Cultural Factors in Clinical Assessmemt: The Indian Perspective

Cross cultural changes across nations is increasingly compelling practicing clinicians to outgrow their earlier medical models to take a deeper look into these factors in assessment, diagnosis and interventions for persons affected by psychopathology. This paper begins with introductory note on key terms: ‘clinical assessment’ and ‘culture’ before discussing the problems and issues related to their use across cultural backgrounds. There is a growing need for examiners to rise above-and-balance between narrow ethnocentric concerns; or alternatively, xenocentric over adulatign of everything foreign. Further, there is necessity to re-adapt to local issues or perceptions, adopt an-attitude. of cultural relativism, view problems across narrow borders, and transcend toward trans-cultuml assessment too. All these concerns are highlighted and discussed in this paper before charting a tentative agenda for future along these lines in the country.