PSYC 329 Exam Long Essay

key methodological differences in cross-cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologies

cultural → acknowledges universality and bias in sampling

• how does culture shape our psychologies

• do the behavior and interpretations differ in that universal practice?

• cake ex: bake a birthday cake

cross-cultural → culture acknowledged but method stays the same

• challenges universality, but uses the same method

• more willing to adapt a western method beyond language

• cake ex: here is a recipe, how do they approach it

indigenous → flip the script (bottom up), understand from within cultures

• cake ex: how to you celebrate a birthday/does this practice exist

importance of key methodologies 

psych is a young discipline, not widespread in terms of research

current psych fails to acknowledge the process, indigenous advocates the experience of the phenomenon

internal and external vs. practical validity

indigenous methodologies

epistemology → a way to understand cultural and psychological phenomena; emphasizes the need to examine the cultural, historical, and philosophical contexts that shape knowledge

phenomology → emphasizes the importance of integrating first-person (subjective) and second-person (relational) knowledge with third-person (objective) analysis

understand cultural practices and emotions as they are experienced within their natural context, rather than imposing external interpretations

cosmology → study of the universe as a whole

• meeting point of time, culture, space, place, and language (fa’asamoa)

• start at meeting point and branch out

indigenous well-being

current psychological thought is x → z, without considering y

well-being is dependent on the y being taken into consideration

four dimensions of health → give Maori a distinctive voice in health care

• taha wairua → spiritual dimension, culture to identity and connection between people, ancestors, and the environment

• taha hinengaro → cognitive and emotional dimension, based of Maori ways of thinking, feeling and behaving

• taha tinana → physical wellbeing, bodily health

• taha whanau → social wellbeing, family aspect

mental health services shouldn’t be so focused on the psyche that it ignores the other aspects

Talanoa

research through conversation

depends on factors like social status, customs, rituals, language, etc.

includes cultural ways of talking → why, where, how we talk, and to whom

getting to researcher and participant being on equal grounds (noa)

common ground through stories

talanoa method vs. methodology 

method → how we go about research

• project interviews

methodology → the whole process

talanoa method → the conversations

talanoa methodology → cultural ways of talking, common ground through stories

acculturation and ethnic identity

acculturation → the process of people adapting to a culture different to their own

• understanding how cultures interact

• migration, globalization, bicultural, multiculturalism

issue 1 → maintenance of heritage culture and identity

issue 2 → relationships sought among groups

ethnic identity builds on acculturation

• can shift with acculturation

adapting to acculturation

psychological and sociocultural

falls into cross-cultural

identification with ethnic group

identification with majority group

disaster mental health 

being able to speak the language is key

state of nation (or person) prior to  disaster dictates recovery after

psych support provided by professionals in preparation for, response to, and recovery from 

SHOCK, not intense MH issues

diaspora helps because family and community important

• is first aid

developed into PFA

psychological first aid

supporting people in the aftermath of crisis

be a fellow human and care

not professional or clinical 

key things → food, shelter, water

listening is key skill