Cultural and Linguistic Issues Impacting Psychological Assessment

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Introduction

While psychological assessment can be useful, it is merely a tool that provides a piece of a puzzle when assessing individuals. Many things need to be considered in addition to psychological assessment to generate the most accurate results. No individual is exactly the same, therefore a standarized assessment tool will remain flawed. Cultural and linguistic differences are important to acknowledge and understand in efforts to reduce bias in assessment tools.

Cultural and Linguistic Issues Impacting Psychological Assessment

An individuals culture is one of the most influential factors that will drive an individual’s responses to psychological assessment. Culture molds and shapes our values, social norms, behaviors and belief systems. Duran, Firehammer and Gonzalez (2008) recognize, “Culture is part of the soul. As human beings, we are all part of a culture and not separate from it” (p.288 ). The understanding of culture is complex and has to be extended to include how domestic and international culture vary in relation to similarities, variances and contrad...

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