Multiculturalism and Psychopathology. Perspectives on Psychological Assessment

Abstract

This work is situated in the area of Psychological Assessment. This area is considered as a previous and necessary step to get to know the subject or the group whose health problems must be attended. The methods used in this area and the theories in which are based are alluded. The risk of commit diagnosis mistakes by using assessment instruments developed in a different context to that where they have been created are referred. It is analyzed if culture produces differences in psychopathology and if it is valid the use of general diagnosis categories such as DSM IV or CIE-10. Relations between culture and psychopathology are studied. Notions of diversity and uniformity and etic/emic are developed through two researches; one focus on intelligence. The other one on psychopathologies in adolescents, the way in which the social practices provoke the develop of specific cultural behavior is analyzed. It is concluded that because of the complex social dynamic, politic and economic, the multicultural view in psychological assessment is going to be a distinctive sign of this new century. It can contribute to not confuse cultural differences whit “deviation” or “psychopathology” and block the consequences that the globalization is producing on subjectivity.

Keywords

• multiculturalismo
• psicopatología
• evaluación psicológica