Institutional Growth Without Epistemic Autonomy – A Historical–Interpretive Analysis of Psychology in Kuwait

Abstract

Abstract: The globalization of psychology has often involved rapid institutional expansion without parallel development of culturally grounded psychological knowledge. This study examines this pattern through a historical–interpretive analysis of the emergence, institutionalization, and Indigenization of psychology in Kuwait. Drawing on documentary materials, published scholarship, and retrospective elite testimonies, the study reconstructs the historical development of psychology in Kuwait across a series of interconnected phases shaped by healthcare expansion, educational growth, academic training, and institutional regulation. The findings show that psychology in Kuwait achieved substantial institutional growth through Kuwait University, mental health services, counseling systems, and professional institutions while continuing to rely heavily on imported theoretical frameworks, assessment models, and professional standards. Indigenization occurred unevenly across adaptive localization, locally developed assessment practices, and more limited forms of conceptual Indigenization grounded in culturally specific constructs. The reconstructed historical trajectory suggests that institutional modernization in Kuwait advanced more rapidly than the development of locally grounded psychological theorizing. By examining this historical trajectory, the study contributes to broader discussions in global and Indigenous psychology concerning the relationship between institutional growth, academic dependency, and the development of culturally grounded psychological knowledge in rapidly modernizing societies.

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