Cross cultural psychology: concepts and research

Cross Cultural Psychology

Universality in Cross-Cultural Psychology

Is there truly a universal element to human psychology? Many great minds within the practice have debated whether cultural norms within the human mind are culture specific or more universal. Within cultural psychology, the basic concept is that psychology is heavily dependent on the individual culture in which the person is raised. However, within the construct of cross-cultural, researchers posit the idea that although each individual is heavily influenced by the world around them, there're basic patterns that appear within isolated groups that present the argument there must be some true universals.

In opposed to cross-cultural psychology, cultural psychology relies heavily on the notion that psychological development is dependent on the culture each individual is raised within. According to research, one's culture is "a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about attitudes toward life," (Gale Group 2001:1). Any individual growing up in a particular culture will then be psychologically impacted by that culture. Therefore, universals cannot truly exist for there is no universal culture. Each culture is relative; therefore each psychological construct of individuals is relative. This is the main argument within cultural psychology. The genre of psychology posits the idea that culture is an inseparable part of the human psyche, and will always then be relative to cultural heritage.

However, cross-cultural psychology states some differences that connect patterns in behavior as a universal construct within human nature. According to research, "Cross-cultural psychology is the study of similarities and differences in the individual psychological functioning in various cultural and ethnic groups; of the relationships between psychological variables and socio-cultural, ecological, and biological variables; and of current changes in these variables," (Berry et al. 1992:2). It takes into account all the cultural elements of an individual's mind state tat cultural society does. Culture is one of the dominating forces within the human mind. Yet, cross cultural psychology thought posits the idea that although cultures are so diverse, we can compare them and pick out common patterns seen in various cultural entities, "Our social world consists of simple, obvious, separate, fixed factors that transcend time and place, and are readily practiced and comprehended by large masses of people," (Ratner: 31). This branch of psychology studies how culture, with all of its unique traditions and social customs, affect the individual. The practice attempts to explain how the human psyche is influenced by the diverse cultures around it, as well as how the common patterns which are shared between such diverse groups portray innate aspects of human nature. It aims to understand individual cultures and their differences from other cultures "to generate a more nearly universal psychology that will be valid for a broader range of cultures," (Berry et al. 1992:3). Within even a solid group there are isolated sub-groups. Cross-cultural psychology then examines how sub-groups can develop within a larger group. These different groups within a larger one represent the idea that each culture does have its differences, but that there are some shared elements; "Cross-cultural psychology may also be practiced within a given society by studying the contrasts between its dominant culture and subcultures," (Gale Group 2001:1). There are several developments within the field of cross-cultural psychology which have spread to viewing essential concepts in two fundamental ways. The etic school of thought examines the patterns and similarities within varying cultural groups. This highlights the idea of finding a universal through examining the similarities. However, there is another branch of cross-cultural psychology. The emic branch focuses on representing the differences of various cultures as the way to show deviations from common universal patterns. However, the element of some universal aspects is present within both. Cross-culture psychology proves much different than cultural psychology in the idea that it develops an argument that presents the possibility of universals within human psyche.