How can culture determine what is considered abnormal?
Many psychologists are finding that they are not able to confine their professional activities to the psychological problems of the middle class. This is not a startling revelation since, in our culturally complex society, many individuals who have severe psychological problems are just as likely to be from the under-classes (the poor, the ethnic minorities, the growing number of refugees, the chronically disabled, etc.) as they are to be from the more familiar middle class. What is startling, however, is that the theories we are taught, the procedures and techniques we have inherited from the last generation of psychologists, and even the training programs that introduced us to the profession have their roots—indeed, their major thrust—in middle-class values and orientations. Contemporary practitioners or researchers have little preparation for dealing with the “cultural problem” in our professional activities—little beyond the admonition of sage methodologists that we should be wary of our transgressions if we consider using procedures or concepts derived in one culture with clients or problems from another. But to examine the situation practically, what does the practitioner who is presented with the following problem situations do? Show
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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 1984 Springer Science+Business Media New York About this chapterCite this chapterButcher, J.N., Bemis, K.M. (1984). Abnormal Behavior in Cultural Context. In: Adams, H.E., Sutker, P.B. (eds) Comprehensive Handbook of Psychopathology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6681-6_5 How does culture affect abnormality?Culture can influence how people describe and feel about their symptoms. It can affect whether someone chooses to recognize and talk about only physical symptoms, only emotional symptoms or both.
How we define abnormality is culture dependent?This definition of abnormality is clearly dependent on the culture in which the behaviour occurs. The social norms across societies are not the same and therefore what is abnormal in one culture is not defined as abnormal in another.
What is the role of culture in defining abnormality or mental disorder?Culture May Be Thought to Affect the Distribution of Psychiatric Disorder through Patterns Which Result in Poor Physical Hygiene. Our concern here is the role of physiological factors as the intermediary between culture and psychiatric disorder.
What are the criteria for determining abnormality?Behavior is considered to be abnormal when it is atypical or out of the ordinary, consists of undesirable behavior, and results in impairment in the individual's functioning. Abnormality in behavior, is that in which is considered deviant from specific societal, cultural and ethical expectations.
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