Cultural Psychology by S.J. Heine (third edition) – Book summary
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Culture is:
It includes a particular group of people living within a shared context and individuals exposed to the same cultural information. There is no consensus on the definition of culture although there are shared aspects of culture:
Culture, however, is not:
Culture consists of implicit and explicit parts and can change through reflection upon their own values and ideas (1) and through globalization (2).
People in different cultures differ in their psychology because psychological processes are shaped by experience and culture shapes experience, although psychological processes are constrained and afforded by the neurological structures that underlie them. Culture can affect psychological processes.
One example of this is the Müller-Lyer illusion. This asks people which line is longer although both lines are equally long. Non-Westerners are better at this than Westerners and this might be because Westerners tend to employ more analytic thinking (1) and because Westerners tend to use carved corners to estimate depth (2).
Cultural values are preferences for one state of affairs over another that distinguishes countries, rather than individuals, from each other. They are not exclusive categories and are part of a continuum. There is a lot of heterogeneity within cultures and there are no superior cultural values, although some cultural values are more functional in a given culture or are historically more prevalent in a culture.
People create a network of thoughts, behaviours and feelings surrounding a cultural idea, depending on the extent to which people in a culture are faced with this idea. A network that is activated more often will become stronger. A strong network will be prioritized over weaker networks and this (i.e. the most accessible network) differs between cultures. The meaning of an action is derived from particular cultural experiences.
Multicultural communities in a globalized world need to deal with group differences. However, psychological research makes use of the universality assumption and, therefore, most research is based on WEIRD samples; Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic samples. These samples cannot be generalized because:
There is a continuum on whether things are universal or culture-specific:
There are multiple universal properties such as a basic language structure (1) and the need to belong (2).
A culture blind approach refers to assuming that people are the same in all location. This approach can lead to discrimination when group differences are salient and it can lead to discrimination as a result of threatening the identity of the minority group. A multicultural approach refers to attending to and respecting group differences. Ethnocentrism refers to judging people from other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture and it originates in the moral norms and values that are shaped by cultural experience.
An increased understanding (1) and appreciation for cultural differences (2) can reduce discrimination and unintended effects of the culture blind approach.
There are several differences between general psychology and cultural psychology:
General psychology | Cultural psychology |
Psychological processes are invariant and universal. | Psychological processes are shaped by culture. |
Differences are superficial and reflect noise. | Differences are real and affect deep structure. |
The mind is independent of culture. | The mind is intertwined with culture. |
The goal is to understand the mind independent of content and context. | The goal is to understand how the mind is interdependent with content and context. |
There are several different value continuums:
Individualism vs. collectivism | The extent to which individuals prioritize their personal goals versus their group goals. |
Tightness vs. looseness | The tolerance of deviant behaviour and the severity of punishment to norm violators. |
High vs. low power distance | The extent to which inequality between individuals is accepted in society. |
Uncertainty tolerance vs. avoidance | The amount of tolerance for ambiguity and the need for formal rules. |
Masculinity vs. femininity | The extent to which social gender roles are distinct and the emphasis is placed on these values. |
Long-term vs. short-term | The extent to which individuals direct their actions on future rewards versus present rewards. |
Indulgence vs. constraint | The extent to which society allows free gratification of basic human drives related to enjoying life. |
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This bundle makes use of the book: "Cultural Psychology by S.J. Heine (third edition)" and several articles.
The following chapters of the book are used:
-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14.
This bundle contains a summary for the course "Cultural Psychology" taught at the University of Amsterdam. This contains the book: "Cultural Psychology by S.J. Heine (third edition)" and several articles.
The following chapters of the book are used:
-1, 2, 3, 4
...This bundle contains a summary for the first interim exam of the course "Cultural Psychology" taught at the University of Amsterdam. This contains the book: "Cultural Psychology by S.J. Heine (third edition)".
The following chapters of the book are used:
1, 2,
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