cultural development psych midterm

centrism

tendency to perceive one’s own culture as the standard of comparison

Vygotsky

nature and nurture influence human development by interacting indirectly through culture

objective elements of culture

dancing, traditions, clothing, language, writing

subjective elements of culture

beliefs, values, religion, identity, norms, gender roles, behavior patterns, celebrations

culture

a unique meaning system shared by a group transmitted across generations to meet basic needs, to pursue well-being, and to derive meaning from life

self-esteem

cognitive and affective evaluations one makes about themselves

self-enhancement

one bolstering their self-esteem

terror management theory

constantly enhancing ourselves as a defense against fear of death

mutual self-enhancement

self-enhancement in a culturally appropriate way

self-effacement

downplaying one’s virtues

racial/ethnic identity

a sense of belonging to a racial/ethnic group, and the feelings and attitudes that accompany the sense of group membership

two factors are essential to achieving a mature identity

exploration and commitment

Marcia’s model of identity formation

identity diffusion, moratorium, identity achievement, foreclosure

identity diffusion

less commitment, less exploration

moratorium

more exploration, less commitment

identity achievement

more exploration, more commitment

foreclosure

more commitment, less exploration

multidimensional model of racial identity

centrality, private regard, public regard

centrality

the extent to which individuals define themselves in terms of race/ethnicity

private regard

evaluations of one’s own group

public regard

how I think others think of my race group

cultural frame switching

switching between one cultural system and another depending on the context

identity denial

not being recognized as a member of the group to which they identify

cultural reaffirmation effect

adhering to the values associated with native culture more than native persons

independent self-concept

self as separate, defined by internal attributes

interdependent self-concept

self as inseparable from social context

Western culture self

self-contained autonomous, seeking independence from others, discovering and expressing one’s unique inner attributes

Non-Western culture self

related to others, seeking harmonious interdependence, attending to others’ needs

cultural beliefs → practices

child-rearing practices, discipline, goals of education

recent cultural changes

increasingly interconnected, increasingly individualistic

cross-culture groups being connected due to

ease of travel and ease of long-distance communication

reasons for becoming less socially engaged

more pressures of time and money, increased urbanization, more electronics

increase of individualism in collectivistic cultures =

increase in divorce rates, decrease in average family size, valuing more independence in children

WEIRD

western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic