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Understanding Psychology & Culture PS2102 Dr Diana Pinto [email protected] Exam is in Jan 2024 Importance of a cultural perspective in Psychology • It is only in recent decades that psychology as an academic discipline has begun to recognise the importance of a cultural perspective. • From cro...
Understanding Psychology & Culture PS2102 Dr Diana Pinto [email protected] Exam is in Jan 2024 Importance of a cultural perspective in Psychology • It is only in recent decades that psychology as an academic discipline has begun to recognise the importance of a cultural perspective. • From cross-cultural psychology through to psychological anthropology, psychologists have taken a number of approaches to studying the development and role of culture in human behaviour. • This topic is designed to facilitate your understanding and application of major concepts and principles of culture and how it drives psychology. • ILO • 1. An appreciation of the complexities of defining culture • 2. Be able to compare and contrast various models of culture • 3. An appreciation of tangible and non tangible elements that denote culture. • 4. The various functions and needs of belonging to a specific culture. Name? 2. Last name? 3. Country of origin? 4.Ethnicity? 5. Social class? 6. Religion? 7. Sexual orientation? 8. Parents' occupation? 9. Lifestyle? Things to think about • Q 1. What is Race? • Q2. What is Ethnicity? • Q3. What is Nationality? • Q4. What are Minorities? What Is Culture? • Complex concept- lack of consensus about the meaning • Traditionally, culture has been thought of as national identity • However, the scope has broadened to include many aspects of social difference, including but not limited to: • race, ethnicity, gender, social class, religion, and sexuality. • Even though much of culture in terms of national identity is tangible and visual (e.g., food, clothing, housing, rituals, etc.), • Some aspects of culture may not necessarily be ‘seen’ (nontangible)– socioeconomic status, religion, gender and sexual orientation. Different Emphasis of culture SOCIAL DIFFERENCES BELIEFS/ BEHAVIOURS we are all ‘culturally different’ given different family backgrounds, religions, occupations, disability, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, etc. Beyond race and ethnicity, we all are part of and influenced by multiple cultures. Each of us is a multicultural individual with many sets of cultures in different contexts that may or may not coincide (Berry, Poortinga, Breugelmans, Chasiotis, & Sam, 2011) Berry’s Aspect of Culture s complex and multifaceted, pervasive and embedded in many aspects of life an 1. Descriptive emphasises the different activities and behaviours of a culture. 2. Historical aspects refer to the heritage and traditions associated with a particular cultural group. 3. Normative signifies the rules and norms of a culture. 4. Psychological refers to the behavioural aspects of culture like learning and problem solving. 5. Structural depicts the social and organizational aspects of culture. 6. Genetic describes the origins of a culture. Nine Characteristics of Culture (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014) Putting it all together • Culture gives people a sense of who they are, of belonging, of how they should behave, and of what they should be doing. • Culture impacts behaviour, morale, and productivity at work and includes values and patterns that influence our attitudes and actions. Culture is dynamic. • ‘one size does not fit all’ • Based on culture, people structure their worlds and determine their social interactions. We all have diverse ways of understanding the world and defining our cultural identities. History and Foundations of Culture and Psychology • Nineteenth century German Völkerpsychologie (or folk psychology) is largely responsible for European conception of culture and national identity (Kalmar, 1987). • Argued that human behaviour is due primarily to cultural differences developed through social learning versus biological traits and that no one culture is more advanced or better than another. • Boas (1966) asserted that the goal of research is ‘to discover among all the varieties of human behavior those that are common to all humanity’ • By studying ‘foreign cultures’ we will ‘see how many of our behaviors that we believe to be founded deep in human nature (innate) are actually expressions of our culture’ validate our perceptions of the world around us. Shared beliefs, expectations, and rule that come from culture help fulfil this need. Four functions of culture people mutually influence one another ‘symbolic immortality’ Need for collective toward shared beliefs, naming a baby so support behaviours, and norms that your name lives on, to survive and religious beliefs in life after within a population which reproduce all fostered results in culture death, by norms, beliefs & (Hong, Gelfand, & Chiu, 2018) practices Overview of Terminology • Terminology relating to race is rapidly evolving • No universally supported term for referring to minority ethnic communities • We endeavour to accelerate our efforts in moving beyond language to undertake action to address racial inequalities. Race: complications • Race : a distinction of a group of people either based on selfidentification or based on similar, heritable physical characteristics (e.g., skin colour, facial features, hair texture, etc.) • although many argue that race is really more of a social construct as a result of arbitrary assignment to social categories (Banks, 2015). • For example, Black is considered a racial category that encompasses people of African origin. • Racial categories vary across cultures and are not defined solely by skin colour. For instance, Brazil’s long history of intermarriage among diverse groups has resulted in numerous words for skin colours including a census category parda to denote mixed ancestry (Jandt, 2018). • In addition, in the Dominican Republic and other countries, Black people may consider themselves white if they are part of a wealthier economic class. Ethnicity • Race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably, largely due to the use of the term race in law and policy and the use of ethnicity to identify individuals’ identities- bone structure, skin, hair or eye colour • Ethnicity refers to grouping people based on several factors including shared cultural factors, nationality, regional culture, ancestry, language and geographical region. • The UoL recognises that classifying groups and individuals by ‘race’ can exacerbate racism and related inequalities. Wherever possible, the University will seek to identify individuals and groups by their ethnic background • The term ‘race’ will only be used when referring to our commitment and action to overcome race-based inequalities Terms we support: BAME and BME • BAME is an acronym for Black, Asian and minority ethnic- is widely used in reporting and using data across many sectors including government, education and media. • Within the Higher Education sector it is also used for statutory returns and national charters such as the Higher Education Statistics Agency and the Race Equality Charter Mark. • When using the term BAME, the University refers to all ethnic groups other than white . • BME stands for Black minority ethnic. • Both have their limitations Limitations of BME/BAME • Imply that BME/BAME individuals are a homogeneous group • BME/BAME was not proposed and is not universally accepted by those who are assumed to fall within it. • It others those who do not identify as white and re-enforces white as the norm. • Many individuals from minority ethnic groups do not identify themselves as BAME • Both BME and BAME single out specific ethnic groups, this can be divisive and exclusionary. • They can be perceived as convenient labels that are placed on minority ethnic groups of people, rather than identities with which people have chosen to identify. • They ignore the fact that Black, Asian and other visible minority ethnic groups in the UK are actually part of a global majority of non-white people • Tend to be perceived as referring to non-white people, which does not consider white minority ethnic groups. Terms we support • Black- refers to those who identify as being from an African, Caribbean or other Black background. • The term Black will be capitalised in recognition of the continued structural and societal racism experienced by Black communities. • Note- wherever possible, refer to specific ethnic groups when talking about race Arbitrary assignment • Money, education and power, for example, ‘whiten’ an individual, so that the colour attributed to a higher class individual is often lighter than the colour that would be attributed to an individual of the same phenotype of a lower class. • (as cited in Bailey, 2001, p. 677) • US immigrants from India who were initially classified as Hindu for their racial category on the US Census and then changed to Caucasian*, to non-White, to White** and finally to Asian Indian (Jandt, 2018). • *People of North African and southwest Asian ancestry were historically considered to be of the Caucasian race. • ** watch the video on Aryan migration Correct terms & when to use them TERM WHEN BAME (Black, Asian Minority Ethnic)* For data purposes and benchmarking-only when the data refers to aggregated ethnic groups such as Asian, Black or Mixed. minority ethnic In all communications referring to all ethnic groups other than white* Black/Black ethnic background Used when referring to anyone from an African, Caribbean or other Black background. Asian/ Asian ethnic background Used when referring to anyone from a Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, or other Asian background. We encourage reference to specific ethnic groups, where the more general term Asian is being used, it may be helpful to distinguish whether this is related to those from South Asian or East Asian backgrounds (where applicable). mixed ethnic background Used when referring to anyone who is from an Asian and white, Black African and white, Black Caribbean and White, any other mixed background. White/white ethnic background Used when referring to anyone who is from a Acceptable terms ‘people from a Black Caribbean background’ ‘people who identify as being from a mixed ethnic background’ ‘the Black ethnic group’ ‘ those who identify as Asian’ ‘people with/from a mixed ethnic background’ ‘people from a White British background’ ‘the White ethnic group’ ‘those who identify as White’ Nonacceptable terms ‘Mixed people’ ‘mixed race people’ ‘half caste’ ‘coloured people’ We discourage all staff and students from using language which involves racial slurs, including instances where the racial slur may be used to quote or reference a text or discussion. • Link to the University Guide to Race Related Terminolog y • Search for : Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at UoL - Inclusive practice documents • Last reviewed: March 2023 • Whilst the University will seek to review this document annually, any uncertainty should be clarified by contacting the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team: [email protected] Gender • Historically, gender refers to the norms and expectations that are culturally defined for men and women. • Feminists argue that gender identity is more significant for women than any other aspect of identity, there does not seem to be one unifying gender identity among women (Cannadine, 2014). • In fact, gender scholars have called for a ‘degendering of society’ given the prevalence of people living outside the gender binary (i.e., transgender, transsexual) (Messerschmidt, Messner, Connell, & Martin, 2018). • Scholars argue that gender is not a universal construct and should be considered ‘intersectional’ and fluid with other categorical distinctions of sexuality, race/ethnicity, nationality, etc. (Messerschmidt et al., 2018). Reflect on your learning • This following exercise has been designed to allow you to reflect on your learning and clarify areas where you can improve. • It also provides you the opportunity to self-assess your cultural intelligence. • Have a look at the same image which was presented to you at the beginning of the lecture see if you can answer the following questions: Reflect on your learning 1. Name? 2. Last name? 3. Country of origin? 4.Ethnicity? 5. Social class? 6. Religion? 7. Sexual orientation? 8. Parents' occupation? 9. Lifestyle? What are the tangible clues in this photo that have influenced your answers? What are the non-tangible aspects of culture that are needed to answer the questions above? Next- Researching culture
