Midterm Flashcards
Multicultural Psychology
Systematic study of
behavior, cognitions, and
affect in settings where
people of different
backgrounds interact
Culture
The values, beliefs, and
practices of a group of people,
shared through symbols, and passed
down from generation to
generation.
Descriptive Culture
specific behaviors & activities
associated w/ a culture
Normative Cultureq
rules that govern the behavior of a
group
Psychological Culture
behavioral processes, learning, &
problem solving
Structural Culture
reflects the organizational elements of
a culture
Historical Culture
a group’s heritage & traditions
Biological Concept of Race
group
of people who share a specific
combination of physical,
genetically inherited
characteristics that distinguish
them from other groups
Sociocultural concept of Race
characteristics, values, & behaviors
that have been associated w/
groups of people who share
different physical characteristics
serve the social purpose of
providing a way for outsiders to
view another group & for members
of a group to perceive themselves.
Intersectionality
Tmeaningful ways in which
various social statuses (e.g., race,
gender, social class) interact and
result in differing experiences with
oppression and privilege.
Culture Contact
ritical incidents in which
people from different cultures come
into social contact with one another
either
(a) by living and working with one
another on a daily basis, or
(b) through visiting other countries on
a temporary basis, such as for
business, tourism, or study.
Equality
assumes that everyone is equal,
such as everyone’s vote in an election
counts the same as everyone else’s vote
Equity
recognizes differences and
injustices and helps to provide remedies
for these injustices, such as by recognizing
the extra difficulties encountered by
students from poor backgrounds and
providing scholarships for them.
Eugenics
A movement that maintains
that only “good genes” should be
passed from generation to
generation and that “undesirable”
groups should be dissuaded from
reproducing.
Worldview
A worldview is a
psychological perception
of the world that
determines how we
think, behave, and feel.
It’s how 2 people can
react & interpret the
same situation differently
Etic Perspective
an attempt to build theories of human
behavior by examining commonalities across many cultures
Emic Perspective
an attempt to derive meaningful concepts
within one culture
Imposed Ethics
the imposition of one culture’s worldview on
another culture, assuming that one’s own worldviews are
universal.
Individualism
social pattern where individuals are
motivated by their own preferences, needs, & rights
when they come into conflict with those of a group
Collectivism
social pattern where individuals are
motivated by the group’s or collective’s preferences,
needs, and rights
Guilt
a prominent
negative emotion in
individualistic cultures
that involves an
individual’s sense of
personal regret for
having engaged in a
negative behavior
Shame
a prominent negative
emotion in collectivistic cultures
that involves an individual’s sense of
regret for having engaged in a
negative behavior that reflects badly
upon his or her family and/or upbringing.
Stereotype
A cognitive categorization
or generalization of people based on
some demographic characteristic.
Attribution Theory
A theory that attempts to determine
the cause of a behavior, two
dimensions:
- Internal-external: Who’s fault is it?
- Stable-unstable: How often does it happen
Fundamental Attribution Error
Tendency to overestimate character (internal,
stable) causes of behaviors and to underestimate
external causes of behaviors
What we “see” is the person, not always the
contextual factors
Ultimate Attribution Error
Tendency to ascribe the cause of a behavior to
personality characteristics of the group rather
than to an individual member.
illusory correlation
an overestimation of the co-occurrence of two
minority events;
if European Americans and Latinxs have engaged in the same percentage of shoplifting in the past, store managers and workers may feel that Latinxs engage in a greater amount of shoplifting (illusory correlation) because the co-occurrence of the minority group (Latinx) and the minority behavior (shoplifting) in the past had a greater impact on perception
Availability Heuristic
mental shortcut whereby the
importance, frequency, or credence of something is
exaggerated because it comes to mind easily
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
when two cognitions are in conflict, a person will be motivated to change one of them to reduce the
unsettled feelings caused by the discrepancy; justifying our actions by putting the blame onto someone else
Stereotype Threat
Fear that one will confirm the negative stereotype of a group to which one belongs, in an area in which the individual excels
Prejudice
a negative judgment about a group or its members based on their categorization
–Internal
Discrimination
negative behavior toward a group or its members based upon their categorization
–External
Overt Racism
those in the majority engage in open, hostile
acts of aggression against racial minorities consciously & unapologetically
Covert intentional racism
behavior covered up so that one can deny his or her racism
Covert unintentional racism
unintentional behavior but serves to perpetuate ongoing racist acts
Color Blind Racial Ideology
An attempt to pretend race and racism will not exist if people ignore race and ethnicity
Power Evasion
Differences in accomplishment are completely based on individual’s own work, not due to any
advantages of color built into the system
Microaggressions
A small slight that maybe intentional but is
mostly unintentional & does not harm the target
of the offenses in any major way but can
accumulate to be burdensome over time.
