Assignment Task:
Analyze cultural perspectives on distress. Pfeiffer (1982) has identified three dimensions for understanding how cultural syndromes of distress emerge. First, he cites culture-specific areas of stress, including family and societal structure and ecological conditions. For example, "koro" might be best understood as resulting from the unique emphasis on potency in certain cultures that emphasize paternal authority. Second, culture-specific shaping of conduct and interpretations of conduct may mean that certain cultures implicitly approve patterns of exceptional behavior. An example is "amok", in which aggression against others "broadly follows the patterns of societal expectations" (p. 206). Third, Pfeiffer argues that how a culture interprets exceptional behavior will be linked to culture-specific interventions. Some disorders that were once considered to be culture-specific have become less so over time. One example is anorexia nervosa.
Discussion Questions:
1. Discuss the importance of culture in shaping the expression of psychological disorders.
2. Differentiate between the etic and emic approach in cross-cultural studies.
3. Make a list of symptoms of distress widely observed across different cultures, and explain each pattern briefly.
4. Observe and point out the conditions that are common to all these patterns of symptoms across cultures.
5. Describe the psychological disorders found in your culture. Give examples for your descriptions.
This response should be between three hundred words