Glossary C

Cultural truisms refer to attitudes and beliefs that are widely shared and rarely challenged in a society.

Cultural universality refers to the belief that the origin, process, and manifestation of disorders are equally applicable across cultures

Cultural-familial retardation refers to substandard intellectual performance that is presumed to stem from lack of opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills considered important within a cultural setting.

cultural–familial group refers to mental retardation in which there is no evidence of organic brain damage (usually associated with mild MR).

cultural–familial mental retardation refers to a mild form of mental retardation that may be caused largely by environmental influences.

Cultural/test-bias hypothesis refers to the notion that IQ tests and testing procedures have a built-in, middle-class bias that explains the substandard performance of children from lower-class and minority subcultures.

Culturally appropriate reactions is a term used from a diagnostic standpoint that refers to culturally appropriate reactions to life events which are are not often diagnosable as mental disorders, even when they cause distress or dysfunction in the client’s life.

Culturally skilled therapist refers to a therapist who has the awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to treat clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.