5 - Recognizing and Dealing with Cultural Influences in Psychotherapy

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the effects of cultural influences on psychotherapy. The increasing recognition of cultural influences in the psychotherapeutic context is a reflection of increased cultural diversity in society. Several researches examining the influence of culture on psychopathology have been shaped by two distinct conceptualizations. One conceptual model views culture as permeating all aspects of psychological distress. Culture and psychopathology are intertwined and are part of a holistic experience. Based on this model, there would be no advantage in comparing psychological distress across cultures because of the uniqueness of each culture. The second model discourages the role of culture in defining psychological experiences. In this model, the focus is on examining common psychological experiences that go across different cultures. These two conceptual models have led to the use of two distinct approaches in conducting cross-cultural research—the emic approach and the etic approach. The emic research model favors qualitative and descriptive research that tends to demonstrate the uniqueness of a culture and discourages western conceptualizations of psychological distress. An etic research model is based on concepts, methods, and measures that apply to all cultures. This model would essentially capture a construct of interest and attempt to measure it in a standardized manner across different cultures.