Contexts and Circumstances: The Cultural Preparation Process Model as a Template for Intervention Development
Contributing Author: Gideon Arulmani Intervention research has consistently shown that outcomes are poor when universal principles are applied without adapting them to the particular characteristics of a culture (e.g., Reese & Vera, 2007; Arulmani, 2019). Conversely, the effectiveness of an intervention could be greater when the ideas and concepts that lie behind an intervention cohere with the history, values, and beliefs of a particular community (Arulmani, 2011; Griffin & Miller, 2007). A salient application of the cultural preparedness model, therefore, is to facilitate intervention development such that it is grounded in the local culture. Four salient conceptual guidelines based on the cultural preparedness framework that can guide such a process are outlined below. Recognise cultural leadership The role of external agents such as specialists, theories or models can only be secondary to the already present leadership structure within a cultural system. The group...