Psy Chapter 13 - Took this course with Professor Amy Li. PDF

Preview

Summary

Took this course with Professor Amy Li....

Description

What is Culture? Culture is how we are interconnected through shared standards, beliefs, and values. Culture and Psychology Personality psychology focuses on psychological differences between individuals. Culture comes into play for two reasons. 1. Individuals may differ from each other to some extent because they belong to different cultural groups. 2. Members of some groups may differ from each other in distinctive ways. Where Does Culture Come From? The Ecological Model (Triandis): Triandis proposed that ecology is basically the outermost ring where it simmers down to different cultures, socialization, our personality, and behavior.

A Few Levels At Which Culture Exists In order to understand someone we have to understand how they construal the world through their cultural lens.

Language and Culture Language is a large part of our culture and subculture. Words influence how you think and perceive, including ourselves and others. Language vary between and within cultures Language is something you identify culturally. You might have to switch languages when you are communicating across cultures. Culture is Not Though people who are similar in these dimensions may also share a particular culture. ● Genetic ● Race

● Phenotype Ways in Which Culture is Transmitted Enculturation: adopting the norms, customs, and culture of the group in which one is born and reared. Acculturation: learning the culture of a new group into which one is introduced. Why Should We Be Concerned About Cross-Cultural Differences In the study of personality: ● The primary determinants of personality are genes and environment, including culture. ● To understand the extent our theories are generalized. In general: Culture influences how people vary both across and within cultures. ● To improve cross-cultural understanding ● To appreciate varieties in human experience. The way you see the world is a product of your experience and cultural background. Genetics are unlikely to be the primary basis of cross-cultural differences. Individuals within a cultural group are only slightly more similar to each other than they are to individuals from different groups. Etic vs Emics Etics: constructs/ concepts that are universal to all people and cultures. ● Some constructs may be incorrectly assumed to be tics. ● “Imposed Etics” occur when a construct from one culture is applied inappropriately to another. Emics: constructs particular to a specific culture. ● Researchers from one culture may not be sensitive to local emics. ● Their own cultural “filters” may prevent them from detecting or appreciating other emics or their significance. A Few Dimensions On Which Culture Are to Vary ● Tough and Easy ● Achievement and Affiliation ● Head vs. Heart ● Honor, Face, and Dignity ● Triands’ Etic Cultural Dimensions

Tough and Easy In easy cultures, individuals can pursue many different goals and at least some of them are relatively simple to attain. In tougher cultures, only a few goals are viewed as valuable and few ways are available to achieve them. Achievement and Affiliation Cultures whose stories manifest a high need for achievement, show more rapid industrial growth. Cultures whose stories manifest a high need for affiliation, show less rapid industrial growth. Head vs. Heart “Strength of Heart”: fairness, mercy, gratitude, hope, love, and religiosity. “Strength of Head”: artistic excellence, creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, & learning. Why Would Cities Vary 1. Selective Migration: different kinds of people are attracted to different cities. 2. Social influence can affect a person’s values. 3. Ecological factors may influence cultural differences between geographical areas. Honor, Face, and Dignity Western cultures in general are said to be dignity cultures. Individuals are valuable in their own right and this value does not come from what other people think of them. Cultures of honor emerge in environments where the forces of civilization (laws) are weak or nonexistent and people must protect themselves and their families. Eastern cultures tend to be face cultures. It emerge in societies that have stable hierarchies based on cooperation. People are motivated to protect each others’ social image by being careful not to insult, overtly criticize, or even disagree with each other in public. Triands’ Etic Cultural Dimensions Define the “personality” of cultures. Cultures can be considered relatively “high” vs “low” on each dimension. Key dimensions include: ● Complexity ● Tightness vs. Looseness ● Collectivism vs. Individualism

Complexity Refers to the intricacies associated with living in a particular culture/ society. The larger the population, the more complex it tends to be. Complex societies are characterized by a dominant culture and several subcultures. In simple societies, all individuals are in considerable agreement regarding their attitudes and beliefs partly because there are fewer people. Tightness vs Looseness Refers to the degree to which non-conformity is tolerated within the culture/ society. ● In tight cultures, norms are imposed tightly. ● In loose cultures, deviation from norms is tolerated. Common characteristics of tight (vs. loose) cultures ● Ethically homogeneity and densely populated societies tend to be culturally tight. Societies that are more diverse and more spread out tend to be culturally loose. ● High (vs. low) population density. In order to strictly enforce norms, people must be similar enough to agree on those norms. Select Aspects of Personality Collectivist Cultures Vs. Individualist Cultures

Collectivism vs Individualism The degree to which emphasis is placed on the group (“the collective) versus the individual. In collectivist cultures, the needs of the collective group are more important than the needs of the individual. In individualist cultures, the needs of the individual is more important than the needs of the collective group. People are viewed as separate from each other & independence is an important virtue. Personality traits have no meaning in collectivist cultures.

Self Regard The individualist’s need for positive self-regard may be felt less acutely by a member of a collectivist culture Sociability, Emotion, and Motivation Collectivist cultures are more sociable. They spend more time with fewer people. People in collectivist countries, experience other-focused emotions (such as sympathy). People are motivated to not “lose face” and to maintain the respect of others. Individualist cultures are less sociable. They spend less time with more people. People in individualist countries, experience more self-focused emotions (such as anger). In individualist cultures, motivation is more on individual achievement that stands apart from the group. Vertical and Horizontal Vertical Societies: individual people are importantly different from each other. Horizontal Societies: tend to view all persons as essentially equal. ● Collectivist-Vertical Society: might enforce strong authority on its members. ● Collectivist-Horizontal Society: might have weaker authority but a strong ethic that enforces equality and sharing. ● Individualist-Vertical Society: might have strong authority but also the freedom to support oneself. ● Individualist-Horizontal Society: value individual freedom but also assume that meeting everyone’s needs is a shared obligation. THE ONLY WAY TO understand a person is to appreciate his distinct view of reality....