Culture and Treatment - Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
Cultures influence on treatment
It is important that psychologists consider an emic approach to diagnosis, rather than simply applying their own cultural standards for diagnosis. It then follows that if this is important in diagnosis, culture must also play a significant role in the success of therapy. Cultural beliefs in a society influence the therapy process because they form a part of both the therapist’s and the patient’s definitions and understandings of the problem trying to be solved.
etic perspective in therapy considering cultural differences
believes that disorders such as depression and the behaviors that come along with them occur the same way in every society. They believe that mental disorders are universal and all clients should and can be treated and diagnosed in the same manner.
emic perspective in therapy considering cultural differences
believes that many factors come into play when diagnosing and treating a client, especially in regard to their culture. Some factors can include cultural values, morals, and lifestyle.
Indigenous psychotherapy
These therapies are embedded within a culture and do not include anyone from outside the culture. They are carried out by someone who is sanctioned within the community to be a therapist. Indigenous healing encompasses therapeutic beliefs and practices that are rooted within a given culture - for example, heavy reliance on family and community networks, as well as spiritual and religious beliefs. These practices are difficult to transfer to a different cultural setting.
Cross-cultural psychotherapy
Also known as “intercultural counseling” or “multicultural therapy.” This is when the therapist is from a different culture from the patient. The therapist adapts therapeutic methods that have been shown to be effective to meet the cultural needs of the patient.
characteristics of indigenous psychotherapy
Reflect values and practices of the culture. No formal training. Not done on people outside this community. As a result, there is a lack of reliable quantitative results of these practices that could be studied through meta-analysis.
Morita therapy
rooted in fundamental beliefs and values in Japanese culture.
what does morita therapy include?
Feelings are natural responses to our life circumstances and we need not try to “fix” or “change” them.
Dogmatic thinking - that is, perfectionism and high demands on oneself - hinder recovery. Liberation from self-centeredness leads to healing.
Isolation and rest, rather than verbal interaction, are essential to recovery.
process of morita therapy
Begins with a period of rest, and then counseling. Counseling focuses on changing perspective toward larger community and away from oneself, pracite mindfulness through meditation. Focuses on recovery not origin of disease.
Ando et al (2009)
AIM:
Investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on reducing anxiety and depression in Japanese patients undergoing anti-cancer treatment.
PROCEDURE:
Participants: 28 Japanese patients undergoing anti-cancer treatment.
Intervention consisted of two sessions of mindfulness-based meditation therapy, with instructions to practice meditation at home between sessions.
Study used a pre-test/post-test design:
Participants completed questionnaires assessing anxiety and depression levels before and after the intervention.
FINDINGS:
Anxiety and depression levels decreased significantly after the intervention.
Researchers attributed these improvements to an enhanced sense of spiritual well-being developed through mindfulness meditation.
evaluation points for anto et al (2009)
Strengths:
Pre-test/post-test design allowed for a clear comparison of changes in anxiety and depression levels.
Highlights the potential of non-pharmacological interventions like mindfulness meditation in managing psychological symptoms during cancer treatment.
Study addresses a specific population, providing insights into mental health interventions for patients undergoing anti-cancer treatment.
Limitations:
Small sample size (28 patients) limits generalizability of findings.
No control group to compare results, making it difficult to isolate the effects of mindfulness meditation from other factors.
Participants’ compliance with practicing at home was not monitored, which may affect the reliability of results.
Cultural factors specific to Japanese patients may influence the perceived effectiveness of meditation, limiting applicability to other populations.
Multicultural Psychotherapy in terms of culture
This doesn’t adjust the techniques to the clients cultural views. For example: Asian client goes to a therapist who provides CBT in order to deal with feelings that she is bringing shame on her family by dropping out of medical school. If the therapist tells her that she cannot live her life solely to meet the expectations of others, she may never go back for another session. She may feel that she is not culturally understood and that therapy is pointless.
Marian and Neisser (2000)
AIM:
Investigate the role of native language in cue-dependent memory and assess whether memories are more accessible when recalled in the language in which they originally occurred.
PROCEDURE:
Participants:
20 bilingual students who immigrated to the US in their early teens.
Mean age: 21.8 years old.
Bilingual in Russian and English.
Design:
Participants were asked to recall autobiographical memories from two periods:
Before immigration (when they lived in Russia).
After immigration (teenage years and early adulthood in the US).
Prompts were split into two sets of words (e.g., “summer,” “friends,” “birthday,” etc.).
Participants were asked one set in Russian and the other in English, with the sets counterbalanced to control for order effects.
Prompts alternated between childhood and post-immigration memories.
Participants told the first story that came to mind and could respond in either language.
FINDINGS:
Language-dependent recall:
Participants recalled more memories from the Russian-speaking period of their lives when prompted in Russian.
Participants recalled more memories from the English-speaking period of their lives when prompted in English.
evaluation points for morian and neisser
Strengths:
Counterbalanced design controlled for order effects, enhancing reliability.
Demonstrated clear evidence of language-dependent recall, which supports theories of memory and linguistic encoding.
Practical applications in bilingual therapy settings.
Limitations:
Small sample size (20 participants) limits generalizability.
Participants were highly fluent in both languages, which may not apply to individuals with differing levels of proficiency.
Memories were self-reported, potentially introducing bias or inaccuracies in recall.
Cultural and contextual differences between Russian and English-speaking environments were not explicitly accounted for.
