype exists nowadays.
In indigenous Mexican psychology, the family was the main value of the people. The man and the woman were relatively equal and had to be fairly respected, however, each of them had a role they had to fulfill. The man was the authority, and the woman was a person who had to sacrifice herself in order to give children the best.
In 1975, Díaz-Guerrero wrote that the old family system was gradually changing, women became equal to men, and their rights became more protected against any manifestation of violence (Villajuana, 2018). However, nowadays, the population is impacted by feminism, and Mexicans tend to value women more, in any family, woman is the authority who does not sacrifice herself to the man or children.
It is believed that modern psychology in Mexico is only 50 years old, however, that is not true. A Mexican jurist, Ezequiel Chávez, was a person who significantly contributed to the development of Mexican psychology, and in 1896, he established the first course of psychology (Penagos-Corzo, 2020). In the following years, Enrique Aragón founded the first psychological laboratory (Penagos-Corzo, 2020). Doctors, philosophers, and psychoanalysts were mainly working there, exploring the new science.
At the end of the 1940’s, Diaz Guerrero, a Mexican pioneer of experimental psychology, arrived at the UNAM, sharing his knowledge, which led to improving such institutions and opening new ones in the country (Penagos-Corzo, 2020). He and other psychologists developed the science and fought for psychology to be independent (Villajuana, 2018).
At that time, psychophysiology developed, and the known Mexican psychologists pushed the young talents to study the science. In the 1960’s, laboratories for investigating non-human behavior were created (Penagos-Corzo, 2020). Thus, the science was influenced significantly by laboratories, which nowadays way be observed in contemporary psychology.
In Mexico, psychology focuses on various historical and social shifts that support the principles of liberty and inequality for people of both genders, all ages, and races. On the one hand, Western standards could not be ignored in the development of cultural and social relationships (Ciofalo, 2019). Mexicans lived according to Western behavioral labels where oppression and exploitation of resources were noticed. Legitimatization of indigenous psychologies became possible when people learned how to use liner epistemologies.
On the other hand, controversies and differences were critical to empowering indigenous psychologists to share their knowledge. The works by Eduardo Galeano, María Eugenia Sánchez Díaz de Rivera, and Eduardo Almeida can be used to understand decolonization as a living process where gender roles are discussed (Ciofalo, 2018). Their traditions and schools serve as a solid background for improving indigenous psychologies in Mexico, de-constructing Western paradigms, and recognizing local contexts.
The differences between colonialism and postcolonial society define the progress of indigenous psychologies in the region. According to Ciofalo (2018), indigenous approaches in psychology remained silent and insignificant during the colonization period. However, multiple decolonial efforts allowed the country to legitimize most forms of knowledge and reduce the impact of modern western thinking promoted by White men’s regimes (Ciofalo, 2018, 2019).
People got a good chance to question the universality of the West in Mexico and pay more attention to native values, beliefs, and meanings. It became possible to hear the voices of indigenous people, strive for social and ecological justice, and challenge patriarchy. A newly formed decolonial position to psychological knowledge empowered Mexicans to establish dignified relationships, trust, and respect between generations.
During this research, I have learned many interesting things about indigenous psychologies in general and the Mexican perspective in particular. One of the most interesting aspects of my work was the recognition of gender roles in psychology and an understanding of interpersonal relationships. Although most indigenous psychologies’ definitions do not address the gender issue, it was educative to understand how feminism shaped Mexico in the postcolonial period.
Another thing that has stood out to me is related to the impact of Western paradigms. I have noticed that European or Asian impacts were not as critical as those of the West. This connection explains the current nature of relationships between the nations and shows a meaningful way to learn indigenous psychologies today. It is not enough to resist Western traditions in the psychological discourse but use the Mexican experience and take the most positive outcomes of colonization, recognizing the worth of freedom and equality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the history of Mexican psychology is highly multifaceted and ambiguous, which was influenced by many factors, such as colonization, wars, and the integration of new ideas from people of the West. It proves that indigenous psychologies facilitate focusing on every individual and combine cultural differences in a fair way.
The history of the science dates back to the Mexican tribes, where people’s mentality differenced drastically from the one that Mexicans have nowadays. Modern psychology started developing at the beginning of the 20th century due to famous pioneers of experimental psychology and psychophysiology.
References
Ciofalo, N. (2018). Indigenous women’s ways of knowing and healing in Mexico.Women & Therapy, 41(1-2), 52-68. Web.
Ciofalo, N. (2019). Indigenous psychologies: A contestation for epistemic justice. In N. Ciofalo (Ed.), Indigenous psychologies in an era of decolonization (pp. 1-38). Springer.
Penagos-Corzo, J. (2020). Día de la psicóloga y el psicólogo en México: Historia de un contexto [Day of the psychologist and the psychologist in Mexico: History of a context]. RIPdeHP. Web.
Villajuana, D. A., (2018). Historia de la psicología en México [History of psychology in Mexico]. Mi Punto de Vista. Web.