Dr glenn adams 1

Worlds of independence afford … Worlds of Interdependence afford …General Experience of self and other in terms of internal attributes Experience of self in terms of relationship to [s

Cultural Psychology

What Is It?

Glenn Adams

University of Kansas, USA

Lecture for the Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; 11 MAY 2011

NOT an exercise in documenting diversity or describing characteristic psychological tendencies “across cultures”.

A Cultural-Psychological Analysis: What Is It?

NOT an exercise in documenting diversity or describing characteristic psychological tendencies “across cultures”.

Instead, a fundamental insight about the cultural and historical bases of mind …

A Cultural-Psychological Analysis: What Is It?

NOT an exercise in documenting diversity or describing characteristic psychological tendencies “across

cultures”.

Instead, a fundamental insight about the cultural and historical bases of mind …

One can find the "architecture of mind" not only in brain structure, but also inscribed in the structure of everyday worlds.

A Cultural-Psychological Analysis: What Is It?

Mutual Constitution of Psyche/Culture

MIND IN BRAIN ("Psyche")

MIND IN CONTEXT ("Culture")

Inscription: People in the course of everyday activity reproduce worlds that real-ize or objectify their beliefs

and desires.

Embodiment: Rather than the simple expression of an internal blueprint, psyche requires continual tuning to—and

incorporation of —psychological affordances embedded in everyday worlds.

A Research Task …

Imagine a family with the following members :

Father (f), Mother (m), 2 daughters (ages 14 and 3 years), and 3 sons (ages 15, 11, and 8).

A Research Task …

Imagine a family with the following members :

Father (f), Mother (m), 2 daughters (ages 14 and 3 years), and 3 sons (ages 15, 11, and 8).

1. Arrange this family into psychologically optimal sleeping arrangements given that you have only 3 sleeping

spaces (i.e., beds, mats, rooms, etc)

A Research Task …

Imagine a family with the following members :

Father (f), Mother (m), 2 daughters (ages 14 and 3 years), and 3 sons (ages 15, 11, and 8).

1. Arrange this family into psychologically optimal sleeping arrangements given that you have only 3 sleeping

spaces (i.e., beds, mats, rooms, etc)

2. Imagine that you have no resource constraints—that is, as many separate sleeping spaces as you think

appropriate Indicate which is the psychologically optimal sleeping arrangement

Psychology Implicit in Practice

(Shweder, Jensen, & Goldstein, 1995)

Psychology Implicit in Practice

(Shweder, Jensen, & Goldstein, 1995)

Bubaneswar (Orissa, India) Practice

 Incest Avoidance

 Protection of the Vulnerable

 Female Chastity Anxiety

 Respect for Hierarchy/Authority

Psychology Implicit in Practice

(Shweder, Jensen, & Goldstein, 1995)

Bubaneswar (Orissa, India) Practice

 Incest Avoidance

 Protection of the Vulnerable

 Female Chastity Anxiety

 Respect for Hierarchy/Authority

Hyde Park (Illinois, USA) Practice

 Incest Avoidance

 Support for the Sacred Couple

 Autonomy Training

Developmental Pathways

(Greenfield & Keller, 2000)

Developmental Pathways

(Greenfield & Keller, 2000)

x x

x

x

x x x x

x x

Constructions of self and social reality that afford experience of the individual as basic and of connection as the secondary product of basic individuals

Abstracted Independence

x x

x

x

x x x x

x x

Constructions of self and social reality that afford experience of the individual as basic and of connection as the secondary product of basic individuals

Abstracted Independence

x x

x x

x x x

x x

x x

x

Embedded Interdependence

Constructions of self and social reality as intense connection; afford

an experience of relationship as a default state of human existence.

Abstracted Independence

Constructions of self and social reality that afford experience of the

individual as basic and of connection as the secondary product of

x x

x

x

x x x x x x

Worlds of independence afford … Worlds of Interdependence afford …

General Experience of self and other in terms of internal

attributes

Experience of self in terms of relationship to [social] context

Cultural Grounding of Self: Content

Compared to people in diverse cultural and historical settings, people in North American settings …

• Refer to fewer social identities

Tôi là .

Cultural Grounding of Self: Content

Compared to people in diverse cultural and historical settings, people in North American settings …

• Refer to fewer social identities

• Mention fewer duties and obligations

Tôi là .

Cultural Grounding of Self: Content

Compared to people in diverse cultural and historical settings, people in North American settings …

• Refer to fewer social identities

• Mention fewer duties and obligations

• Note more de-contextualized traits

Tôi là .

