Developing an Appropriate Psychology through Culturally Sensitive Research Practices in the Arabic-Speaking World

Abstract

Contemporary psychologists in the Arabic-speaking world remain deeply concerned with many of the same foundational issues that have impeded the development of sustainable research traditions since at least the 1950s. As a means of assessing historical and current trends in regional research practices, the project reported in this article employs a content analysis method to assess the cultural sensitivity of peer-reviewed English-language empirical studies conducted on peoples of the Arabic-speaking world. Results suggest that cultural sensitivity is quite low on many of the dimensions assessed, including whether/how findings are applied to everyday settings, validity of methodological procedures employed, the way cultural contributions to psychological processes are discussed, the local relevance of conclusions drawn from empirical findings, and how theories and concepts are transferred from mainstream (Western) psychology. The current findings are used to suggest some strategic and potentially controversial connections between culturally sensitive research and developing an appropriate psychology.