Both hereditary and environmental factors affect personality. Of the latter, cultural influences are among the most significant. When conditions allow people to communicate through a common language, by existing in the same historical era, and when they are close enough to each other to influence one another, culture is conveyed through language and the modelling of conduct. We are always surrounded by culture, often without even realising it. It can be challenging to see culture as the medium in which we exist, according to Triandis (1994). Whether it is the culture of a friend, a co-worker, or our own culture that has been passed down through the generations. Culture is made up of the behaviours, attitudes, things, and social norms that exist within a community or society of people who share a common culture.
A subfield of psychology called cross-cultural psychology studies how cultural variables affect people’s behaviour. Although there are many characteristics of the human mind and behaviour that are universal, cultural variances can result in frequent and unexpected differences in how people feel, think, and act. For instance, some cultures may place a strong emphasis on individualism and the value of personal autonomy. Some cultures could place a larger importance on group cohesiveness and cooperation. Such variations can have a significant impact on a variety of facets of life.
Culture: What Is It?
A group of people’s attitudes, actions, rituals, and beliefs that are passed down from one generation to the next are all considered to be part of their culture. While there are numerous parallels between cultures around the world, there are also big variances. For instance, while happiness is a universal emotion shared by all individuals, it is represented differently in every culture. Cross-cultural psychologists seek to understand how culture affects behavior, family life, education, social experiences, and other areas by examining both universal and distinctive behaviors.
Cross-Cultural Psychology Types
Many cross-cultural psychologists opt to concentrate on either of two strategies:
The etic approach: Using one “universal” set of concepts and metrics applied to all cultures, the etic approach studies culture from an “outsider” viewpoint.
The emic approach: By studying ideas in the particular context of the observed culture, the emic approach explores culture from an “insider” viewpoint.
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is a topic that some psychologists who work across cultures investigate. Ethnocentrism is the propensity to appraise and assess other civilizations using the standards of your own culture. In other words, embracing an ethnocentric point of view implies utilising your understanding of your own culture to assess what is “normal.” This might result in prejudices and a propensity to perceive cultural differences as odd or negatively. It could also be challenging to understand how your cultural background affects your conduct.
Cross-cultural psychologists frequently examine the ways in which ethnocentrism shapes our attitudes and actions, particularly how we relate to people from other cultures. Ethnocentrism’s potential to affect the study process is another issue that worries psychologists. A study could be criticised for having an ethnocentric bias, for instance.
Are you Seeking guidance for your personality? Connect to the Best Online Therapist for right solutions.
Cross-Cultural Psychology Issues
The focus of cross-cultural psychology is on how culture influences various facets of development, thought, and behavior. Many crucial fields of research include:
- Emotions: This area of study aims to determine whether or not emotional manifestations are shared by all persons.
- Language acquisition: This field investigates whether language acquisition takes the same course across cultural boundaries.
- Child development: This issue looks into how culture impacts a child’s development and whether or not various cultural customs have an impact on how a child develops. For instance, psychologists might look into how cultural variations in child-rearing techniques affect traits like achievement, self-esteem, and subjective well-being.
- Personality: This field investigates how much certain facets of personality may be impacted by or linked to cultural factors.
- Social conduct: This topic aims to comprehend how cultural norms and expectations can have a significant impact on social behaviour.
- Family and social links: Societies and cultures can have a significant impact on family and other interpersonal ties
Cross-Cultural Psychology’s Uses
Students interested in other psychology areas may decide to also concentrate on cross-cultural psychology because it covers a wide range of issues. For instance, a child psychologist might research the effects of various cultural approaches to childrearing on development.
Teachers, educators, and curriculum designers who develop multicultural education lessons and materials can benefit from cross-cultural psychology by understanding more about how cultural variations impact student learning, achievement, and motivation.
Using a cross-cultural perspective to social psychology might inspire researchers to look at how social cognition may differ in individualist and collectivist cultures. Do members of different cultures share the same reliance on social cues? What cultural quirks might affect how people view one another?
Cross-Cultural Psychology’s Effect
Numerous other areas of psychology concentrate on how social factors such as family, friends, and other people affect behaviour. Most people, however, fail to consider the significant influence that culture may have on specific human behaviours. Cross-cultural psychology is concerned with examining human behaviour while considering the influences of culture.
Understanding the universality of various psychological phenomena requires a thorough understanding of cross-cultural psychology as well as the use of more representative and diverse samples in psychology research. Researchers may be better able to comprehend the underlying influences and causes if they are aware of how these aspects manifest in distinct cultural contexts.
How does culture play a role in personality disorders? Consult expert therapists to get ideas.