Challenges and Strengths

Post modernism is the philosophy which asserts that all ways of thinking are true based on that particular culture: namely, that each individual, culture or group has his or her particular perception, and that all are equally false or true; that there is not one way of thanking that is more true than another.

Taking the case of depression, the researchers might preface their argument by taking a hypothetical situation that Black culture, (for instance) would argue that all traditional interventions were styled by a typical White culture population and are, therefore, irreverent. This is, particularly, so since the targeted population is enculturated in a specific cultural way of life, experience reality through that cultural lens, and are, therefore, matched to that cultural intervention (which is formulated through that particular group's lifestyle and cognitive template).

Their intervention, however, would be unsuited for a product from - let's say - an Oriental or Middle Eastern background, or from any other ethnic derivation, for that matter, who, acculturated with disparate experiences and ideologies, would need another mode of 'truth' to address its concerns.

Potential methodologies for their objective as researchers seems to cohere best with the grounded theory approach where, employing the reverse approach to traditional science, the group commences their research with studying a certain population and, then, from observation, drawing assumptions about roots and derivatives of problem. In this case, their questions would be the following: depression is a huge topic whose treatment of the problem varies across cultures. In order to treat depression properly, therefore, we have to zone in on a particular culture.

Selecting clinically depressed adolescents from x culture, the best way we can formulate assumptions regarding their etiology of this depression and the way to treat it is by closely observing that particular culture. The researchers can use various philosophies to argue their reasoning such as that of Kuhn (who demonstrated that science adopts paradigmatic perspective based on particular generations) and of Feyerbrand (who indicated that researchers' perceptive hinges on their contextual and historical mindset).

However, in this situation, and since they are dealing with scientists who might be averse to philosophical arguments, the researchers can adopt a scientific stance pointing out that depression, according to the popular scientifically accepted theory, is based on cognition. In fact, adolescent depression is engendered from cognition (Beck, 2006). Cognitions are based on the 'should', 'must's, oughts', particular guilt-feelings, and assumptions created by a certain culture.

In order to deal with these cognitions most effectively, therefore (and in order initially even to measure adolescent depression most authentically), depressive cognitions of that specific culture must be studied and interventions, suited for that particular culture, created and implemented. The grounded theory approach seems to be most relevant to postmodernist perspective, since aside from it accomplishing the researcher's motive of closely studying their target population, it also contravenes the standard 'power-usurping', dominating perspective of controlling White culture (accordingly White Science) that asserts that there is only one correct.