Key Terms
- Health is state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
- Ecological fallacy: the assumption that everyone in a certain culture adheres to their cultural norms.
- Etic Bias: researchers applying their own cultural norms to other cultures.
When studying mental health, it is usually split into 3 contexts/cultures:
- Their immediate surroundings.
- The culture they were enculturated with (the one they grew up surrounded by).
- The global culture.
Cultural Influences on Health
- Cultural beliefs and practices shape how individuals perceive health and illness.
- Traditional healing practices often coexist with biomedical approaches in many cultures.
- Stigma associated with mental health varies across cultures, affecting help-seeking behaviors.
Kleinman (1982)
Aim:
To explore how cultural beliefs influence the perception of illness.
Method
Qualitative interviews with Chinese patients diagnosed with neurasthenia.
Results
Patients described symptoms such as fatigue and headaches , which were interpreted as physical rather than psychological.
Conclusion
Cultural interpretations of illness can affect diagnosis and treatment.
Culture-Bound Syndromes
- Some mental health disorders are unique to specific cultures.
- These syndromes may not fit into Western diagnostic categories.
