Deck 9: Culture, Health, and Illness

Question 1

The condition "amok," found in native Puerto Rican and Navajo cultures, is characterized by

A) social withdrawal and paralyzing fear.
B) violent or aggressive outbursts and often amnesia.
C) binge eating followed by intense exercise.
D) agitated depression.

Answer 1

violent or aggressive outbursts and often amnesia.

Question 2

Over the past two weeks, Normiah has been having bad headaches and periodic bouts of depression. Her family has noticed her apathetic attitude and sudden lack of energy and have decided to seek a bomoh for help. According to the text, a bomoh is a __________.

A) medicine man
B) village leader
C) counselor
D) religious advisor

Answer 2

medicine man

Question 3

Dr. Schultz is conducting a cross-cultural study to determine the incidence of anorexia nervosa in three countries-Thailand, Japan, and the U.S. She wants to know if young adults suffering from this disorder experience a common distorted body image. The extent of anorexia nervosa within each of these three countries would be an example of an ________characteristic, whereas the distorted body image hypothesis linking all three countries together would be an example of an____ characteristic.

A) emic; etic
B) etic; emic
C) enculturation; acculturation
D) acculturation; enculturation

Answer 3

emic; etic

Question 4

Cook, in his comparative study of illness beliefs among adult Chinese, Indian, and Angloceltic Canadians, found that each ethnic group interpreted the causes and treatment differently depending on

A) geographical orientation, generation, and age.
B) caste, social position, and wisdom.
C) religious affiliation, family size, and age.
D) educational level, parents' social status in the community, and geographical orientation.

Question 5

Agents such as chemicals or diseases, which may cause malformation of developing embryos, are called

A) teratogens.
B) neurosubdils.
C) myelinogens.
D) degenerations.

Question 6

The culture-specific disorder "nervios," found in Ecuador, includes symptoms similar to

A) dissociative fugue.
B) schizophrenia.
C) panic disorder.
D) depression.

Question 7

Research findings reported by Werner and her colleagues in Hawaii indicate that premature infants who made the greatest progress tended to grow up in families with

A) lots of physical stimulation.
B) substantial food supplements.
C) sufficient education.
D) indigenous values and beliefs.

Question 8

Beth and Michael are the parents of three children. While all three children appear to be in good physical condition and demonstrate sound intellectual skills, they have shown significant delay in social abilities. The school counselor suggests that Beth and Michael might be putting too much pressure on the children to grow up too fast, too soon. David Elkind refers to this as the ______child syndrome.

A) gifted
B) forgotten
C) hurried
D) quick-minded

Question 9

In the study of human development, the concept "Storm and Stress" was coined by_____, the father of modern adolescent psychology, who described adolescence as a period of frequent mood swings.

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Eric Erikson
C) G. Stanley Hall
D) Abraham Maslow

Question 10

In studies of children and adolescents and how they cope with daily stressors (e.g. conflict with family, school problems) Hampel (2006) found that

A) younger and healthier children coped better than both older children and children with chronic illness.
B) children with chronic illness coped better than healthy children.
C) healthy children coped better than children with chronic illness.
D) older children coped better than younger children.

Question 11

Views of death and dying vary across cultures and religions. Yet, there are striking similarities in how individuals imagine their desirable or "good" death. These similarities include:

A) a sudden death, without warning.
B) dying for a higher cause or the benefit of others.
C) dying in the company of friends and without pain.
D) dying after a long time of preparation.

Question 12

Infants who suffer malnutrition experience negative physical and cognitive effects. These effects are most likely reversible when the children are placed in environments which provide

A) nutritional supplements.
B) older siblings as role models.
C) physical stimulation and social interaction.
D) all of the above

Question 13

In the last decade, the World Health Organization conducted research on schizophrenic patients in over twenty countries. The results indicated that

A) schizophrenia occurs most commonly in industrialized countries and prognosis is better in developing countries.
B) schizophrenia occurs in nearly all countries and prognosis is better in developing countries.
C) schizophrenia occurs most commonly in industrialized countries and prognosis is better in industrialized countries.
D) schizophrenia occurs in nearly all countries and prognosis is better in industrialized countries.

Question 14

There are several instances of culture-bound illnesses described in the chapter that involve men displaying anxiety symptoms that are believed to result from the loss or diminution of their genitalia or sexual power. Examples of these include:

A) "stolen genitals" in Peru, koro in China, dhat in Finland.
B) "receding genitals" in Costa Rica, koro in China, dhat in Pakistan.
C) "missing genitals" in Nigeria, koro in China, dhat in India.
D) "blackened genitals" in Madagascar, koro in China, dhat in Iran.

Question 15

Various people have different perspectives on what it means to be "ill" or "healthy." Use the ecological model and the developmental niche to compare and contrast the responses to minor and major illnesses. Comment on the reciprocal nature of parents' care for childrens' illnesses and how children, in turn, respond to their parents' approach to healing. Also consider access to healthcare and progress of medical science from one generation to the next.

Question 16

As a cross-cultural psychologist who is interested in comparing the health care services for the elderly in Asia and the United States, establish three hypotheses that you would expect to confirm in an observational study that investigates how families care for the elderly who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Be sure to justify each hypothesis with appropriate material covered in Chapter 9.