PSY1011 - Culture and Psychology Notes

Culture: The man-made part of the environment encompassing shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that distinguish groups.
Cultural Shift: Culture is dynamic and evolves slowly over time.
Enculturation: Process of internalizing a culture's values and norms through family, community, and institutions.
Cultural Psychology: Study of how cultural practices influence individuals within a specific culture.
Cross-Cultural Psychology: Comparative study of behavioral similarities and differences across cultures.

Emic Perspective: Culture-specific approach that builds theory from within a culture (insider perspective).
Etic Perspective: Universal approach that tests if a theory applies across different cultures (outsider perspective).

Methodological issues, equivalent samples, interpreting results, researcher bias, and sensitive topics.

Individualism vs. Collectivism: Continuum describing the relative importance of individual vs. group interests.
- Individualistic Cultures: Emphasize individual independence and priority.
- Collectivist Cultures: Emphasize group interdependence and priority.

WEIRD Knowledge: The over-reliance on data from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic countries.
Decolonisation perspective: Development of theories and knowledge from the majority world.
Indigenous perspectives: Development of psychologies anchored in worldviews, experiences and realities of Indigenous peoples and led by Indigenous peoples

Time: Monochronic (regulated) vs. Polychronic (loosely regulated).
Emotion: Cultural display rules for expressing emotions.
Interpersonal Space: Varies by culture (intimate, social, public).
Context: High-context (nonverbal cues) vs. Low-context (literal).
Tight vs. Loose Cultures: How strictly cultural norms are enforced.
Individualism vs Collectivism: Emphasises individual over group and vice versa.
Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions:
- Vertical Individualistic: Competition to be different.
- Vertical Collectivist: Obeying authority.
- Horizontal Individualistic: Everyone is equal.
- Horizontal Collectivist: Sociability and interdependence.

Policies for maintaining a multicultural society with cultural and ethnic diversity.
Pluralism: Acceptance of many cultures and their right to retain heritage.

Feelings of confusion when adapting to a new culture. Berry's model includes honeymoon, crisis, recovery, and adjustment phases.
Eckermann et al. phases: Honeymoon, disenchantment, beginning resolution, effective functioning.
Reverse Culture Shock: Readjustment issues when returning home.

Berry’s Four Orientations:
- Assimilation: Giving up home culture and adopting new culture.
- Integration: Retaining home culture while participating in new culture.
- Separation: Retaining home culture with minimum participation in new culture.
- Marginalisation: Little connection with either home or new culture.
LaFromboise et al. Model:
- Assimilation: Absorption into the dominant culture.
- Acculturation: Competence in a second culture without complete acceptance.
- Fusion: Combining two cultures to form a new culture.
- Alternation: Bicultural competence.
- Multiculturalism: Maintaining distinct cultural identities within a single multicultural social structure.

Shared culture, religion, language, and practices. Includes external and internal aspects.
Critical Race Theory: Race is socially constructed.

Ethnocentrism: Own culture influences how others are viewed; own culture seen as normal, others as inferior.
Xenophobia: Fear/hatred of foreigners.