Intercultural Perspectives on Trauma

Traumatic experiences vary in part due to the different adversities and experiences people from diverse cultures throughout the world face. And even though most of our understanding of psychological trauma is built on samples found in western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries, many researchers generalize these findings to non-WEIRD populations. In this course, we look at psychological trauma and post-traumatic stress through a multicultural lens, beyond the western perspective. Can a global model of trauma fit all cultures? If not, how should we properly assess trauma using culturally valid methods? What is the impact of the cultural experience on perceiving an event as traumatic? After answering these questions, we apply the foundational knowledge acquired during the course to establish a deeper understanding of cross-cultural trauma in veterans, refugees, and women who experience female genital excision.