Cross-cultural research Flashcards
Define the term ‘cross-cultural research’. (2 points)
The study of human behaviour between different cultures to identify similarities and differences across them
Enables the identification of universal behaviours which are common to many cultures and culturally specific behaviours
What is an example of a culturally specific disorder? (4 points)
E.g. the clinical condition Amok in Malaysia
According to Malay mythology, running amok was an involuntary behaviour caused by the “hantu belian,”
It is an evil spirit that enters a person’s body, compelling them to behave violently without conscious awareness
Because of their spiritual beliefs, those in Malay culture tolerated ‘running amok’ despite its devastating effects on the tribe (mass killing)
What is the ‘emic’ perspective?
Insider perspective:
Based on how the local culture and native people understand behaviour by ‘looking within’
What is the ‘etic’ perspective?
Outsider perspective:
+ Does not adapt to local cultural beliefs
+ Understands behaviour by ‘looking from the outside’
Define the terms ‘ethnocentrism’ and ‘eurocentrism’.
Ethnocentrism - research that is centred around one culture only
Eurocentrism - the belief that the Western World’s societal or cultural perspective is superior to all and the ‘gold standard’ for clinical diagnosis
What is the disadvantage of language and translation to cross-cultural research? (2 points)
May create barriers to accurate clinical diagnosis
Patients and psychologists may find themselves ‘lost in translation’ if:
+ A psychiatrist speaks a different language
+ Particular words cannot be directly translated from English to another language
What are the 4 supporting studies and 2 refuting pieces of evidence that support there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis?
Supporting:
Luhrmann et al (2015)
Tortelli et al (2015)
Andrade et al (2012)
Phillips (2001)
Refuting:
Lin (1996)
Psychiatrists overcompensating for cultural differences
How does Luhrmann et al (2015) support there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (4 points)
They compared 20 people from different cultural backgrounds with serious psychotic disorder including Sz
The ‘voice-hearing experience’ was believed to be:
California: ‘intrusive unreal thoughts’
South India: ‘useful guidance’
West Africa: ‘morally good and causally powerful.’
Hearing voices was seen as a negative experience in Western society like America but a positive one in more Eastern societies
This suggests culture can lead to individual differences in the way psychologists treat patients
How does Tortelli et al (2015) support there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (5 points)
Psychologists adopting the ‘etic’ standpoint leads to subjective researcher bias (ethnocentrism)
Western cultures tend to see the mind and body as separate entities - has led to differences in hospitalisation rates for certain groups in society
Tortelli et al (2015):
+ Systematic review of black Caribbean-born migrants in the UK since the 1960s
+ Found that 16/18 studies demonstrated statistically significant increased incidence rates of Sz and bipolar disorder in the black Caribbean population
+ Supports cultural differences leading to individual differences in mental health diagnosis
How does Andrade et al (2012)support there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (4 points)
Participants were interviewed face-to-face in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA)
Questions explored aspects of urban living like:
+ Internal migration
+ Exposure to violence
+ Neighbourhood-level social deprivation
High social deprivation was found to be associated with substance disorders - suggests socioeconomic background can affect individual mental health disorders
Gender differences were also found - 29.6% of women were more likely to have severe/moderate disorders than men
How does Phillips (2001) support there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (5 points)
Found that in China:
+ Urban areas had higher levels ofSz than rural areas
+ There was a higher prevalence of diagnoses in women than in men
+ Suffering from a mental health disorder is often seen as a ‘failure in society’ - the person is not following the social norms
With this research, Western classification systems could become more accessible
New findings can be translated into better outcomes for untreated/poorly treated Sz patients
How does Lin (1996) refute there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (3 points)
Studied Sz symptoms and found more similarities across different cultures than differences
Suggests cultural differences would not lead to a difference in diagnosis - cross-cultural perspectives may be inefficient or even redundant for Sz
How do psychiatrists overcompensating for cultural differences refute there being cross-cultural differences in clinical diagnosis? (2 points)
Also important to consider over-compensation for cultural differences - considering the local cultural beliefs ‘too much’ when using an ‘emic’ standpoint
Can lead to clinicians making Type II errors - cultural differences may not have caused any difference in the mental health disorder but could impact the reliability of clinical diagnosis
