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Sociocultural Approach - Cultural Influences

Cultural Norms:

  • A set of rules based on socially or culturally shared ne;iefs of how an individual ought to behave to be accepted with that group.

Cultural Dimensions:

A way to think about something. Cultural dimensions are the values within the culture that influence behaviour and cognition.

Individualism and collectivism

  • individualism - you are responsible for yourself only

  • Collectivism - you are responsible for society and society is responsible for you. Society is more important than the individual

Enculturation:

  • when we learn the shared behaviours and values of OUR culture

  • Process of acquiring the cultural norms and values of one's heritage culture

  • Can be called ‘home’ or ‘natural’ culture

  • We are born with a culture, we learn to adopt the norms of our heritage culture in a variety of ways

  • We learn cultural norms through our parents, school, or the media. One way in which we learn these “rules” of behaviour is through direct instruction – that is, rewards and punishments from our parents or other “gatekeepers” in our society.

Acculturation:

  • When we learn behaviours and values of OTHER cultures

  • Happens through contact with another culture, usually after an individual has been enculturated to their heritage culture.

Acculturative stress:

  • A reduction in health status of individuals who are undergoing acculturation

  • For which there is evidence that these health phenomena are related systematically to acculturation phenomena.

Sociocultural Approach - Cultural Influences

Cultural Norms:

  • A set of rules based on socially or culturally shared ne;iefs of how an individual ought to behave to be accepted with that group.

Cultural Dimensions:

A way to think about something. Cultural dimensions are the values within the culture that influence behaviour and cognition.

Individualism and collectivism

  • individualism - you are responsible for yourself only

  • Collectivism - you are responsible for society and society is responsible for you. Society is more important than the individual

Enculturation:

  • when we learn the shared behaviours and values of OUR culture

  • Process of acquiring the cultural norms and values of one's heritage culture

  • Can be called ‘home’ or ‘natural’ culture

  • We are born with a culture, we learn to adopt the norms of our heritage culture in a variety of ways

  • We learn cultural norms through our parents, school, or the media. One way in which we learn these “rules” of behaviour is through direct instruction – that is, rewards and punishments from our parents or other “gatekeepers” in our society.

Acculturation:

  • When we learn behaviours and values of OTHER cultures

  • Happens through contact with another culture, usually after an individual has been enculturated to their heritage culture.

Acculturative stress:

  • A reduction in health status of individuals who are undergoing acculturation

  • For which there is evidence that these health phenomena are related systematically to acculturation phenomena.