Psychology Cross-Cultural Psychology

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Psychology Cross-Cultural Psychology

• Dr. Norman

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Multi cultural Psychology?

• Multicultural Psychology-The systematic study of
  behavior, cognition, and affect in many cultures.
• Culture- If someone asked you whats your
  culture? How would answer?
• Most answer by stating race, ethnicity, or
  country of origin.

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Culture

• Is often thought of as
• Various types of music
• Various types of food
• Expected behaviors of group (Hip-Hop culture)
• Culture usually refers to a particular group of
  people and including their values, behaviors,
  etc.

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Culture defined

• Narrow definition is limited to race, ethnicity,
  and/or nationality.
• Broad definition includes any and all potentially
  salient ethnographic, demographic, status, or
  affiliation identities.
• Under the broad definition we can have membership
  in more than one culture.

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Cultural concepts

• Diversity- differences beyond race, ethnicity,
  and nationality, such as sexual orientation,
  religion, and ability.
• Worldview- a psychological perception of the
  world that determines how we think, behave, and
  feel.
• Ethnicity- A combination of race and culture
• Race Black Ethnicity African American

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What is race?

• Biological concept- A group of people who share a
  specific combination of physical, genetically
  inherited characteristics that distinguish them
  from other groups.
• Sociocultural concept- Characteristics, values
  and behaviors that have been associated with
  groups of people to provide a way for outsiders
  to view that group.

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How do you define yourself?

• Is it appropriate for some that is different
  from you to ask?
• If you need to know someones cultural make up,
  do you feel comfortable asking?
• Why? What should you do about it? Particularly
  if you one day want to work in the counseling
  field.

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Multiculturalism as a fourth force

• Force Theory Key Theorist(s)
• First Psychoanalysis Freud
• Second Behaviorism Pavlov, Skinner, etc.
• Third Humanism Rogers
• Fourth Multiculturalism Sue, White, Ivey, etc.

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Multiculturalism as a fourth force

• Is multiculturalism that important to be the
  fourth force? Why or why not?
• It is believed that multiculturalism will create
  a paradigm shift (a major change in how we think
  about psychology) as did the prior three forces
  (Psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanism).

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Fourth Force

• The psychology field will now acknowledge
• That all behavior is learned and occurs in a
  cultural context
• That it is no longer appropriate to ignore
  culture
• That more understanding is needed and this newly
  acquired knowledge may change the way behavior is
  studied.

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Multicultural Counseling Therapy

• All behavior is learned and occurs in a cultural
  context
• There is a need for therapy that caters to
  diverse populations

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Six basic assumptions of MCT

• 1) No one approach to therapy is good or bad
• 2) Both the client and therapist identify with
  various groups (individual, group, cultural)
• 3) Culture identity plays a major role in
  attitudes of self, others in the same/different
  group, and etc.

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Six basic assumptions of MCT

• 4) Therapy is most effective when culture is
  considered
• 5) Therapists need to be willing to integrate
  other therapies
• 6) Liberation of Consciousness Placing the
  client and understanding self in relations to
  family, group and culture

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Historical Background

• The importance of Multicultural Psychology
• Blacks are not capable of abstract thinking and
  should be placed in special education classes
• Mexican and American Indian children are
  genetically inferior
• (Terman, 1916) This information was based on an
  IQ test that was standardized on White native
  Californians
• Arguments of inferiority fueled the eugenics
  movement
• (certain groups should not be allowed to
  procreate)

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Historical Background

• Kenneth and Mamie Clark (1939) conducted a study
  showing Black and White dolls or pictures to
  children.
• Black children attributed more positive
  characteristics to the White doll..Why?
• This study played a key roll in the Brown vs. the
  Board of Education decision in 1954 to
  desegregate schools.

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Historical Background

• Gender differences
• Kohlberg (1968, 1976) proposed six stages of
  moral development for boys 10-16 that changed
  with maturity and age.
• Gilligan, a student of Kohlberg, found that men
  tended to base moral decisions on justice,
  whereas, women based their moral decisions on
  compassion.
• According to Kohlbergs model, the results
  suggested that women were less moral
• Gilligan later concluded that women think and
  speak differently and criticized the field for
  excluding women research

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The rise of multiculturalism

• ..all people are multicultural beings, all
  interactions are cross-cultural, and all of our
  life experiences are perceived and shaped from
  within our own cultural perspectives
• APA, 2003

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Questions

• How can your early experiences with other
  cultures impact your worldview?
• Have you ever been to different regions of the
  country and felt out of place? How about in the
  city? How did you feel? How did you handle your
  situation?