Cross cultural psycology
Lecture Overview: Culture, Multiculturalism, and Psychology
1. Understanding Culture in Psychology
Race vs. Ethnicity: Separate concepts; culture is not necessarily attached to either.
Multiculturalism: Examining how multiple cultures coexist in groups/places and their impact on identity, behavior, and well-being.
2. Cultural Interactions and Adaptation
Cultural Competence: How professionals interact with people from different cultural backgrounds in both professional and personal spaces.
Cultural Adaptation: Ways individuals and groups adjust to coexist and collaborate effectively.
3. Measuring and Conceptualizing Culture
Methods to understand and assess cultural influence.
4. Culture & Mental Health
Bidirectional Relationship: Culture shapes mental health perceptions & experiences, and vice versa.
Influence of culture on therapy approaches and mental health conceptualization.
5. Indigenous Psychology & Ethics
Focus on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples:
Role of psychologists in working with Indigenous communities.
Ethical considerations in psychological research.
Research Ethics:
General principles of ethical treatment.
Special considerations for studying diverse groups.
Study & Learning Strategies
Textbook Reading: Essential, as lectures build on its foundation.
Lecture & Workshop Participation: Attend and engage actively.
Effective Learning Process:
Note-taking – Capture key points.
Review – Regularly go over notes.
Revise – Strengthen retention.
Reflect – Deepen understanding by writing and thinking critically.
Reflection = Understanding:
Writing reflections enhances comprehension.
Moves from knowledge (facts) to wisdom (application).
1. Applying Cultural Knowledge as a Professional
Understanding culture isn’t enough—must integrate it into practice.
Completing assessments & coursework is essential (check course pages for details).
2. Is Psychology Universal?
Not the same worldwide – varies across cultures.
Some psychological studies have been used to harm marginalized groups (e.g., biased research methods).
3. Culture & Perception
Do people from different cultures perceive the world the same way?
Example: Visual illusions
Müller-Lyer illusion & Horizontal-Vertical illusion:
Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) populations tend to see illusions differently.
Cross-cultural differences exist in perception.
Study by W.H.R. Rivers (Cambridge psychologist):
Expected Torres Strait Islanders to be more susceptible to illusions due to colonial biases.
Found the opposite—challenged ideas of cultural superiority.
4. The Danger of Social Darwinism
Comparing cultures should not be about ranking them as “more” or “less” developed.
Historical studies often framed research with colonial biases—must be mindful of ethical implications.
5. Environmental Influence on Perception
People from open landscapes or non-carpeted homes tend to perceive spatial relationships differently.
Built environments shape cognitive processing.
6. Environmental Influence on Perception
People from non-carpeted, open landscapes are less susceptible to visual illusions.
Western populations, raised in urban environments with squared architecture, are more susceptible to illusions like the Müller-Lyer illusion.
Hypothesis: Built environments shape perception, but proving this is difficult.
7. Social Psychology & Culture
Social Loafing: Individuals exert less effort in groups than when working alone.
Common in individualistic cultures (e.g., Western countries).
Present in collectivist cultures, but to a significantly lower degree.
Possible explanation: Power Distance
Higher power distance cultures (where hierarchy is accepted) may have stronger group cohesion, reducing social loafing.
8. Emotion & Cultural Differences
Universality of Facial Expressions
Six (or seven) universal emotions: Happy, Sad, Surprise, Anger, Fear (and possibly Disgust, Contempt).
Extensive cross-cultural studies and meta-analyses support this finding.
Cultural Differences in Emotional Expression
While facial emotions are universal, display rules differ across cultures.
Cultural norms dictate:
Who can express emotions (e.g., who is allowed to cry or laugh).
When emotions are acceptable in different social contexts.
9. Universalism vs. Relativism
Universalism: Some aspects of human mind, behavior, and morality are innate (biological, evolutionary).
Suggests these traits should appear in all cultures.
A form of essentialism (these traits define what it means to be human).
Relativism: Human behavior is culturally shaped rather than innate.
Cross-cultural psychology explores what is universal vs. what is relative.
10. Studying Psychology Across Cultures
Use of Definitions
Definitions are starting points, not absolute truths.
Example: Cultural Psychology vs. Cross-Cultural Psychology.
Cultural Psychology (Qualitative & Immersive Approach)
Interdisciplinary: Draws from anthropology, sociology, semiotics, linguistics, cultural/media studies.
