Week 6: Diversity and Culture

Question 1

Diversity refers to?

Answer 1

Diversity refers to the wide range of variations between people (e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, language, history, immigration status, gender, income, ability, age, geographic location)

Question 2

What is culture?

Answer 2

The distinctive customs, values, beliefs, knowledge, art, and language of a society or a community. These values and concepts are passed on from generation to generation, and they are the basis for everyday behaviours and practices.

Question 3

Diversity Ideologies

Answer 3

Two ways to think about diversity ideologies:
1. People’s beliefs about how to approach group differences (e.g., personal endorsement)

2. Practices that are institutionalised (e.g., laws and policies in a country, mission statements of organisations)

Question 4

Diversity Ideologies - ideology, aims, principles of categorisation (assimilation, colour-blindness, multiculturalism)

Answer 4

Assimilation - to reduce or eliminate diversity - recategorisation (one group); common ingroup identity model

Colour-blindness - to ignore diversity - decategorisation (no group)

Multiculturalism - to maintain and promote diversity - salient categorisation (multiple groups); dual identity model

Question 5

Ideologies - Assimilation, Colour-blindess, multi-culturalism - example items

Answer 5

Assimilation - People who come to Australia should change their behaviour to be more like Australians; the Unity of this country is weakened by people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds sticking to their old ways

Colour-blindness - I do not want Australians to be identified by their race, national origin, or religion; it’s best to judge one another as individuals rather than members of an ethnic group

Multi-culturalism - We should help ethnic and racial minorities preserve their cultural heritage in Australia; Immigrant parents must encourage their children to retain the culture and traditions of their homeland

Question 6

Assimilation - underlying philosophies

Answer 6

By getting people to focus entirely on their shared superordinate membership, subgroup identities will ‘melt away’ (common ingroup identity)

Racial/ethnic identification is an immature stage of a nation’s development which needs to be overcome

Cultural differences create potential for intergroup hostility - homogenization = harmony

Question 7

Melting Pot Assimilation

Answer 7

Assumption that assimilation will happen naturally through extensive intergroup contact

Eventually old identities will fuse together into a new homogenous identity

Question 8

Minority Group Assimilation

Answer 8

Assumption that minority groups (e.g., immigrants, indigenous people) should assimilate to the dominant culture

Assimilation should be encouraged by training or schooling minority ethnic groups to let go of their old identities

Question 9

Problems with Assimilation

Answer 9

Inhumane and unrealistic to expect people to let go of their group memberships

Assumes one culture is superior to another

Groups with low status and power risk being appropriated and extinguished

Forced assimilation is psychologically painful for groups

Question 10

Colour-Blindness

Answer 10

Managing diversity by ignoring group differences

Typically motivated by equality - to end oppression and discrimination we need to treat individuals without considering their group identities

Generally endorsed more by majority, high-power groups compared to minority, low-power groups

Question 11

Problems with Colour-blindness

Answer 11

Ignoring diversity often used to ignore disparities between groups with different levels of power and privilege

When exposed to a colour-blind ideology, children are less likely to detect the occurrence of discrimination

Colour-blindness is used by people who do not support egalitarianism (high on social dominance orientation) to inequality

Question 12

Multiculturalism

Answer 12

Managing diversity by focusing on the positive dimensions of group memberships

Acknowledging group differences and appreciating diversity

Multicultural ideologies is associated with improved intergroup relations

Question 13

Dual Identity Model- Multiculturalism

Answer 13

Recategorising in a superordinate identity while maintaining subgroup identities

Question 14

Psychological assumptions of multiculturalism

Answer 14

• cultural identity is fundamental to self- concept: ‘man is a thinking and sensitive being: serving hum from his roots could destroy an aspect of his personality and deprive society of some of the values he can bring to it’

security of identity is a precondition for tolerance - attempts to eclipse valued identities will result in more aggressive intergroup behaviour

Difference is not inconsistent with unity - unity in diversity, celebration of difference

Question 15

Caveats - Multiculturalism

Answer 15

Multi-cultuarism is viewed as exclusionary by members of the dominant group

People may support multi-culturalism in the abstract, but not concrete policies that would support it

Question 16

Diversity Frames - Many institutions and organisations promote diversity

Answer 16

The rationale for diversity inititatives can be framed in two major ways:
- Instrumental - refers to the benefit of diversity for an organisation’s performance (i.e., the business case)

Moral - presents diversity as having intrinsic value; diversity initiatives is about promoting equity and justice

