Psychopathy and Culture
Culture-bound syndrome is the amalgamation of some somatic symptoms i.e. body pain or disturbed function of any organ and psychiatric symptoms such as alterations of the experiences and behaviors which are considered to be perceptible diseases in the specific culture. A list of most common culture-bound syndrome is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and some of them are discussed below.
Brain Fag: Brain Fag is classified as a culture-bound syndrome which is associated with white collar people in West Africa. This is a colloquial term that exhibits symptoms like headache, nervousness, irritation and breathing problems or a combination of these. Brain Fag is a common problem related to high school students or university students. The students succumb under the competitive environment to achieve good grades.
It can be argued that mental stress is associated to many students across cultures and boundaries and not just with students from West Africa. This can be disputed based on the fact that there is a high male ratio pursuing higher education and due to this competitive environment, brain fatigue is often held responsible to incapability to perform well in that environment. If there were more opportunities and lesser competition in the West African society, the term may not have been derived (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Koro: Koro is a mass hysteria associated to Malaysian culture that describes the feeling of retraction of genitals leading to death. This is reported mostly from Asian countries and people have suffered anxiety attacks and resorted to extreme measure to avoid this condition resulting in injury to genitals. The fear can stem from the...
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...of abnormal behaviors and its causes. In this paper, we have discussed a few of the culturally significant syndromes prevalent across geographies and their causes.
We also looked into the precautionary measures in interacting with peers, clientele or students across cultural boundaries and establishing a code of conduct for communication. This can be helpful for people engaged in human resources, medicine, counseling and roles that involve cross cultural communication.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition
Ann M. Kring, Gerald C. Davison, John M. Neale, Sheri L. Johnson. (2007). Abnormal Psychology, Tenth Edition
Lee, C. (2001). Culturally responsive school counselors and programs: Addressing the needs of all students. Professional School Counseling, 4, 163-171.
Culture is a collection of religion, traditions, and beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture is created and maintained through the repetition of stories and behavior. It is never definite because it is continuously being modified to match current trends, however, historical principles are still relevant. With respect to mental illness, culture is crucial to how people choose to deal with society and the methods used to diagnose and cope with mental illnesses. In Watters’ The Mega-Marketing Depression of Japan, he focuses on how Japan and other cultures define depression, but also displays how the influence of American treatments in eastern countries eventually becomes the international standards. Even though the
Haglin, R. P. & Whitbourne, S. K. (2010). Abnormal psychology: clinical perspectives on psychological disorders. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
... J. H., & Manos, M. J. (2004). Abnormal Psychology: Current Perspectives 9th ed. In L. B. Alloy, J. H. Riskind, & M. J. Manos, The Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sociocultural Perspectives (pp. 75-104). New York: McGraw Hill.
Going to a different country or area of the world can open up anybody’s eyes to see that culture makes a huge impact on the understanding and practices of healthcare that seem to be so common to other areas of the world. When a person lives in one country their whole life, that person may not realize how different the life they live is from someone in a foreign country. If a person is going to receive treatment from someone with a different cultural background, they should be expected to get treatment to respects their own culture. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences having such a diverse variety of students has their own cultural competency definition that states “effectively and comfortably communicate across cultures with patients of differing backgrounds, taking into account aspects of trust in order to adopt mutually acceptable objectives and measures”. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine Dettwyler, the issue of culture and healthcare are greatly prevalent. Katherine Dettwyler herself goes to West Africa as an anthropologist and her horizons are broadened when during her research she comes in contact with how much culture has an impact on healthcare and everyday life.
One key question is whether psychopathy is stable throughout one’s lifespan. Some characteristics that have been found in adults are now being found in children thanks to advances in medical instruments. Although research of psychopath in young people is limited, a number of medical instruments have been designed to measure just how bad it is (Mairead 1.)
“Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by an inability to form human attachment, aggressive narcissism, and antisocial behavior defined by a constellation of affective, interpersonal and behavioral characteristics, most of which society views as pejorative” [1]. Some of these characteristics include irresponsibility, grandiosity, cunning, deceitfulness, selective impulsivity, sexual promiscuity, lack of empathy, etc. People who are psychopathic display not only antisocial behavior but also emotional impairment such as the lack of guilt. They are able to prey on others using their charm, deceit, violence or any other methods that allow them to get what they want. A strong feature of most of the behavior exhibited by individuals with psychopathy is that it is mostly instrumental in nature. They are extremely goal-oriented with interests in acquiring wealth, sexual opportunities and increased status.
