Lecture 15: Culture

Question 1

culture

Answer 1

the collection of beliefs, values, symbolic meanings, normative behaviours, and normative practices of a human group

Question 2

cultural values

Answer 2

the standards people use for judging what is just or right in society

Question 3

cultural beliefs

Answer 3

• Tenets or convictions that a group of people consider to be true
• Often stem from cultural values

Question 4

cultural symbols

Answer 4

the physical manifestation or representation of an ideology of a particular culture

Question 5

normative behaviours and practices

Answer 5

shared perceptions of how people are supposed to routinely behave in a culture

Question 6

laws

Answer 6

right vs. illegal

Question 7

taboos

Answer 7

right vs. forbidden

Question 8

folkways

Answer 8

right vs. illegal

Question 9

Western vs. non-Western culture

Answer 9

European & North American vs. everywhere else

Question 10

Modern vs. traditional culture

Answer 10

societies where norms change vs. societies where norms and expectations are passed through generations

Question 11

Individualistic vs. collectivist culture

Answer 11

privilege individual rights and autonomy vs. group loyalty and dependence on others

Question 12

health

Answer 12

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not only the absence of disease

Question 13

cultural belief systems and well-being

Answer 13

• There are culturally defined ideal “role types” for individuals
• Those who follow these role types will experience a greater sense of well-being
• Societies have normative expectations for behaviour
• Those who follow the norm will experience a greater sense of well-being
• We identify others’ behaviour through our sense of self

Question 14

Diathesis-stress hypothesis

Answer 14

stressful environments trigger biological vulnerability toward a particular condition

Question 15

well-being

Answer 15

personal characteristics + cultural norms/ expectations + social status

Question 16

culture and mental health

Answer 16

• Every culture recognizes that mental illness exists
• Universal prevalence of mental illness ≠ universal recognition of labelling of mental illness
• Severe illness = impaired cognition & affect
• Similar biology
• Different symptoms and social reactions

Question 17

Culture-bound syndromes

Answer 17

mental health conditions that are only recognized within a specific society or culture

Question 18

5 common characteristics of culture-bound syndromes

Answer 18

• The culture recognizes this set of behaviours as a disease
• People who are not part of that culture are not familiar with that condition, and likely will not understand it
• People who are part of that culture will widely be familiar with that disease.
• We have not identified any biological differences that are linked to this condition
• These conditions are normally recognized and treated by the folk medicine tradition of the culture rather than in the predominant healthcare system

Question 19

example of a culture-bound syndrome

Answer 19

• Voodoo death from being cursed by a medicine man or a sorcerer
• The individual’s strong belief in the curse is what causes the physiological reactions in the body

Question 20

Across cultures, sociological research emphasizes the following questions

Answer 20

1. Do deviant behaviours manifest uniformly
2. Is the understanding of the cause of the disease the same?
3. Is the distribution of disease in society the same?
4. Can you treat these illnesses in the same way?

Question 21

Black folk don’t get no severe depression reading

Answer 21

• Black people described depression in different ways than white people did, which may affect prevalence rates
• They were seen as “weak” if they showed signs of depression or took medication

Question 22

South Asian Youth in the Peel Region reading

Answer 22

• South Asian youth in the Peel region report conflict with their parents surrounding cultural norms and dating
• This can result in mental distress
• Potential solutions: having more South Asian therapists, more South Asian representation promoting the need for mental health

Question 23

3 ways culture influences access to mental health care

Answer 23

• Accessibility (ex. Universal health care vs. employment-based health insurance)
• Appropriateness (ex. Blood transfusions in Jehovah’s Witnesses)
• Effectiveness (ex. Culture of therapist)