ABSTRACT

I am both delighted and concerned about the development of multicul­ tural assessment. I am delighted because psychology is now beginning to take notice of culture. The developments in multicultural assessment reflect the growing interest in the psychological study of culture (e.g., Markus & Kitayama, 1991). I am concerned, however, that our efforts to advance an understanding of culture are based on narrow conceptuali­ zations. Culture is a complex, dynamic phenomenon that is grounded in social and historical contexts (Jenkins & Kamo, 1992). Developing meas­ ures of psychological variables such as stress or anxiety for specific ethnic groups or deriving global acculturation measures based on loosely asso­ ciated behavioral indexes (language, food, and music preferences) will not capture culture's richness.