Microassault
a blatant verbal, nonverbal, or environmental attack intentionally discriminatory or biased
Microinsult
an unintentional behavior or verbal comment conveying rudeness or insensitivity
Microinvalidation
an action that excludes, negates, or dismisses the
perceptions of the target person.
Privilege
System of unearned advantage granted due to social identity
First Socialization
Taught on a personal level by parents, family members, teachers, people we love and trust
* They shape our: expectations, norms, values, roles, rules, goals, and dreams
Institutional and Cultural Socialization
Reinforced with messages from
* Institutions, schools, church
* Media, music
* Legal system
* Mental & medical healthcare
On conscious and unconscious level
Enforcement
Rewards and privileges for maintaining rules & roles
* Punishments for going against conventional
messages
Health
a complete state of physical, mental, & social well-being (not merely the absence of disease)
Health Behaviors
behaviors people do to enhance or maintain their well-being
Health Psychology
study of psych influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill, & how they respond
when sick
Health Belief Model
A set of assumptions that suggests that one’s health behavior is affected by one’s perception of a personal health threat & by how a particular health practice would be effective in reducing the health threat
Susceptibility
likelihood of acquiring a disease or being impacted by an illness-producing stimulus
Severity
intensity of negative outcome
Benefits
advantage gained from a behavior
Barriers
obstacles that reduce the likelihood of engaging in a new behavior.
Taijin Kyofusho
Patients with taijin kyofusho (literally “the disorder of fear”) experience extreme self-consciousness regarding their appearance. Patients suffer from intense, disabling fear that their bodies are embarrassing or offensive to others. This culture-bound condition has overlapping features with social phobia and body dysmorphic disorder.
Somatization
The expression of mental disorders through physical disorders.
- Example: In some Latino and Mediterranean cultures, people may complain of headaches or
stomach aches instead of anxiety or depression.
Cultural Competence
the ability to interact effectively with
people of different cultures
Responding to social inequality
Self-regulation of one’s own prejudiced behavior, Contact with members of negatively-stereotyped groups, Integrating the contact and self-regulation
approaches to prejudice reduction,
Conformity
where an individual sees the dominant culture as better and superior to all groups including one’s own group
Dissonance
where there is a sudden OR gradual “occurrence” that challenges a person’s belief that the dominant group is superior
Resistance and Immersion
where one becomes more immersed within his/her own cultural group, rejecting dominant culture with anger, guilt, and shame for his/her initial preference of the dominant culture and rejection of his/her own
Introspection
where one becomes less angry at/distrustful of the dominant group, less immersed in own group, more appreciating of other cultural groups, and more apt to educate him/herself about own identity, though the process still creates some
inner conflict
Integrative awareness
where one finds greater balance, appreciates his/her own group & other cultural groups, and becomes aware of him/herself as an individual and a cultural being
- recognizes differences among cultural
groups, both positive & negative
Racial Salience
The extent to which one’s race is relevant may differ, depending upon a particular time or in a particular situation
Ethnicity
a category of people who identify with each other based on similarities such as common ancestry/history, language, and culture
Nationality
The nation where you have legal citizenship
Race
a group of people who share a specific combination of physical, genetically inherited characteristics
that distinguish them from other groups
Sociocultural concept of race
characteristics, values, & behaviors that have been associated with groups of people who share different physical characteristics serve the social
purpose of providing a way for outsiders to view another group and for members of a group to perceive themselves.
Eugenics
A movement that maintains that only “good genes”
should be passed from generation to generation and that “undesirable groups” should be dissuaded from reproducing.