Worlds of independence afford … Worlds of Interdependence afford …

General Experience of self and other in terms of internal

attributes

Experience of self in terms of relationship to [social] context

Cognition Attention to properties of objects, attributes of people Attention to fields of force, relations between objects

Social Perception Task

(Miller, 1984)

This concerns a motorcycle accident The back wheel burst on the motorcycle The passenger sitting in the rear jumped The moment the passenger fell, he struck his head on the pavement The driver of the motorcycle who is an attorney as he was on his way to court for some work, just took the passenger to a local hospital and went on and attended to his court work I personally feel the motorcycle driver did a wrong thing The driver left the passenger there without consulting the doctor concerning the seriousness of the injury the gravity of the situation—whether the passenger should be shifted immediately and he went on to the court So ultimately the passenger died

Why did the driver leave the passenger without waiting to hear about the person's status?

Social Perception Task

(Miller, 1984)

This concerns a motorcycle accident The back wheel burst on the motorcycle The passenger sitting in the rear jumped The moment the passenger fell, he struck his head on the pavement The driver of the motorcycle who is an attorney as he was on his way to court for some work, just took the passenger to a local hospital and went on and attended to his court work I personally feel the motorcycle driver did a wrong thing The driver left the passenger there without consulting the doctor concerning the seriousness of the injury the gravity of the situation—whether the passenger should be shifted immediately and he went on to the court So ultimately the passenger died

Why did the driver leave the passenger without waiting to hear about the person's status?

US respondents make 36% of their attributions to dispositional sources but only 17% of their attributions to contextual sources.

Social Perception Task

(Miller, 1984)

This concerns a motorcycle accident The back wheel burst on the motorcycle The passenger sitting in the rear jumped The moment the passenger fell, he struck his head on the pavement The driver of the motorcycle who is an attorney as he was on his way to court for some work, just took the passenger to a local hospital and went on and attended to his court work I personally feel the motorcycle driver did a wrong thing The driver left the passenger there without consulting the doctor concerning the seriousness of the injury the gravity of the situation—whether the passenger should be shifted immediately and he went on to the court So ultimately the passenger died

Why did the driver leave the passenger without waiting to hear about the person's status?

US respondents make 36% of their attributions to dispositional sources but only 17% of their attributions to contextual sources.

Indian respondents make 15% of their attributions to dispositional sources and 35% to contextual sources.

Worlds of independence afford … Worlds of Interdependence afford …

General Experience of self and other in terms of internal

attributes

Experience of self in terms of relationship to [social] context

Cognition Attention to properties of objects, attributes of people Attention to fields of force, relations between objects

Motivation Focus on personal attitudes, opportunities to

Perception Task

For each of the following attributes, please rank yourself relative to other KU students For example, if you think that you

are higher on the attribute than 80% of KU students, write down 80 in the blank.

memory independence sympathy athletic ability interdependence

Perception Task

For each of the following attributes, please rank yourself relative to other KU students For example, if you think that you

are higher on the attribute than 80% of KU students, write down 80 in the blank.

memory independence sympathy athletic ability interdependence

Across attributes, US students tend to report that they have more of the attribute than 70% of relevant others.

Japanese participants tend to report that they have more of the attribute than 50% of relevant others.

Worlds of independence afford … Worlds of Interdependence afford …

General Experience of self and other in terms of internal

attributes

Experience of self in terms of relationship to [social] context

Cognition Attention to properties of objects, attributes of people Attention to fields of force, relations between objects

Motivation Focus on personal attitudes, opportunities to

self-enhance

Focus on social norms, comparison of self to standards

Emotion Pursuit of happiness; subjective meaning of emotion

Pursuit of contentment; "objective" meaning of emotion

Selfways

(Markus, Mullally, & Kitayama, 1997)

Move Body, Change Self

(Heine & Lehman, 2004)

J – Japanese who have never been abroad

BAJ – “Been Abroad Japanese”

RAC – “Recent Asian-Canadians”

(moved to Canada within past 7 years) LAC – “Long-Term Asian-Canadians”

(moved to Canada > 7 years ago)

2AC – Second-generation Asian-Canadians

3AC – Third-generation Asian-Canadians

EC – European-Canadians

Move Body, Change Self

(Heine & Lehman, 2004)

J – Japanese who have never been abroad

BAJ – “Been Abroad Japanese”

RAC – “Recent Asian-Canadians”

(moved to Canada within past 7 years) LAC – “Long-Term Asian-Canadians”

(moved to Canada > 7 years ago)

2AC – Second-generation Asian-Canadians

3AC – Third-generation Asian-Canadians

EC – European-Canadians

Cultural Psychology as Antidote to Individualism

In contrast to the conceptual individualism of mainstream psychology, a cultural psychology analysis emphasizes the social and historical bases of mind and experience.

Cultural Psychology as Antidote to Individualism

In contrast to the conceptual individualism of mainstream psychology, a cultural psychology analysis emphasizes the social and historical bases of mind and experience.

Preview of Lecture 2

Neocolonialism in Science: The Case of Relationship Psychology

Cultural Psychology as Antidote to Individualism

In contrast to the conceptual individualism of mainstream psychology, a cultural psychology analysis emphasizes the social and historical bases of mind and experience.

Preview of Lecture 2

Neocolonialism in Science: The Case of Relationship Psychology

Invitation to Discussion and Potential Collaboration