Comparisons of Psychopathology Across Cultures

Abstract

Comparative cross-cultural studies of psychopathology were reviewed in relation to the parameters of incidence, mode of manifestation, patterning, response to treatment, and outcome. A general model was proposed of regarding such differences as the joint function of subject, observer, setting, community, and instrument factors. The findings surveyed, even in their present nondefinitive state, favor the notion of cultural plasticity of psychopathology and, moreover, converge in suggesting that psychopathology represents a caricature and an exaggeration of culturally shared adaptive patterns of behavior. For a more conclusive examination of this possibility, concurrent research on normal and abnormal subjects drawn from several cultures was proposed and a number of specific modes of implementing this objective were presented.

The Influence of Culture on Anxiety in Latino Youth: A Review

“…Symptom elevations in certain domains then are considered to reflect the societal emphasis on those particular types of mood states or behaviors (Draguns 1973;Ollendick et al 1996;Weisz et al 1987Weisz et al , 2006. From this perspective, individualistic cultures (e.g., the United States) which emphasize autonomous, outgoing, self-promoting behaviors are likely to have more youth with outward and noticeable, often disruptive, behavior problems because this type of expression is supported.…”

Extraordinary Disorders of Human Behavior

“…This is a concept recently discussed by Draguns (1973). Thus, the fear of sorcery is present in any Aboriginal group; dissociation is a caricature of the withdrawal behavior seen, say, in any Aboriginal who wishes to isolate himself from an unwanted situation in which he may be called to fight; depressive reactions in subclinical proportions represent the psychological pain felt by many young people where conflict occurred between the old system of arranged marriages and the new ethic of assortative mating, as actively promoted by missionaries.…”

Depression: viewed from a transcultural nursing theoretical perspective

“…Nevertheless, other authors consider suicidal ideation to be a cultural phenomena (Marsella et al 1973). Draguns (1973) suggests many approaches for future research. Among them, he recommends the inclusion of normal and pathological groups from several cultures in the same research design.…”