Building Self-Knowledge (Con't) and Culture Flashcards
What is culture?
“Culture is a loosely integrated system of ideas, practices, and social institutions that enable coordination of behaviour in a population”
Cultural Differences in Social Orientation
Individualistic:
*Common in Western countries
*Prioritizing the individual via self-interest and self-expression
*Driver of behaviour are internal states (own thoughts, feelings, desires)
Cultural Differences in Social Orientation
Collectivistic:
*Common in East Asian countries
*Prioritizing the group and group harmony via suspension of self-interest
*Drivers of behaviour are external factors (duties, norms, others’ expectations)
What do individualistic vs collectivistic cultures foster?
Individualistic Cultures
*Fosters an independent self-concept
*Distinguishing self from others
Collectivistic Cultures
*Fosters an interdependent self-concept
*Fitting self with others by focusing on aspects of identity that make one similar to close others
Explain how visually self concepts are in individualistic vs collectivistic cultures?
Individualistic: (Independent from the self, and spread out)
Collectivistic: (Overlapping with the self)
How Does Culture Shape the Individual?
*Important function of culture is to provide guidance for what is normal and how to be a person
*We internalize this guidance and in doing so, this shapes our self-concept
(Use a type of self sterotyping)
How does parenting differ across cultures?
Individualistic Culture
*Mothers teach infants early on to spend time on their own
*Babies are expected to start sleeping alone without parents starting at 3 months
*Emotional self-expression is encourage
Collectivistic Culture
*Mothers teach infants early on that obedience and respect are important
*Co-sleeping for the first couple years of life *Conversations with children are directive and instructional
What is the Subsistence theory (on origins of the cultural differences)?
the way people in a culture historically made a living influences culture
Farming cultures are more interdependent
*Many people have to work on one field
*People have to share the harvest of farming for the rest of the year
Herding and fishing cultures are more independent
*Food is more consistent so have to negotiate with others less
*Herders rely on working with others less
What are Cultural Differences in Cognition?
Individualistic Cultures
*Analytic thinking:
*Focus on individual components of a situation/object
*Attention directed at specific details rather than context
Collectivistic Cultures
*Holistic thinking:
*Focus on the whole and the relationship between parts
*Attention to broader patterns
“Which two go together?”
(Cow is sorted with a chicken vs grass)
*American children put the chicken and cow together because focus on category
*Chinese children put the cow and grass together because focus on relationship
What is Field Dependence/ Independence
What is the difference between Field Dependence/ Independence?
Degree to which a person’s perception is affected by the context or surrounding environment (“field”)
*Field dependent: More affected by context/environment
*Field independent: Less affected by context/environment
East Asians are more field dependent
Cultural Differences in Causal Attribution (STUDY: attributing responsibiltiy)
North Americans and East Asians should attribute responsibility differently
NA: Responsibly to individual
EA: Responsibility to social collective
Ex. Analyzed articles about “rogue trader” scandals reported in American vs. Japanese newspapers
*American newspapers more likely to attribute responsibility to individuals (disposition)
*Japanese newspapers more likely to attribute responsibility to organizations (situation)
What are Cultural Differences in Emotion?
Western Cultures
*More emotionally expressive
East Asian Cultures
*More emotionally restrained
Explain how Value of suppressing emotion depends on culture?
*Western cultures: Suppressing emotions is distressing and can lead to negative mental and physical health outcomes
*Personal expression is valued
*East Asian cultures: Suppressing emotions may not lead to negative mental and physical health outcomes
*Emotional restraint is valued
How did Greater emotional suppression findings depend on culture?
Greater emotional suppression related to poorer psychological functioning only for European Americans, but not for Hong Kong Chinese
(In general Chinese ppl report more depressive symptoms and less life satisfaction)
Which types of emotions were emphasized in different cultures?
Western: Emphasis on socially disengaging emotions : *Emotions that focus on self and distinctiveness
*E.g., pride, feeling superior, frustration, self-esteem
Eastern: Emphasis on socially engaging emotions:
*Emotions related to fitting in and connecting with others
*E.g., wanting to feel close, respect for others, guilt, shame
Why might Chinese people report more depressive symptoms?
- Gave more western descriptions / and or used western tools
- In western cultures, we expect to be happy all the time
What are the Implications of Cultural Differences?
Field of psyc focuses on ppl, but we focus on WEIRD cultures
Is it really a study of all human behaviour?
What about other cultures?
What do they find with Expressive Interdependence in Latino Culture?
Latin America is considered to be collectivistic/interdependent
*But, achieves this interdependence by being emotionally expressive
*In contrast to East Asian interdependence achieved through emotional restraint
What do they find with Expressive Interdependence in Latino Culture?
Study: comparing European Americans, Colombians, and Japanese student
- Field dependence
- situational attributions
- emotions
FOUND: Columbians in between Americans and Japanese on field dependence vs. independence
Columbians in between Americans and Japanese in making situational vs. dispositional attributions
Columbians more emotionally expressive than Japanese, and similar to Americans
*BUT, express more socially engaging (vs. disengaging) emotions than Americans, similar to Japanese
What do they find with Assertive Interdependence in Arab Culture?
Arabs as a cultural group are considered to be collectivistic/interdependent
*BUT may promote interdependence through self-assertion
What do they find with Assertive Interdependence in Arab Culture?
(STUDY)
comparing European Americans, Saudis, Lebanese, and Japanese students on cognition and self-assertion
Study: Assertive Interdependence in Arab
*Arabs showed holistic cognition similar to Japanese
*Arabs shows self-assertion similar to American
Germany is an independent culture, but emotional experience is different from USA
*Study: Examined differences in reaction to grief between European Americans and Germans
What did they find?
Participants imagined their reactions to a close acquaintance losing a loved one
*Results:
*European Americans (vs. Germans) reported greater desire to avoid negative emotions
Led to differences in how sympathy was expressed
*European Americans more likely to send sympathy card that focuses on the positive
*Germans more likely to send sympathy card that focuses on negative
What are the Implications of Research in Latino and Arab Cultures?
Independence vs. interdependence looks different in different cultures
- One size does not fit all
