Reaction of Psychiatry
The theory that culture has a major influence on mental illness or is the constituent of mental illness is agreeable. Culture awareness is very important when is comes to psychiatry and psychology. From the readings, I feel that the one thing that had torn this world, many generations, and many races apart is the foundation of a science that can manipulate, reverse, or cure and life, ignorance ! Most of the founding fathers of the science used it to justify the deviant behaviors and hateful ways of a nation that wanted one race and to demolish another. I feel betrayed that the teachings from childhood were tampered with by ignorance and bias opinions. When reading the cross-cultural articles, I realize that cross culture psychopathology is should be taken in consideration when look in the diagnosis of mental illness with patients. I do not agree with the universalistic paradigm entirely because the symptoms or syndromes of one illness cannot be compared with the causation of another illness from across the world. I cannot say that because of the symptoms or syndromes of a diagnosed illness in one person in California, is the explanation or is universal for an illness in Japan. They are two completely different cultures and environments. It is safe to us as a reference but not universal law. From the readings, that has become the biggest error in historical research, and diagnosis. In my opinion this, theories and accusations of mental illness as created an opening for dominance over a particular race. The mere fact the one can just make observations of one patient to depict a people or race then label it as universal law is ludicrous.
I do agree with the relativist paradigm where culture does play a part in mental illness. On thing that is emphasized in the articles, is that culture is not be observed thoroughly when diagnosing mental illness. I feel that the process is being done on a more medical view than psychological...