Sociocultural Approach

sociocultural approach

how environment and culture affect behavior and thinking

cultural norms/values

shared expectations and rules guiding behavior in a cultural group

enculturation

how individuals learn their own culture

acculturation

the process of cultural change when exposed to a different culture

cultural dimensions

frameworks used to understand and compare cultures by examining how they differ in terms of values, beliefs, and behaviors

emic approach

understanding how people think and act within their own culture, using the cultures on ideas and meanings (insiders perspective)

etic approach

understanding how people from different cultures using ideas and tools outside those cultures (outsiders perspective)

globalization

increased interaction and exchange between people, cultures, and economies across the world

social learning

when people learn by watching others and copying their behavior

stereotype

a fixed, oversimplified, and often biased/inaccurate belief about a group of people

stereotype threat

when individuals fear they may confirm negative stereotypes about their social groups

social identity theory (SIT)

how we see ourselves comes from the groups we belong to

in-group and out-group (SIT)

in-group= a group you identify with, out-group= one you don’t belong to

ex) your soccer team is your in group while your rival teams are the out-groups

social comparison (SIT)

comparing in-group to out-groups to boost self-esteem

ex) “West is better than East”

positive distinctiveness (SIT)

favoring the in-group to feel superior or unique

ex) “Mexican food is better than Venezuelan food”

social cognitive theory (SCT)

we learn behaviors by watching others

observational learning (SCT)

developing behaviors by observing others

ex) learning how to tie shoes by watching

modeling (SCT)

imitating someone else’s behavior

ex) younger sibling copies older sibling

self-efficacy

ones belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations

ex) believing you’ll do good in a performance because you practiced

collectivism vs individualism

“we first” vs “me first”

power distance

extent to which inequality and hierarchy are accepted in a society

ex) high power distance cultures like Malaysia, bosses are rarely questioned

uncertainty avoidance

how much a culture deals with uncertainty or change

ex) high uncertainty avoidance= rules, structure, and predictability

low uncertainty avoidance= flexibility and okay with risk

femininity vs masculinity

masculine cultures value competition and success while feminine cultures value care and quality of life

confirmation bias

noticing information that supports beliefs

acculturation stress

impact of adaptation to a new culture (culture shock)

gaps

differences in understanding values between parents and children as they go through acculturation process

reverse cultureshock

feeling of surprise, disorientation, confusion, alienation, of frustration when people return to their home culture after living in another culture