Article Report: Psychology Essay

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Definitions and Summary
The study by Vermeiden, et al. (2019) explored how culture influences positive psychotic experiences. Specifically, the study compared how university students in Nigeria, The Netherlands, and Norway experience positive psychotic symptoms. The purpose of this comparison was to establish cultural contrast in both the occurrence and perceived distress of positive psychotic experiences among these three populations. The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-42 (CAPE-42), a tool used to self-report psychotic experiences was utilized in the study.
Positive psychotic experiences or psychosis are characterized by delusions, strange experiences, and hallucinations (Vermeiden, et al., 2019). Individuals experiencing psychosis interpret and perceive reality differently from people around them. The study reveals that psychotic experiences can develop into a psychotic disorder. As such, understanding the role of culture in positive psychotic experiences can guide practitioners in assessing and treating clinical psychotic disorders.
Positive psychotic experiences might be different among individuals from different cultural groups. Culture, which refers to a set of values, attitudes, and beliefs shared by members of a group, determines how people from that particular group interpret reality and strange occurrences. Thus, culture can affect how people perceive certain experiences. For instance, members of a group that believes in the supernaturals or paranormal events are more likely to accept hallucinations. Those from a group that does not believe in the supernatural might frown upon hallucination. Also, culture can determine how often people from a certain group experience a psychotic episode, as well as the level of distress, experienced. For instance, the level of distress among members of a group that treats hallucinations as normal may be lower than among members who considered hallucinations inappropriate.
Identification of Features
The groups being compared in the study were from different countries. Three countries namely Nigeria, Norway, and the Netherlands were included in the study. The last two countries are on the same Continent while the former is on a different Continent. Also, the last two are western countries while the former is non-western. The participants in the study, from all three countries, were university students aged between 18 and 30 years old with no history of psychotic disorder.
However, the participants were proficient in different languages. Those from Nigeria were proficient in English, those from Norway had a good command of the Norwegian language, and those from the Netherlands were proficient in the Dutch Language. Also, among the Nigerian group, participants were from different ethnic groups. The ethnic groups included were Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, among others. However, the Norwegian and Dutch groups were not from different subcultures. Another distinguishing characteristic of the groups was that participants from the Netherlands were the oldest and those from Nigeria were the youngest. Gender representation in the groups was also different. The Nigerian group had an equal representation ...