Expression

reading from 03.10.06

From my abnormal psych. text...

. . . People with different values and perspectives on life might show what appear to be unusual, and even deviant, lifestyles and ways of behaving to those who do not have teh same cultural background. Research findings have suggested two reasons why cultural considerations are important for understanding what might appear to be maladaptive behavior: (1) cultural factors play a role in many cases of apparent maladaption, and must be kept in mind in working clinically with individuals, and (2) what seems like maladaption might be regarded as normal in the individual's culture and may even help adjustment within that ethnic group.
. . .

Clinicians must be informed and have an open mind in drawing inferences from a patient's behavior . . . Some people with Chinese or Japanese backgrounds might use silence as an indication of respect and politeness rather than an unwillingness to speak, or they may believe it is inappropriate to verbally express disagreement with someone whom they perceive as an authority. In these cases, a silence would not indicate a lack of desire to continue speaking. Clinicians who work with people from other cultures should make it a point to understand their cultural characteristics.

I half want to e-mail that to the previously mentioned J. The latter paragraph actually made me laugh thinking about M.; she seemed frustrated with how much she talked during our sessions and seemed to think that I didn't want to talk to her. It still amuses me.

:: redeemed4hisglory @ 11:38 PM ::