Culture - IB Psych SL

Hofstede (1980)

The "software of the mind" that guides a group of people in their daily interactions and which distinguishes them from other groups of people.

Matsumoto (2001)

A dynamic system of rules, explicit and implicit, established by groups in order to ensure their survival , involving attitudes, values, beliefs, norms, and behavior.

Cultural Norm

a set of rules based on socially or culturally shared beliefs of how an individual ought to behave to be accepted within that group.

Surface Culture

traits that can easily be seen as different when we have contact with another group. (objective culture)

Deep Culture

traits that embody the beliefs, attitudes, and values of a group. (subjective culture). This is studied by Hofstede and identified with his cultural dimensions.

Hofstede (1985, 2005, 2010)

• Cultural researcher

• -IBM (identity based motivation)

• 6 Cultural Dimensions

  • 4 identified in 1985, UAI added in 2005, I/R added in 2010

  • -Each dimension is a spectrum (0-120)

  • -Measures by nationality.

• Individualism/Collectivism

• -High numbers = individualist

• ex: US-91

• -Low numbers = collectivist

• ex: Guatemala-6

Power Distance

• Who has power and how easily does that power change hands?

• High numbers = no movement

• ex: Malaysia-106

• Low numbers = more equity, easy movement

• ex: Austria-11

Masculinity / Femininity

• What dictates success in your culture?

• High numbers = masculine

• ex: Japan-95

• Low numbers = feminine

• ex: Sweden-5

Uncertainty Avoidance

• How tolerant of ambiguous situations or unknown futures?

• High numbers = high structure and order

• ex: Greece-108

• Low numbers = casual structure

• ex: Singapore-8

Long / Short-term Orientation

• Is planning focused on days/weeks/months or years/decades?

• High numbers = long term

• ex: China-118

• Low numbers = short term

• ex: Sierra Leone-16

Indulgence / Restraint

• What leads to perceived happiness?

• How important is leisure time?

• How much do other people affect your own life / happiness?

• High numbers = indulgent

• ex: Venezuela-100

• Low numbers = restrained

• ex: Pakistan-0

Acculturation

The process of cultural and psychological change that takes place as a result of contact between two or more cultural groups.

• Involves changes in a person's behavior.

Berry's Acculturation Model

Integration, Separation, Assimilation, Marginalization.

Integration

When there is an interest in adopting the behaviors and values of new culture, while still maintaining the original culture.

Assimilation

When an individual abandons their original cultural behaviors and values of their new culture.

Separation

When migrants maintain their own culture and minimize contact with the new culture.

Marginalization

When it isn't possible to maintain one's original culture, but because of exclusion or discrimination, it's not possible to assimilate into the new culture.

Acculturative Stress

The psychological impact of adaptation to a new culture. As with any type of stress, long term acculturative stress may also lead to reduced mental and physical health.

• Another term for acculturative stress is "culture shock"

Acculturation Gaps

• Also known as acculturation dissonance

• Differences in understandings and values between parents and children as they go through the process of acculturation.

• This occurs when parents have a different acculturation strategy from their children. (Berry's model)

Reactive Identification

• When an individual strengthens his or her ethnic or racial identity in response to discrimination.

• A potential reaction to acculturative stress

• Can have a negative or positive effect, depending on the situation.

Reverse Culture Shock

• The feeling of surprise, disorientation, confusion, alienation, or frustration experienced when people return to their home culture after living in another culture, and finding that they do not fit in as they used to.

Berry et al. (2006)

Aim: to determine how immigrant youth acculturate compared to how well they adapt to their new culture.

Procedure: Questionnaire was given to 7,997 adolescents, aged 13-18 years, of whom 5,366 were immigrants and 2,631 were nationals living in 13 host countries. Female to male ratio was 52:48. The questionnaire assessed the participants' acculturation attitudes, cultural identity, language proficiency, family relations, perceived discrimination, degree of contact with ethnic and national peers, and psychological and sociocultural adaptation.

Conclusion: Involvement and engagement in both cultures are associated with better adaptation for the youth. Integration had a positive effect. Attitude and engagement with their own cultural group of more important for psychological well-being than their sociocultural adaptation.

Evaluation: Large number of participants, multiple different countries, self-report questionnaires may result in lack of honesty, all host countries are largely Judeo-Christian, a religion found by Berry to integrate better. Muslim participants integrated least well, but also may have felt less inclined to integrate because they expected to return to their home culture.

Marsiglia et al. (2014)

Aim: to investigate how the cultural gap between Mexican-heritage Latinx 7th graders and their parents affects their likelihood to use marijuana.

Yu et al. (2016)

Aim; to examine whether acculturation to American culture, maintenance of Chinese culture, and their interaction predicted Chinese immigrant parents' psychological adjustment and parenting styles.

Lueck & Wilson (2010)

Aim : to investigate the variables that may predict acculturative stress in a nationally representative sample of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans.

Miranda & Matheny (2000)

Aim : to see which factors in the lives of Latino immigrants to the US would decrease the level of acculturative stress

Torres et al. (2012)

Aim : to determine if experience of discrimination increase acculturative stress in Latinos.