Discusses the culture of Caribbean immigrants to the United States and its effect on their adaptation to the American health system. Proposes that health policy direct additional funding to areas where Caribbeans are concentrated, and that Americans develop understanding of the cultural differences between Caribbeans and U.S. native, non-White…

Discusses the Eurocentric nature of the United States social reality, and investigates psychological and mental health implications for the African-American community. Outlines the basic themes, emphases and criteria of Euro-American cosmology and describes how it can come to dominate the Afro-American's self-consciousness. Suggests ways to…

Proposes a framework for analyzing the relationships between social structure, patterns of artistic consumption and production, and the classification of artistic genres. Societies' artistic classification systems vary along four dimensions: differentiation, hierarchy, universality, and boundary strength. These are affected by social structure…

Discusses autonomy in language related to East-Asian contexts, describing autonomy in language learning, proposing a framework for learners in all contexts, examining three sources of sociocultural influence that could affect students' approaches to learning in East Asia, and considering attitudes and habits of learning that might result from such…

Included in this report are descriptions of the background, lifestyle, and sociocultural patterns of Ethiopian refugees. Intended to provide information for American sponsors involved in Ethiopian refugee adjustment and resettlement in the United States, the report discusses Ethiopian and American differences in patterns of thinking and behavior…

Provided in this report are descriptions of the sociocultural background of Afghan refugees and other information that may be of use to those involved in sponsoring Afghan refugees in the United States. The report discusses facets of Afghan life and culture, including religion, personal relationships, family structure, and male-female relations;…

This report discusses the substance use patterns and problems of Asian Americans adults and youth relative to other ethnic groups (primarily Whites). In addition, it summarizes the main explanations that have been offered for ethnic differences in use, and offers possible conclusions that may be drawn concerning prevention for Asian-American young…

This report provides background information on Polish refugees that may be of use to sponsors involved in Polish refugee resettlement in the United States. The report discusses economic and social conditions in Poland; the social values and political attitudes of modern Polish refugees as opposed to those of Poles who settled in the United States…

For Kung hunter-gatherers and Fijian fishing people, healing is a central community ritual with significance beyond the cure itself. An enhanced state of consciousness, experienced most intensely by the healer, but also shared by the community, is at the core of Kung and Fijian healing. Although in contemporary Euro-American culture the spiritual…

The cross-cultural validity of many models of personality development has been challenged because of their emphasis on Western ideals of individuation, setting goals for oneself, and aggressively pursuing those goals. The model of Hindu society presented in this paper is different. Case studies of two individuals who sought psychological help are…

An educator reflects on preservice teachers in his class who were concerned with issues of interpersonal relations and classroom dynamics but not with socioeconomic, intercultural, and political contexts of education. Nevertheless, there were some faculty and students involved in urban schools bringing reconstructionist ideas of education for…

The relationship between Chinese-Americans and their elderly parents is examined in the context of the Chinese concept of "heart." The Chinese word "heart" expresses a concept central to the dynamics of family transactions and especially to the relationship of elderly parents to adult children. Chinese culture is not a physically or verbally…

A handbook for those involved in Southeast Asian refugee assistance discusses some of the values and customs that refugee groups from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam may have in common and looks at the different countries and peoples of the region. A section on the shared values and customs of Indochinese refugees focuses on aspects of family life,…

This report discusses the substance use patterns and problems of black adults and youth relative to other groups (primarily whites). In addition, the report examines recent and older literature in order to reveal factors that may influence use and issues that need to be considered in designing prevention programs. The following sections are…

Because Japanese society has traditionally emphasized the group rather than the individual, less research has been done to understand how Japanese culture conceptualizes the individual and how that individual develops within the society. This paper focuses on the individual in Japanese society. Following an introduction (Section I), Section II…