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Introduction, Aim, Objectives and Scope of Cross Cultural Psychology Bilal
Anwaar, 191065 Department of Psychology, M.A.O College. APSY-241, Cross Cultural
Psychology. Adeel Sarwer May 18, 2020 Introduction: Cross-cultural psychology is
the critical and comparative study of cultural effects on human psychology. There
are two important elements of this definition. First, this is a comparative field.
Any study in cross-cultural psychology draws its conclusions from at least two
samples that represent at least two cultural groups. Second, because cross-
cultural psychology inherently involves comparisons, and the act of comparison
requires a particular set of critical skills, the study of cross-cultural
psychology is inseparable from critical thinking. Cross-cultural psychology
examines psychological diversity and the underlying reasons for such diversity.
Cross-cultural psychology attempts not only to distinguish differences between
groups but also to establish psychological universals and phenomena common to all
people and groups. One important thing to discuss here is the difference between
cultural and cross cultural psychology.
2. Cultural psychology seeks to discover meaningful links between a culture and the
psychology of individuals living in a particular culture. For instance, a cultural
psychologist may be interested in describing how Islam affects both the behaviour
and attitudes of young couples in Pakistan. Cultural psychology advocates the idea
that behaviour and mental processes are essentially the products of an interaction
between culture and the individual. While on the other hand, cross cultural
psychology draws difference and compare similarities between two or more cultures.
Aim: The aim of cross culture psychology includes the study of cultural difference
as well as cultural similarities among different cultures using regress research
methods. The research is cross cultural psychology covers broad range of topics
including child development, social perception and social cognition, gender role,
intergroup behaviour, ethnocentrism, emotion, language, culturalism,
multiculturalism and communication etc. Psychologists not only study the cross
cultural difference, but also apply the yielded knowledge in different fields of
life like clinical (people from different cultures might perceive differently) and
organizational (to manage cultural diversity across the organization).
3. Objectives: Following are the objectives of cross cultural psychology: To test
generality of psychological theories and knowledge across two or more cultures.
To understand cultural variations among Western and Non-Western cultures. To
integrate results of general and specific psychological findings to a universal
psychology that is valid for a broad range of various cultures. To apply and to
test existing theories in various cultural settings to validate their applicability
and generalisability. To make conclusion about human’s behaviour that is
manifested universally. To explore and establish understanding of the deeply
rooted psychological phenomenon in particular cultural context. Scope: Cross
cultural psychology covers wide range of behaviour exhibit by individuals within
that culture, few of them are the following: Developmental process: Human
development is how people change over time on many different levels—biological,
physical, cognitive, emotional, and social. Development refers to changes that show
greater complexity, organization, and competencies. Accruing greater perception,
balance, and spatial skills as a young child that enable you to go from crawling to
walking, is an example of development. Cross cultural psychology tries to explain
human development is whether developmental pathways are universal or culture
specific. Cognition: Cross-cultural research on cognition highlights some
interesting and important cultural similarities and differences in the ways people
think. There appears to be universality in cognitive processes such as hindsight
bias and regrets over
4. inaction as opposed to action. At the same time, there are interesting cultural
differences in perception and attention, categorization, some memory tasks, math
abilities, problem solving, the factors that enhance creativity, and dialectical
thinking. Review cross-cultural research across a broad spectrum of cognitive
processes, beginning with attention, sensation, and perception, and then moving to
higher-order processes such as categorization, memory, math, and thinking styles.
Gender: Culture influences the behaviours associated with being male or female, and
events around the world have brought international attention to gender issues. From
the role of women in Muslim culture to global concern over female circumcision in
Africa and Asia—gender roles, ideals, and expectations are heated topics widely
discussed around the world. Emotion: Emotions are elicited as we scan our
environments for events that may have consequences to our welfare. We evaluate the
events that we perceive to see if the event has consequences to our welfare and
requires immediate response. If such an event does not occur, we continue to scan
our environments, constantly searching for and evaluating such events. If and when
such an event is perceived, it triggers an emotion so that we can react and adapt
quickly and efficiently. Language & Communication: The evolution of human
cultures is associated with the evolution of the ability for verbal language in
humans. Human cultures are constructed from an understanding of shared
intentionality, and language facilitates the creation of shared intentionality.
while the ability to have language is universal to humans, each culture creates its
own unique language. And in fact, language differences reflect important
differences between cultures, and they also help to reinforce culture.
5. Personality: Over the years, scientists have identified and studied many
specific aspects of personality within this broad definition, and we believe that
it’s helpful to understand the broad concept of personality along multiple levels
of analysis. Psychopathology: Culture adds an important dimension to abnormality.
Incorporating culture into our psychological theories and concepts raises a number
of significant issues with regard to psychological disorders. Cross cultural
psychology identifies the role of culture in the assessment of psychological
disorders, examine the classification schemes currently in use, and explore some
issues surrounding the actual measurement of abnormality. Self & Identity: The
concept of self is an important first step to exploring social behaviour because it
organizes information about oneself. Moreover, the concept of self is intimately
related to our concepts of others. In fact, we cannot create a sense of self
without being able to discriminate ourselves from others. It is in recognizing that
we are part of a social group, living with others, that we first differentiate what
our own sense of self is. A topic related to self is that of identity. Social
Behaviour: While the need for affiliation is universal, how people address that
need and interact with others can be different depending on their culture.
Fortunately, this is one of the richest areas of research in cultural psychology
and there is much to draw from. Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology: Cross-cultural
psychology provides valuable data and suggestions to psychotherapy. Psychological
knowledge can be useful in international diplomacy and negotiation, advertising,
and marketing. Specialists in cross-cultural psychology can help thousands of
migrants adjust in a new cultural environment. Psychologists believe that as
intercultural contacts increase in all parts of the world, interest in this area of
cross-cultural training will multiply.
