Analysis of the article “Sociocultural Considerations in the Assessment of
Personality Disorders”
The critical thinking article titled “Sociocultural Considerations in the Assessment of Personality
Disorders” discusses an issue pertinent to our society today, which I have also experienced personally.
The article talks about how cultural norms of individual people should be considered when determining
whether or not certain behaviours are abnormal. This becomes very important when differences between
cultures are brought up. Some major contrast seen between society is the focus on collectivism or
individualism. What is seen as normal in one society, such as being assertive in the United States, can be
seen as deviant or even be attributed to a sickness in another society, such as in India or Japan. The
emphasis of this passage is to bring more light to an individual's cultural background and judge based on
what is defined as “normal” for a person of that background. The fact this is a major issue can be seen by
simply looking at the most prevalent personality disorder in differing regions. If personality disorders
were not in the slightest influenced by culture, then the major disorders across the world should more or
less be the same. However, when you look at the statistics, the most prevalent disorders differ immensely
even among countries with advance healthcare systems. For example, the article points out that the most
commonly diagnosed personality disorder in the United States and Australia is obsessive-compulsive
disorder while in Iceland and Norway it is schizotypal personality disorder.
The issue brought up in this critical thinking passage is a problem that is very prevalent in
multicultural societies such as the one we live in. The United States is a country rooted in individualism,
and puts emphasis on the right of the self over anything else. Although individualism continues to hold
value, the increasing influx of minorities into the country brings with it an evermore increasing change in
social norms. This stems from societal influence of those who come here from around the world to share
in the idea of the American Dream. Among the millions of immigrants, first generation Americans and
minorities present in the country are those who come from societes structurally different f...