While illnesses are cross-culturally relevant, the symptoms and duration do vary depending on cultures. This seems to show that while the source of abnormal behavior is universal, the actual abnormal behaviors that arise are culturally
Moreover, there is a strong psychological connection between one’s perception of themselves, and their strengths and weaknesses (Hubbard & Blyler, 2016). Since the human body instinctively reacts to anything perceived as a threat with the fight or flight response, it does not discriminate between an individual’s perception of an event, and the actual event that occurs (Bhattacharya & Bhattacharya, 2015; Grison, Heatherton & Gazzaniga, 2016). Therefore, something as simple as the fear of failing a test can provoke the same stress response within the body as encountering a bear. Indeed, conclusions established by Hubbard & Blyler (2016) indicated a significant relationship between stress and poor academic performance finding increases in absent mindedness, hyperactivity, and most importantly; difficulties with attentional control and working memory. In a similar study, Bhattacharya & Bhattacharya (2015) observed reductions in the effects of stress when students exhibited positive self-perceptions and confidence in their academic abilities. Combined, these studies suggest that the much of the stress associated with academics can be minimized by simply acknowledging its existence. By first recognizing the biological symptoms of stress, this author has begun to understand how influential the mindset and perceptions are for increasing academic
4 Giancola, J.K., Grawitch, M.J., and Borchert, D. (2009). Dealing with the stress of college: A
Culture can be defined as behaviors exhibited by certain racial, religious, social or ethnic groups. Some factors in which culture may vary include: family structure, education, and socioeconomic status (Kodjo, 2009). Some may think cultural competence is something that has an end point, however, when the big picture is seen, it is a learning process and journey. From the writer’s perspective, the client-therapist relationship can be challenging. Culturally competent therapists must realize that behaviors are shaped by an individual’s culture. Many changes are taking place within the United States cultural makeup. Therapists and healthcare professionals are being challenged to provide effective and sensitive care for patients and their families. This type of culturally sensitive care requires the professional to be open and seek understanding in the patients diverse belief systems (Kodjo, 2009).
What is a psychopath? What type of person can be characterized by this and how do they come to be? But first before we can answer these questions we must first know what a psychopath is. Psychopaths are people suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviors; clinically it is a person who has a lack of what we would consider a conscience. Psychopaths are seen to suffer from a lack of empathy because of psychological, genetic and environmental factors. Scientists have many theories concerning psychopaths. Scientist do not have a definite clear cut answer on what is the cause for psychopathy but they have many ideas; nature and the nurture of the person. Nature is the genes that the person carries. The nurture of the person when they were a child is simply means how they were treated when they were growing up and/or how they were raised. Some scientists even consider it a possibility that it could be a mixture of the two.
A known psychological disorder is abnormal behavior. Abnormal behavior is classified into four different categories. The characteristics of these categories consist of statistical deviance, cultural deviance, emotional distress, and dysfunction. Each behavior has specific characteristics as reasons for their classifications. Statistical deviance is sometimes wrongly classified such as being extremely intelligent or being a very good athlete. According to statistical deviance, as the textbook explains, a behavior is abnormal if it occurs infrequently among members of a population. Cultural deviance classifies abnormality to be behavior that would be considered abnormal if it violates standards of a society or culture. Emotional distress is associated with people who are unhappy and who feel as if they are lost or alienated from others. Dysfunction is considered a breakdown of normal functioning. People classified with dysfunction may have thinking impairment and be unable to adapt in their environment. Each of these classifications is somewhat different though they each have the same reasoning.
Every person that has different characteristics that influence how they think, act, and build relationships. While some people are introverted, others are extroverted. Some people are strict and do not take risks, while others are carefree and free spirited. However, there are times where a person’s behavior becomes destructive, problematic, and maladaptive (Widger, 2003). The key to examining a person for a possible personality disorder is not if they have quirks, but if they display severe behavioral, emotional, and social issues. A diagnosis of having a personality disorders involves identifying if their extreme behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that are different than cultural expectations interfere with the ...
Have you ever given someone the evil eye, or run amok? Have you or someone you know ever fell out? Some of these phrases are common with children or people throughout the country, but to other cultures these are serious issues that require attention. Culture Bound Syndrome is an illness, or behavior within a particular culture. However, in research of CBS I found that it is possible for these illnesses to spread among other cultures. Why do medical anthropologist have an interest in CBS? More importantly, what are these illnesses that plague these cultures?
Cultural sensitivity occurs when people recognize and are aware that each country or various ethnic groups of people have their own set of experiences, beliefs, values, and language that affect their perceptions toward life. Addressing Cultural sensitivity permits people to comprehend that there are differences between cultures. Furthermore, having awareness in the differences between cultures permits a culturally competent person to communicate effectively with others that are outside of one’s realm. Some of the differences of Cultural sensitivity can be discovered while traveling outside of the country, such as through Cross-cultural sensitivity experiences. Likewise, a culture has its own norms and beliefs to how one should dress; how one should greet others, such as by referring to a significant individual by his or her first name or surname (comprehending which name should be stated first in foreign names); and/or what foods are permitted to eat or forbidden to eat or understanding what may offend a person (e.g. not accepting a home cooked meal). There are norms, taboos, cultural cues, and cultural etiquette standards that are significant to learning about one’s culture before exploring another country or while working with people who are from your country but who are part of another racial group. It takes time and patience to build a high level of Cultural sensitivity. Educating oneself with a culture’s psychology and its norms is significant toward achieving an increasing awareness toward Cultural sensitivity.