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Cultural Psychology
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For this discussion, we are required to review several learning resources and
examine the various definitions that researchers have utilized to explain what culture is and
its importance in the psychology community. Hwang (2013) defines culture in society as the
understanding held by people living in that society. Having defined the concept of culture, he
states that cultural psychology focuses on studying human behavior. Our emotional processes
are influenced by the cultural group’s belief systems and value concepts under investigation.
A study conducted by Abi-Hashem(2015) points out that culture is not static but always fluid
and dynamic. Furthermore, he feels that cultures cannot be adequately defined, for they are
better experienced than explained. The last recourse I reviewed for this discussion is the book
by Carl Ratner, where he defines culture as the unique way humans survive in the world
(Ratner, 2008). Since animals grow particular organs to adapt and survive, humans grow
culture for biological survival.
Following the understanding that cultural psychology focuses on how our
society’s cultures influence our behaviors and emotions, we will further examine the
connection between self-awareness and culture. I resonate with Hwang’s definition of culture
since I want to discover what people do in their society and how they interact with each other.
Culture influences psychological processes. Following this understanding,
psychologists are interested in understanding culture to gain theoretical and empirical insights
into the diversity of human behavior. Members of different cultures learn different ways of
behaving. Understanding these cultures makes understanding the similarities and differences
in each group’s psychological functioning easy. The interconnectedness between culture and
psychology is that individual thoughts and behaviors influence cultural norms and practices.
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References
Abi-Hashem, N. (2015). Revisiting cultural awareness and cultural relevancy.4American
Psychologist, 70(7), 660–661.4https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038984
Hwang, K. K. (2013). Linking science to culture: Challenge to psychologists. 4 Social
Epistemology, 27 (1), 105–122. DOI: 10.1080/02691728.2012.760665 4 4 4 4
Ratner, C. (2008). 4 Cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, indigenous
psychology 4 [electronic resource]. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
