CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY Robyn M Holmes Chapter 1 Introduction
CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY Robyn M. Holmes Chapter 1: Introduction to Cultural Psychology
Chapter 1 Outline What is Culture? § Defining Culture § What Culture is Not § What is Your Nationality? § Is Ethnicity the Same as Culture?
Chapter 1 Outline Who Studies Culture? § § § Cross-Cultural Psychology Indigenous Psychology Anthropology Cultural Studies Sociology
Chapter 1 Outline Constructs for Thinking About Culture § Cultural Universal or Culture Specific? § Emics and Etics § Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism § Individualism and Collectivism
Chapter 1 Outline Why Should We Study Culture? § Changing Technology § Changing Population Demographics
Chapter 1 Outline Applying Cultural Psychology to Real Life Settings § Culture and Schooling - Classroom Cases § Native American Children § Native Hawaiian Children § The Middle East
Chapter 1 Outline Applying Cultural Psychology to Real Life Settings § Culture and Business - Workplace Cases § Culture and Development § Culture and Well-Being – Clinical Contexts
Chapter 1 Learning Goals § Define culture and its distinguishing features § Evaluate different definitions of culture § Provide an example of a cultural universal § Discuss the relationship between emics and etics § Explain the terms ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
Chapter 1 Learning Goals § Select several reasons why we should study culture § Compare individualism and collectivism § Describe the importance of cultural psychological research § Synthesize the goals of the different disciplines that study culture
Engaging with Culture Rebecca New’s study on Italian children's play: § Explored the connection between culture, play and development § The developmental niche § Physical and social settings of daily life § Childrearing customs and practices § Psychology of the caregiver including parental beliefs about childrearing
In studying cultural psychology, we learn about: § The ways in which cultural worldviews, values, and practices shape our actions, thoughts, and feelings § How cultural actions shape processes of the human mind § Richard Shweder – culture is the collection of individual minds
What is Culture? § Customs § Practices § Routines § Scripts
Defining Culture Sir Edward Tylor (1871) § The first definition of culture § Culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. ”
The Metaphor of Culture as a Tool Kit § This ‘tool kit’ includes our skills, abilities, practices, scripts, and worldviews that help us navigate and make sense of our social worlds
In this text, culture refers to: § A phenomenon we share, learn, live, experience, and perform § A context for learning, development, and participating in daily cultural practices and social interactions that envelopes individuals and groups of people § A phenomenon that helps us to make sense of our social world and shapes our thinking and actions in all spheres of life
What Culture Is: § A shared system of meanings § Learned and passed on from one generation to the next § Adaptive and ever-changing § Symbolic § Lived and performed
What Culture Is Not? § Nationality is not culture § Your place of birth § Can you think of situations in which individuals might activate a different cultural or national identity?
What Culture Is Not? § Ethnicity is not culture § Includes language, customs, practices, and ancestry § a free flowing, social construct § Do you think our nationality and ethnicity affects the way we think, feel, and act?
What Fields Study Culture? § Cross-cultural psychology § Cultural Psychology § Indigenous Psychology § Anthropology § Cultural Studies § Sociology
Constructs for Thinking about Culture § Cultural Universal or Culture Specific? § Absolutism § Relativism § Universalism § Emics and Etics
Constructs for Thinking about Culture § Ethnocentrism - judging another culture’s customs, practices, and beliefs in the context of your own culture § Cultural relativism - the process of viewing another society’s customs, practices, and beliefs within the context of that cultural setting
Individualism and Collectivism § Individualism - a cultural worldview or belief system that emphasizes an individual’s accomplishments, independence, selfexpression, uniqueness, supports voluntary relationships, and a bounded, distinct self
Individualism and Collectivism § Collectivism - a cultural worldview or belief system that emphasizes a sensitivity to others, group harmony, humility, behaving according to social norms and expectations, supports interconnected relationships, and an unbounded self
Why Should We Study Culture? § Changing Technology § Changing Population Demographics § Think about your own experiences. Is your social world culturally diverse?
Applying Cultural Psychology to Real-Life Settings Cultural psychology can provide: § Ways to help people solve problems, cope with stress, and improve the quality of their lived experiences § Reduce cultural misunderstandings
Applying Cultural Psychology to Real-Life Settings § Culture and Schooling- Classroom Cases § Native American Children § Native Hawaiian Children § The Middle East § Culture and Business - Workplace Cases § Culture and Well-Being – Clinical Contexts
Applying Cultural Psychology in Clinical Settings § Simple knowledge of a client’s non-verbal behavior can be critical in the assessment process if the client and clinician are from different cultural backgrounds § The goals of therapeutic process are also dependent upon cultural values and ideology § Cultural differences in whether individuals will seek therapy and once they do so what they will reveal to therapist
Applying Cultural Psychology to Real-Life Settings Immigrant Experiences § The stress of migration and adjusting to a new home often puts many immigrants at risk for mental health issues
Culture and Development Helen Morton Lee’s (1996) Becoming Tongan: An Ethnography of Childhood § Illustrates the connection between cultural practices, parental beliefs about children, and developmental outcomes § Acquiring poto – a part of the Tongan cultural toolkit § Poto includes the skills, traits, abilities, and formal education necessary to become a culturally competent adult § Tongan children learn cultural values and skills through observation, participation, informal, and formal instruction
Culture and Development Helen Morton Lee’s (1996) Becoming Tongan: An Ethnography of Childhood § Children learn about respect by watching adults in their interactions with others § Smacking games - teach infants how to control their emotions and behavior § Children learn cultural routines that teach them the importance of adjusting one’s behavior to the situation and the consequences of one’s behavior in their daily social interactions
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