Cultural Influences on Clinical Perception

Abstract

Five white and five Chinese-American therapists were compared in regard to their conceptions of normality, their empathic ability, and their perceptions of the same Chinese and white clients seen on a videotaped interview. The study found that (1) both therapist groups basically agreed in their conceptions of normality; (2) white therapists were more accurate in predicting self-descriptive responses of white than of Chinese clients; and (3) there were significant differences between ratings of the same clients given by white and Chinese-American therapists. The ratings given by white and Chinese-American therapists were compared on six different rational clusters. Chinese clients were rated higher on a "Depression/Inhibition" cluster and lower on a "Social Poise/ Interpersonal Capacity" cluster by white therapists than by Chinese-American therapists. Chinese-American therapists judged the white clients to be more severely disturbed than did the white therapists. Differences were interpreted as reflections of therapists' biases as well as their own world view.