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#1

WHAT IS

WHAT IS

CROSS

CROSS

-

-

CULTURAL

CULTURAL

PSYCHOLOGY?

PSYCHOLOGY?

Monika Wrobel, Ph.D.
M17. People Across Cultures: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology

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Some information

Some information

…

…

before we start

before we start

Lecture schedule + PowerPoint presentations:



www.psych.uni.lodz.pl



login: student5; password: B.Skinner

Examination



February 3, 2011, 3:00 p.m., room 2



multiple choice test

Contact details



office hours: Monday 1:45 – 3:45 p.m., room 216



e-mail: [e-mail]



phone: [phone] (during office hours)

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Main

Main

goals

goals

of

of

our

our

meetings

meetings

(1)

(1)

Knowledge about the relationship between cultural
variables and human behaviour.

Knowledge and skills that will enable you to better
cooperate and communicate with people from
different cultures.

More insight into your personal experience and
awareness of how your behavior, attitudes, and
values are shaped by culture and vice versa.

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4

Main

Main

goals

goals

of

of

our

our

meetings

meetings

(2)

(2)

Better understanding and appreciation for the
culture-related diversity.

Awareness of the extent to
which psychology has been
ethnocentric, and that the
reduction of ethnocentrism
is essential for the
development of universal
knowledge.

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Is

Is

the

the

knowledge

knowledge

of

of

other cultures

other cultures

really so necessary?

really so necessary?

Poland’s geographical position

a

growing number of foreigners visiting
our country.

The increasing number of refugees.

A growing number of Poles who
decide to work or study abroad.

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What

What

is

is

culture

culture

?

?

No widely accepted deffintion.

Berry et al. (2003):

CULTURE

= a shared way of life of

a group of people.

What is… „a shared way of life”?

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Culture metaphors

Culture metaphors

Handcuffs

Pizza

House

Organism

Melting pot

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The

The

onion

onion

metaphor

metaphor

of

of

c

c

ulture

ulture

(

(

Hofstede

Hofstede

, 2000)

, 2000)

Symbols

Icons/heroes

Rituals

Values

P

R

A

C

T

IC

E

S

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The

The

iceberg

iceberg

metaphor

metaphor

of

of

culture

culture

(

(

Martinelli

Martinelli

et al., 2000)

et al., 2000)

art

cooking

architecture

clothes

music

conception of beauty

definition of sin

age and sex roles

language

notions of leadership

pace of work

display rules of emotions

conception of time

nature of friendship

definition of insanity

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10

What

What

can

can

you

you

see

see

?

?

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Interpretation vs. observation

Interpretation vs. observation

INTERPRETATION

Depending on your prior
experiences.

Often biased by
fundamental attribution
error (dispositions &
intentions!).

Leads to evaluation.

She was afraid of me.

A cross-culturally aware person separates

observations from interpretations.

OBSERVATION

Based on suspending
your attributions until
you know enough about
different culture.

She looked down.

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What

What

can

can

you

you

see

see

…

…

now

now

?

?

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Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism

Sumner (1906)

The practice of viewing the world from
one’s own cultural perspective

Iraq =

the Middle East or the Far West?

A strong tendency to use one’s own
group’s standards as general standards
when viewing other groups

us better –

them worse.

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Is psychology e

Is psychology e

thno

thno

centric?

centric?



„When I mention religion, I mean Christian religion;
and not only the Christian religion, but the Protestant
religion, and not only the Protestant religion but the
Church of England.”

“When I mention psychological subject, I mean a
subject from a western industrialized culture; and
not only from a western industrialized culture, but an
American; and not only an American, but a college
student.”

(Jahoda,1970)

WASP

Western Academic Scientific Psychology

(Berry, Poortiga, & Pandley, 1997)

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Limited

Limited

universality

universality

of

of

psychological findings

psychological findings

Müller-Lyer illusion

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Cross

Cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

vs

vs

.

.

mainstream

mainstream

psychology

psychology

(1)

(1)

Cross-cultural psychology attempts to
reduce ethnocentrism by:



recognizing the limitations of our current
knowledge,



seeking to extend our data and theory
through the inclusion of other cultures.

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Cross

Cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

vs

vs

.

.

mainstream

mainstream

psychology

psychology

(2)

(2)

General orientations in psychology:



absolutism,



relativism,



universalism.

Two perspectives in studying human
behavior:



universal or ETIC human behaviors;



culture-specific or EMIC human behaviors

.

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Cross

Cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

-

-

definition

definition

No widely accepted definition.

Berry et al. (1992) - cross-cultural psychology is
the study of:



similarities

and

differences

in individual functioning in

various cultural and ethnic groups;



the relationships between

psychological

variables and

socio-cultural

,

ecological

, and

biological

variables;

and of changes of this variables.

CULTURE

HUMAN

FUNCTIONIG









7

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History of cross

History of cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

(1)

(1)

1901 – W. River, expedition to India.

The 60’s

3 ground-breaking events:



1965/66 – meeting at the University of Nigeria

(Cross-Cultural Social Psychology Newsletter;

now:

Cross-Cultural Psychology Bulletin);



1968 – directory

International Journal of

Psychology;



1970 –

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.

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History of cross

History of cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

(2)

(2)

August 1972 – inaugural meeting of the

International Association for Cross-Cultural
Psychology (IACCP):



the University of Hong-Kong,



110 psychologists from different cultures,



July 2000 - IACCP congress in Pultusk (Poland).

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Goals

Goals

of

of

cross

cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

Testing the universality

of existing psychological

knowledge and theories

“transport and test goal”.

Exploring other cultures

in order to discover cultural

and psychological variations which are not present
in our own limited cultural experience.

Assembling and integrating

into a broadly based

psychology, the results obtained when pursuing the
first two goals.

Generating more universal psychology.

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Applications of cross

Applications of cross

-

-

cultural

cultural

psychology

psychology

Trainings for people
living and working
abroad.

Trainings for
international companies.

Counseling.

Cultural adaptation of
psychological
measures.

Educational programs
for children and
adolescents.