Context Matters: Commentary on Papers by Aschieri, Chudzik, Evans, and Fantini

ABSTRACT

This article discusses articles by Aschieri, Chudzik, Evans, and Fantini (this issue) that address cultural considerations in Therapeutic Assessment (TA). The importance of the cultural context in which a TA is conducted is highlighted. Among the themes highlighted are the conceptualization of psychology, and more specifically psychological assessment, as a culture in and of itself and the importance of shame (Aschieri), the way the cultural values influence the practice of assessment (Chudzik), the importance of understanding the meaning of one's experience within their culture (Evans), and the role of subcultural differences (Fantini). The role of culture is seen as an important variable across these articles that explore varied conceptualizations and influences on assessment psychology. Cultural sensitivity and responsivity is seen as a crucial factor in the avoidance of misalliances. The articles in this special section are viewed as important contributions to the TA literature and demonstrate how the TA paradigm can help assessors overcome potential cultural influences that could affect the benefit of a psychological assessment.