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Role of Culture in Defining Pathology/Mental Illness

How might culture contribute to the definition of pathology and mental illness?

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Quite simply put, different cultures tend to put varying values on certain behaviors, positive and negative.

For example, it is not rare to find a Japanese workplace where workers are chronically stressed, tired and at times, involuntarily asleep. This would likely be viewed in Western cultures and workplaces as atypical and indeed, pathological, as the cause of such exhaustion would be widely agreed as detrimental to health. However, in a culture that values ...

Solution Summary

Different cultures define pathology and mental illnesses differently. This solution provides a brief discussion of how societal values contribute to different definitions.