CULTURAL BIAS AO3

Question 1

ao3 prompts

Answer 1

1. individualism & collectivism
2. universalisation
3. mental health diagnosis - sz more likely to be diagnosed in african americans because of tradition
4. challenge western ways of thinking

Question 2

individualism and collectivism

Answer 2

often psychologists make use of the individualist-collectivist distinction eg… however global age of interconnectedness w/ globalisation etc, the distinction is lazy! research has found 14/15 studies comparing usa and japan no evidence of this trad distinction. so cultural bias less of an issue than it was?

Question 3

universality

Answer 3

imposed etic is useful reminder of culturally specific nature of work. however, should not be assumed that all research is culturally relative! research suggests basic facial expressions for emotions are same across human and animal world AND some elements of caregiver-infant interaction are the same (international synchrony and reciprocity)

Question 4

metal health

Answer 4

Mental health both supports and limits cultural bias in psychology. Cultural bias occurs when psychological theories or practices are based predominantly on Western norms, which can distort our understanding of mental illness across different cultures. Diagnostic systems like the DSM and ICD are developed in Western contexts and may not reflect how mental disorders are experienced or expressed in non-Western cultures. For example, hearing voices may be viewed as a symptom of schizophrenia in the West but seen as a spiritual experience in some African or Asian cultures. This can lead to misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis in ethnic minority groups, reinforcing cultural bias. However, mental health research has increasingly challenged this bias through cross-cultural studies and the development of culturally sensitive approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Culturally adapted therapies and increased training in cultural competence aim to make mental health care more inclusive. Global efforts, such as those by the World Health Organization, also promote a broader, more culturally relative view of mental illness. Thus, while mental health practices have historically supported cultural bias, recent developments show a growing effort to limit it.

Question 5

challenge western ways of thinking

Answer 5

some of knowledge and concepts we take for granted are not shared by other people around the world - this promotes a greater sensitivity to individual difference and cultural relativism in the future, counters charge of ‘scientific racism’