Question 17

Instrumental diversity rationales are more prevalent in business compared to a moral diversity rationale, but…

Answer 17

Minority groups report lower sense of belonging to such organisations (e.g., LGBTQ+, Women, African Americans)

Question 18

Instrumental vs. Moral statement

Answer 18

Instrumental statement - diversity is about enriching students’ intellectual experience and preparing them to excel

Moral statement - diversity is about justice and ensuring that people from different backgrounds have access to an excellent education

Question 19

Diversity Frames - Starck, Sinclair, Shelton 2021

Answer 19

Instrumental diversity rationales were more common in higher education compared to moral rationales

Parents of Black students and admission staff at univerities expect Black students to fare worse in institutions with instrumental rationales for diversity

White Americans prefer instrumental diversity rationales

Question 20

Culture - Cross-cultural values

Answer 20

He found that different cultures tend to place an emphasis on different values

1. Power distance: the degree to which unequal power in institutions is accepted or, alternatively, egalitarianism is endorsed
2. Uncertainty avoidance: planning for stability in dealing with life’s uncertainties (e.g., sticking closely to rules)
3. Masculinity-Femininity- valuing traditionally ‘masculine’ traits (e.g., achievement, ambition) or ‘feminie’ traits (harmony, caring)
4. Individualism-collectivism - the extent to which your identity is determined by personal choices or by the collective

Question 21

Contrasting Values - Individualism/Collectivism

Answer 21

Individualism -
> independence, freedom, and self-sufficiency
> Strive for own goals and achievements
> Competition with others
> Uniqueness is valued
> Private
> Self-knowledge
> Direct Communication

Collectivism:
> Relatedness, consider others as integral to self
> Sense of belonging with groups
> Duty to the groups
> Harmony with others
> Advice and help sought from others
> Self-changes according to context
> Hierarchy is emphasised

Question 22

Culture Shapes Behaviour

Answer 22

Earley (1993) examined effort among Chinese (collectivist) and US (individualist) managers, depending on whether they were working in groups or whether they were working along

Findings:
- US managers tend to display social loafing

• Chinese managers tend to display social compensation

Question 23

Culture Shapes Behaviour - Israeli participants performed a problem-solving task

Answer 23

Allowed to seek help from the experimenter if they were ‘stuck’

Half of the participants were raised in a Kibbutz (more collectivist culture); half were raised in the city (more individualist culture)

Half the participants were told that task was testing individual achievement; half were told that the task was an intergroup competition

% of people seeking help
collectivist - higher percentage in group task

Individualist - higher in individual task

Question 24

Culture Shapes Behaviour - individualist and collectivist values are evidence in advertising

Answer 24

Examined advertising in various magazines in South Korea and US - coded advertisements depending on whether they emphasised - conformity / uniqueness

high percentage of conformity in S.K. and highp percentage of uniqueness

Question 25

Individualism on the Rise

Answer 25

A number of social commentators have noted an increasing tone of individualism (cult of the individual) since the 1970s

Putnam (2000) argued that people are becoming increasingly solitary and disengaged with society, which had led to increased loneliness and a breakdown of communal values

Question 26

Acculturation

Answer 26

Acculturation is the process of social psychological adjustment that occurs when different cultural groups come into contact

Acculturation typically studied as a process of migrant adaptation in a host culture
- > research focus on adaptations of immigrants and refugees

Essentially, acculturation is about how immigrants fit into their host culture

Question 27

Acculturation - YES/NO CHART

Answer 27

1. Is it considered valuable to develop relationships with the host society?
2. Is it considered valuable to maintain one’s cultural heritage?

Assimilation = 1. Yes, 2. No
Integration = 1. Yes, 2. Yes
Marginalisation = 1. No, 2. No
Separation = 1. No, 2. Yes

Question 28

Acculturation - Separation

Answer 28

Preserve cultural heritage and separating from the culture of the host country (‘sticking together)

Question 29

Acculturation - Integration

Answer 29

Maintaing cultural heritage while still participating in the culture of the host country

Question 30

Acculturation - Assimilation

Answer 30

Completely revoking cultural heritage and adopting values of the host country

Question 31

Acculturation - Marginalisation

Answer 31

Retreat from all types of cultural identification

Question 32

Acculturation - Immigrants/Migrants

Answer 32

Immigrants tend to prefer integration - which corresponds to multiculturalism

Freedom of expressing and maintaing heritage culture is dependent on migrants abiding by mutual civic obligations