Kulturgebunden

Kulturgebunden is an adjective used to describe phenomena whose meaning, expression, or prevalence depends on a specific cultural context. In anthropology, sociology and cross-cultural psychology, the term emphasizes that certain beliefs, practices, emotions, or perceived illnesses arise from the norms, symbols and social structures of a culture rather than from universal human characteristics alone. In psychiatry and medical anthropology, the related concept "kulturgebundene Syndromen" or culture-bound syndromes denotes patterns of distress that appear to be specific to particular cultural groups, though boundaries are porous and change over time.

Examples often cited include ataque de nervios in Latin American and Caribbean communities; latah in Southeast Asia; amok in some Malay and Southeast Asian cultures; koro in East and Southeast Asia; and susto in Latin American contexts. These syndromes illustrate how culture shapes the meaning of symptoms, etiological attributions, help-seeking, and expected social responses. They do not imply that people in other cultures are immune to distress, but rather that expression and labeling differ across contexts.

Critics caution against reifying culture or treating kulturgebunden phenomena as static or immutable. Globalization, migration, and cultural exchange can transform or diffuse traditional patterns, creating hybrids. In practice, recognizing kulturgebunden aspects supports culturally sensitive assessment, reduces ethnocentric misinterpretation, and informs how psychosocial stress is experienced and addressed within a given community.