Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health. A Comparison of China and Norway

Seminar paper from the year 2022 in the subject Health - Mental Health, grade: 1,3, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Dusseldorf (Wirtschaft und Medien), course: Intercultural Competences, language: English, abstract: This scientific paper presents the different cultural perspectives on mental health, with the cultures compared being Norwegian and Chinese. First, the term culture is examined in detail and defined, with the aim of creating a thematic basis. Second, Hofstede's six cultural dimensions are explained. This is followed by the definition of mental health, and the interrelationship between culture and mental health is elaborated and examined afterwards. To give an insight into the cultural perspectives on mental health in Norway and China, an overview of the development and perspectives of the mental health concept within the cultures is given. To conclude this paper, a comparison is drawn between the Norwegian and Chinese culture using the cultural dimensions according to Hofstede as a tool for analysis.