Unde和rstanding Cross-Cultural Psychology.pptVIP

Understanding Cross-Cultural Psychology Psychology The discipline concerned with behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment. Psychology’s Purpose To understand, explain, predict, and control behavior. If we could, at this time, shrink the Earth’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look like this:There would be-- 14 from the Western Hemisphere (North and South), and 8 Africans. 70 would be non-white. 70 would be non-Christian. 50% of the world’s wealth would be in the hands of only 6 people All 6 would be citizens of the United States. 70 would be unable to read. 50 would suffer from malnutrition. 80 would live in sub-standard housing. Only 1 would have a college education. What is Cross-Cultural Psychology? Cross-Cultural Psychology Critical comparative study of cultural effects on human psychology Examines psychological diversity and the underlying reasons for that diversity Linkages between cultural norms and behaviors influenced by different social and cultural forces (Segall et al., 1990, p. 3) Establishes new psychological universals e.g., personality Basic Definitions Culture A program of shared rules, attitudes, values, and beliefs that govern the behavior of the majority of community members communicated from one generation to the next; has explicit and implicit components Race a group of people distinguished by certain similar and genetically transmitted physical characteristics; antiquated and meaningless A social category reflecting particular experiences shared by many people belonging to a category called race (Goulf, 1994, 1997; Brace, 1995) Categories: white, black, Native American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity Cultural heritage i.e., common ancestral origin, language, traditions, religion, geographic territory Nation People who share common geographical origin, history, language,