Exam 1 Flashcards
Cultural Relativism
Cultural Relativism is the idea that an individual’s beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person’s own culture, rather than judged against the criteria of another. It emphasizes understanding and tolerance of cultural differences and suggests that there is no universal standard of right or wrong
Harmful Dysfunction Perspective
Harmful Dysfunction Perspective is a framework used in psychology and psychiatry to assess mental disorders. According to this perspective, a mental disorder exists when there is a failure of a mental mechanism to perform a natural function for which it was designed by evolution, and this failure results in harm to the individual as judged by cultural standards
Cultural Relativism Pros and Cons
Cultural Relativism: This approach emphasizes understanding mental disorders in the context of cultural norms and values.
Ignores relevant scientific info about mind & brain….close mindedness
Pros: Promotes tolerance and respect for cultural diversity; helps avoid ethnocentrism.
Cons: May overlook harmful practices; difficult to establish universal standards for diagnosing disorders.
Harmful Dysfunction Pros and Cons
Harmful Dysfunction Perspective: This approach defines mental disorders as a failure of mental mechanisms to function naturally, causing harm.
Pros: Provides a clear framework for diagnosis; integrates both biological and cultural factors.
Cons: May pathologize natural variations; relies heavily on cultural judgments of harm.
Culture-Bound Syndromes
These are mental disorders or behaviors that are specific to certain cultural groups. Examples:
Koro: A condition in Southeast Asia where individuals believe their genitals are retracting and will disappear, leading to death.
Bulimia: An eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging, more common in Western cultures.
Importance of Pinker
Steven Pinker argues that cultures can be compared scientifically, showing a trend of declining violence and improved treatment of out-groups over time.
In-group and Out-group Tendencies
Humans have a universal tendency to divide the social world into in-groups (us) and out-groups (them). This division is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history and social behavior.
Human Nature and Genetic Relatedness
All humans are genetically related and distant cousins, which forms the basis of our shared human nature and relatedness
Peter Singer’s Moral Philosophy
Other Peter info
Singer argues that with effort, we can expand our in-groups to include more people, leading to greater empathy and ethical behavior
- Says to compare current culture with past culture
- Talked about how France used to burn cats for entertainment
5 Shades of Disorder Vignettes
Huntington’s Disease
An inherited condition in which nerve cells in the brain break down over time
Genetic Disease - no cure
Results in progressive movement, thinking (cognitive), and psychiatric symptoms
What are two disorders that ~80% can be told on the basis of genetics
Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia
Empathy (2 types)
Cognitive: tell what they’re thinking and feeling (Psychopaths are usually good at cognitive empathy
Emotional: moves someone emotionally
Yanomamo
“human being”
Lives in groups of ~100
Classified animals the same as outcast humans
Who is Franz Boas
One of the key founders of the modern theories of anthropology
Said everything is culturally relative and socially constructed, no absolutes
What is Koro
Occurs with young men who develop a pathological obsessive fear that their genitalia will adopt a different cavity in the body
CULTURE-BOUND SYNDROME
Importance of Donald Brown
1991 published a book - found several hundred things common to every known society
Peter Singer
says we have a moral obligation to expand our “in” group
Contributed to the Schachter-Singer Theory (aka two-factor theory of emotion)
Harmful Dysfunction Model
A disorder involved dysfunction
- We can scientifically determine what’s a dysfunction and we know what the circuit’s supposed to be doing
- What is harmful is reflected by cultural values
- Something is a disorder if we can scientifically determine that there’s something in the brain/body that’s not doing its designated role
-Culturally we say it’s harmful
Describe psychiatrists
MDs who prescribe meds
Make more money than other mental health professionals
PhD vs. PsyD
PhD - research degree
PsyD - professional doctorate (e.g., Dr. of Optometry) and NO research
Clinical vs Counseling Psychologist
Clinical: diagnosis and psychotherapy with severe mental illness (PhD/PsyD or Master’s)
Counseling: original emphasis on problems of adjustment (marriage, career, etc.)
MSW (social worker)
2 year master’s, often meh training in therapy but still licensed and marketable
Nurse Practitioner
3 year doctoral degree, mostly do meds & function like psychiatrist, lucrative
