ABSTRACT
Most research on psychopathology is based in the west, particularly in North America. As a consequence, we risk what Kennedy, Scheirer, and Rogers (1984) call a “monocultural science.” Studying mental health problems in but one comer of the world can limit our understanding of the forms, and the determinants, of psychological dysfunction across various social contexts. In addition, monocultural approaches may blur the distinction—so crucial to our understanding of mental health problems—between phenomena that are culture-specific and those that are culture-general (see Draguns, 1982; Jahoda, 1977).
