Culture

Question 1

Culture

Answer 1

The shared rules that govern the behaviour of a group of people and enable members of that group to co-exist and survive.

Question 2

Analytic Cultures

Answer 2

Pay attention to focal/key objects

Use strict categories for objects

Rely on formal rules and logic
(if there are two opposing views, if one is right the other is wrong)

Question 3

Holistic Cultures

Answer 3

Pay attention to entire field

Don’t use strict categories for objects

Rely on “dialectical” reasoning - allowing multiple perspectives and logical contradictions. (if there are two opposing views, both can be right)

Question 4

Egocentric

Answer 4

Self as main reference point.

Question 5

Geocentric

Answer 5

Cardinal directions as main reference point.

Question 6

Allocentric

Answer 6

“Non-self” object as main reference point.

“Move to the back of the theatre” etc.

Question 7

Emic

Answer 7

Understanding driven by cultural members attempt to understand a culture from the perspective of members of that culture- what cultural members find important and meaningful.

Question 8

Etic

Answer 8

Understanding driven by researcher/general theories

Question 9

Cultural vs Cross-cultural Psychology

Answer 9

• Cultural: examine features of cultures, and processes of culture maintenance and change, within cultures.
  ○ Could use emic or etic approaches
• Cross-cultural: identify areas of similarities and difference between cultures.
  ○ Associated with an etic approach.

These perspectives are complementary.

Question 10

Etic Approach to Culture

Answer 10

Five basic dimensions of culture

- Based on comparisons of responses to the same survey across countries. 
1. Power distance
	- Level of acceptance of inequality between people in a society. 
2. Individualism (vs. collectivism) 
	- Degree to which a society reinforces individual achievement instead of collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. 
3. 'Masculinity' 
	- Degree of which societies reinforce the traditional masculine work role model of achievement, control and power. 
4. Uncertainty avoidance 
	- Level of avoidance of uncertainty and ambiguity within a society. 
5. Long-tern orientation 
	- Degree to which societies embraces, or does not embrace, long term devotion to traditional values- expectations that change occurs slowly.

Question 11

Culture and Self

Answer 11

“The significance and the exact functional role that the person assigns to the other when defining the self depend on the culturally shared assumptions about the separation or connectedness between the self and other”.

Question 12

Independent Self

Answer 12

• Unique
• Autonomous
• Self-contained
• Individualistic
• Idiocentric

Question 13

Interdependent Self

Answer 13

• Connected
• Relational
• Holistic
• Collective
• Allocentric

Question 14

Culture Shock

Answer 14

A feeling of disorientation and anxiety that occurs as people from one culture encounter and adapt to the practices, rules and expectations of another culture.

Question 15

Stages of Culture Shock

Answer 15

1. Honeymoon: initial euphoria and excitement.
2. Disenchantment: disillusionment and even hostility towards new culture as values and habits conflict with local attitudes and beliefs.
3. Beginning resolution: recovery as confidence and understanding of the new culture grows.
4. Effective functioning: adjustments as the individual learns how to fit into new cultural environment.

Question 16

Acculturation

Answer 16

Living in other cultures for an extended period involves choices about how to engage with the majority (host) culture and one’s original culture (acculturation).

- These choices are influences by the majority culture 
- These acculturation styles have consequences for wellbeing