Discuss the findings of cross-cultural research on the anxiety disorders. Provide at least two examples of disorders that
illustrate the role of culture.
What will be an ideal response?
As with most disorders, cultural influences are seen in the anxiety disorders. While most emotional responses are
universal, the stimuli that elicit emotional reactions will vary and how emotions are expressed varies. In the case
of anxiety disorders, the prevalence of the different types of disorders varies with culture. Differences in sources
of anxiety are easily found. Nigerians, for example, are likely to be concerned about fertility and maintaining a
large family. In some Asian cultures Koro may be seen, a fear of the penis shrinking and disappearing. Both of
these sources of anxiety are clearly related to the value the culture places on procreating, a concern not seen in
most Western societies. Social phobia takes different forms across cultures, being characterized by a fear of
embarrassing one's self in some and a fear of embarrassing others in some. Thus, the anxiety disorders are very
much impacted by culture in numerous ways.
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Although each dream theory has strengths and weaknesses, studies of dream content have shown a continuity between dreams and waking thought, which supports the
a. psychodynamic theory of dreaming. b. neurocognitive dream theory. c. activation-synthesis hypothesis. d. Gestalt dream theory.
Kara would be described as self-denying, inhibited, and anxious. She lets others make choices for her and feels sad and even angry that she never seems to get "her way.". When Kara gives in and does what her friends want her to do, her friends often feel either some degree of sympathy or guilt for her or even contempt for Kara's "always putting others first" attitude. Kara is exhibiting
a. nonassertive behavior. b. self-assertion. c. a lack of critical thinking. d. overly empathic behavior.
The metal lithium is a psychoactive drug used to treat symptoms of
a. major depression. c. psychosis. b. bipolar disorder. d. anxiety.
In I'm OK, You're Not, the article which examines the role of prejudice, the video tapes of job candidates
showed (a) differences in ethnicity (b) differences inaccent and pronunciation (c) differences in hair and clothing styles (d) no differences, because the same tape was shown to all participants