Researchers immerse in a culture to study psychological concepts within it.
May lead to new discoveries unique to that culture.
Cross-Cultural Psychology (Comparative Approach)
Focuses on similarities & differences in human behavior across cultures.
Uses existing psychological theories and tests them in different cultural contexts.
Example: Comparing social loafing across individualistic vs. collectivist cultures.
11. Importance of Learning This
Interdisciplinary Nature
Most research today blends multiple fields.
Understanding cultural psychology provides insights from many disciplines.
Nature vs. Nurture Debate
False separation: Many behaviors arise from both biology (nature) and culture (nurture).
Modern psychology acknowledges this interaction.
12. Nature vs. Nurture: An Integrated View
It's not a debate of nature or nurture—it’s both, simultaneously.
Almost impossible to separate them; requires highly controlled settings that are rare in psychology.
Studying culture and behavior means working with real-life, everyday human interactions (outside of labs).
13. Researching Culture & Human Behavior
Methodological Variation:
Research adjusts based on the complexity of cultural studies.
Often moves out of the lab into real-world settings.
Cultural Adaptation & Ecological Contexts:
Professor John Berry (key cross-cultural psychologist) developed an ecological framework to study cultural adaptation.
14. Decolonizing Psychology
Psychology has a colonial history—many theories were developed in ways that were biased, harmful, or dismissive of non-Western cultures.
Growing emphasis on Indigenous knowledge and alternative cultural perspectives.
Critical reflection on past methods in mental health & clinical psychology to create more inclusive approaches.
15. Reflection Activity: Understanding Your Own Culture
Can you define your own culture?
Consider: Rules, behaviors, beliefs, fashion, roles, language, religion, traditions.
Is it easy or difficult to categorize?
Definition of Culture:
Broad definition: Culture is an identifiable group sharing common rituals, social norms, beliefs, or language.
John Berry’s definition: A shared way of life within a group.
16. Understanding Cultural Rules
Some cultural rules are explicit, but others are unwritten and implicit.
People inside a culture may struggle to explain its rules because they have been implicitly learned.
Often, cultural norms become visible only when compared with other cultures.
17. Key Definitions of Culture
Clifford Geertz (Cultural Anthropologist):
Culture is a system of inherited conceptions, expressed in symbolic form, that allows people to communicate, perpetuate, and develop knowledge and attitudes about life.
Key Idea: Culture is not static—it evolves over time through language and storytelling.
APA Dictionary Definitions:
Culture includes distinctive customs, values, beliefs, knowledge, and language that are passed down through generations.
Culture also refers to the characteristic attitudes and behaviors of a particular group, which could be based on profession, social class, or age group.
Example of Cultural Variation:
Economic class can influence cultural behavior more than race/ethnicity.
Professional training creates distinct cultural norms within a profession.
18. What Defines a Culture?
Is it art, fashion, food, rituals, symbols, language, beliefs, holidays, relationships, or traditions?
Does culture consist of long-standing traditions or newly emerging behaviors?
Example: White Australians
Despite being one group, different age groups within it exhibit varied cultural behaviors.
These differences evolve quickly over time.
19. The Challenge of Defining Culture
Culture is dynamic and complex—hard to categorize neatly.
Even within a single ethnic group, subcultures form based on age, profession, or social class.
20. Adapting Cultural Understanding to Your Research
When studying a group, understand it based on your research question or clinical goal.
Jehuda, a cultural psychologist, referenced Alfred Length (1997), who concluded:
Defining culture precisely is futile—it’s more practical to use the term without strict definitions.
Key takeaway:
Know the definitions, but don’t focus on strictly defining culture.
Instead, aim to learn, observe, and understand culture in context.
21. Distinguishing Between Culture, Race, Nationality, and Ethnicity
Important Distinction:
These concepts overlap in society but should be treated separately in academic work.
Example: Someone may be racially classified incorrectly based on nationality.
Often, people mistake ethnicity for culture, but ethnicity is only one part of culture.
22. Final Reflection: Examining Your Own Cultural Assumptions
What aspects of your own culture have you taken for granted?
Has your perspective changed after writing and reflecting on it?
How can you become more aware of culture in your work?
Why is understanding culture critical in psychology, whether in:
Clinical practice
Academic teaching
Experimental research
Community engagement