Cultural Psychology W2 Flashcards
Understand culture and its importance in psychology
conventional rules governing group of people with shared values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour. It is the filter through which we see and understand our reality. Study of behaviour, is central to psychology, therefore, values, beliefs and culture that shapes human behaviour are important in psychology.
“The purpose of psychology is to be relevant and responsive towards people’s need. The key to providing the best assistance is to best understand the needs suited for them, their values and their differences.”
Cultural Psychology
Cultural psychology is the study of behaviour within the culture — how people shape and are shaped by their culture in general. It focuses on the hierarchical nature of society and social groups, identity and intersectionality such as gender, ethnicity, class. Indigenous Psychology recognise that people have complex and highly developed understandings of themselves and that there is more than one legitimate psychological approach to understanding the social world and the place of different people within it.
Describe how cultural psychology can explain the way people experience the society they live in
People behave according to what the society expects them to behave. With the existing stereotype, culture or what is commonly and conventionally existing, shapes people to act or participate in what the others are doing. Culture can also be the factor that creates walls between group, which causes racism, prejudice and marginalisation through differences between the group’s values, beliefs and standards.
Describe the cultural limitations and biases in psychology
The WEIRD society limits the knowledge of how different every person is (limits the idea of diversity). Most psychology studies are conducted under WEIRD society (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) that is generalised through to the groups outside the WEIRD society. It is biased as it defines the people that are not members of weird society as they are neglecting and ignoring their differences.
Describe cross-cultural psychology, it’s strength and limitations
It is the study of how culture influence psychological process. It compares the psychological process of people from different nations or ethnic group and focuses on the variance and invariance of their behaviour/ mental processes. It gives the scope of diversity, and acknowledges differences between groups or members.
Cultural influences of emotions
Emotions can be interpreted differently from different cultures. The conventional basis of emotional response can vary according to how such group perceive or express the emotions. As of these differences in culture, it affects in ways that people in different groups of culture are trained to response or feel something towards a stimuli.
Individualism
Culture that has the concept of self or individual being separated. Prioritises individual interest and fulfilment of individual goals , promoting independence, autonomy and accumulates individual wealth. Normalising possessions as the individual standard, leadership, competitiveness, aggression and achievements.
Collectivism
Defining self in relation to the group, prioritising group interest, interdependences and solidarity of people within the group, pursuit of happiness and harmony. Normalises behaviours that adhere to the group and collective ownership. Conformity, obligations and sense of duty.
Acculturation Typologies
The changes and consequences that occur for individuals as a result of crossing from one cultural context to another
Typologies:
Integration: high in host culture acquisition and home cultural maintenance
Assimilation: high in host culture acquisition and low in home cultural maintenance
Separation: low in host culture acquisition and high in home cultural maintenance
Marginalisation: low in host culture acquisition and home culture maintenance
Ethnocentrism
People of one culture using their scope of values, standard, attitudes and behaviour as yardstick against which they judge the way others think and behave.
Stereotype
Set of beliefs that all members or group share the same attributes or traits. Cognitive, more specific beliefs than general attitudes.
“How do I categorise people?”
Prejudice
Attitudes and feelings (positive or negative; conscious or unconscious) that people have about members of others. Affective, behavioural and cognitive.
“How do I feel about people?”
Discrimination
Behaviours that follow from evaluations or attitudes towards members of other group. Behavioural. The behaviour manifested from prejudiced attitude.
“How do I act towards people”
Racism
The systematic and pervasive view, social forces, institution, ideologies and processes where one ethnic is considered dominant and superior among the other ethnicity, therefore creating inequity.
Indigenous Psychology
A develop psychology that studies around improving the local psychology that does not impose imported studies towards the local people. This psychological knowledge is developed within the culture by the indigenous people’s demand for voice in decisions that impact on their future.
