Culture in Psychology Flashcards
What does universality refer to?
refers to a theory that applies to everyone, regardless of culture
Why does culture bias threaten universality?
because if a theory is judging negatively other cultures (ethnocentric) it may misrepresent certain cultures, it might make them appear inferior or pathological, or it may not actually apply to them at all.
What does culture bias refer to?
A tendency to judge all people in terms of your own cultural assumptions.
This distorts our judgement of other cultures.
What is ethnocentrism?
a type of cultural bias where people see the world only from their own cultural perspective and believe that this perspective is both normal and correct
What is the assumption that causes ethnocentrism?
The assumption is that the ethnic group with which one identifies with is superior, and ‘the norm’, and that those of other groups are strange or deviant
When does the assumption that causes ethnocentrism occur?
when we use our own cultural group as a basis for judgements about other groups.- this belief in the superiority of one’s own culture may lead to prejudice and discrimination towards other cultures.
What are examples of culture bias in psychology research?
-strange situation (chinese and german ppts)
-Jahoda’s deviation from ideal mental health
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What is cultural relativism?
the idea that behaviour can only be interpreted and understood if it is regarded from the viewpoint of the culture being studied
Why is cultural relativism good?
you are understanding a culture from within that culture
Why does cultural relativism oppose ethnocentrism?
because it doesn’t regard any culture as superior- it accepts that cultures are different, and that behaviour may be relative to one specific culture
What is cultural relativism particularity important in?
the diagnosis of mental health illness- something considered ‘normal’ in one culture might be considered pathological in another
What does the emic approach do?
investigates behaviour from within a culture and identifies behaviours that are specific to that culture
What does the etic approach do?
investigates behaviour from outside of a culture and attempts to describe those behaviours that are universal
What is an etic approach more likely to produce?
culturally-biased research
When does impose etic occur?
when theories and concepts are assumed to be universal, despite coming from emic research within a single culture
