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Culture Psych
Culture and Human Psychology: An Examination of Gift-Giving in Different Nations
Culture is a complex phenomenon that evades being defined in terms that are at once comprehensive and concrete -- any entirely firm definition of culture is bound to leave out some elements of some cultures, and any definition that is all-inclusive is necessarily unspecific in certain regards. Put broadly, culture can be thought of as the sum total of popular forms of expression, commonly held values and symbols, familial and political structures, technological advances and levels of utilization, persistent religious/spiritual beliefs, and the hierarchy of needs and manners of meeting those needs that are produced/held by members of any given group of human beings. In other words, culture influences everything humans do, as everything humans do takes place within the context of culture -- a painting, for example, will have a specific meaning within the culture that produced it, working to either support or to question specific cultural attitudes or beliefs that exist within the culture.
Not only does culture affect artistic endeavors, but it influences psychology as well. Mental disorders typical to some cultures -- such as anorexia in the developed world -- are virtually unseen in others, and though this might in part be due to environmental and resource issues it is also very a result...
Pressures to behave, look, or believe in a certain way can give rise to a variety of psychological problems from conflicts with internal drives, and normal psychological phenomena such as memory and emotion can also be heavily influenced by cultural values and perspectives. The variance that culture can create when it comes to psychology and behavior is made quite clear by the following examination of gift giving in three different cultures.
The pastoral nomadic culture of the Massai has led to an interesting gift giving arrangement known as osotua, in which two partners agree to assist one another through gifts of livestock but only when asked and only when they can afford to, and with requests made only when there is need (Aktipis et al., 2011). Though this is a gift-giving setup with an unusual series of constraints and seems to form almost a business arrangement -- indeed, the researchers approach this relationship as a "risk pool" that ensures herd viability -- to the Maasai people the relationship connotes a deep level of respect and responsibility, forming strong bonds between osotua partners that extend beyond the mere exchange of livestock to personal and almost familial relationships (Aktipis et al., 2011). In this culture, the importance of livestock and the value of osotua partnerships inform the psychology of relationships and make gift giving an essential part of personal…
Abnormal Psychology:pop Culture Abnormal Psychology: Pop Culture (You're name) (You're school) Abnormal Psychology: Pop Culture In asking the question of what abnormal psychology is really supposed to be, it makes sense that we must first quickly think about the very definition of our word "abnormal . By all rights, is a remarkably puzzling word that is very dependent on what is called "normality . Both terms may justifiably change fundamentally from one era to another
The environment, has been a scientific argument since the Victorian Era. The nature vs. nurture and stability vs. change arguments remain quite controversial. In essence, it concerns the importance of an individual's innate qualities (their nature) versus the way they were raised, the interactions they have had, and their personal experiences (nurture). One asks, would we have had a Stalin had he remained in seminary, or not been part
Abnormal Behavior Issues Culture Human culture varies tremendously from society to society and establishes what behaviors are considered normal within each given community (Henslin, 2008 p. 130). To a great degree, cultural norms, values, and expectations are completely arbitrary situational factors because the identical external behavior can have diametrically opposite connotations based purely on local custom. For example, burping after a meal is highly offensive in some cultures but considered an appropriate
The subject promises to approach issues of theology, sociology, ethicality and behavior with necessary interdependency. Psychology: Professional Ethics and Legal Issues (523), though an elective, seems to be an absolutely indispensable channeling of study time. The examination of issues of ethical and legal centrality to the research or practice of psychology should arm future professionals with the underlying information and philosophical orientation needed to approach this complex field with sensitivity, objectivity and integrity. Teaching Introduction to Psychology (GIDS
By that time, several guards had become sadistic and the behavior of the prisoners provided clear indications of psychological breakdown. Interviews with study participants suggested that merely the perception of their respective roles influenced their behavior. More importantly, the groupthink that prevailed within the group of prison guards overcame any individual personal reluctance they may have had to treat their prisoners so harshly (Macionis 2003). The Significance of the
Whereas the behaviorist and psychodynamic models contradict each other in their fundamental assumptions and focus, humanistic perspective does not necessarily contradict behaviorism or the psychodynamic approach, except that it considers both of those views as explanations of only portions of human behavior rather than all human behavior. The Cognitive Perspective: The Cognitive perspective broadens the study of human psychology even further than the humanistic perspective. In addition to considering all of the