The document discusses culture and psychology, how they interact and influence each other. It explains that culture comprises social norms, traditions, and beliefs that represent a group's identity. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Culture influences psychology through modifying thought patterns. Cross-cultural psychology studies psychological phenomena across different cultures, and looks at how it can be applied and studied in Pakistan by comparing groups with different traditions and factors.
The document discusses culture and psychology, how they interact and influence each other. It explains that culture comprises social norms, traditions, and beliefs that represent a group's identity. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Culture influences psychology through modifying thought patterns. Cross-cultural psychology studies psychological phenomena across different cultures, and looks at how it can be applied and studied in Pakistan by comparing groups with different traditions and factors.
Original Description:
What is culture and psychology in the light of cross-cultural psychology?
The document discusses culture and psychology, how they interact and influence each other. It explains that culture comprises social norms, traditions, and beliefs that represent a group's identity. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Culture influences psychology through modifying thought patterns. Cross-cultural psychology studies psychological phenomena across different cultures, and looks at how it can be applied and studied in Pakistan by comparing groups with different traditions and factors.
The document discusses culture and psychology, how they interact and influence each other. It explains that culture comprises social norms, traditions, and beliefs that represent a group's identity. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Culture influences psychology through modifying thought patterns. Cross-cultural psychology studies psychological phenomena across different cultures, and looks at how it can be applied and studied in Pakistan by comparing groups with different traditions and factors.
SUBMITTED TO: MAM. RABIA RIAZ SUBMITTED BY: SAMIA BATOOL 1577-FSS-BSPSY-F20 SECTION: A
DATE OF SUBMISSION: February 27th, 2024
Department of Psychology Faculty of Social Sciences International Islamic University Islamabad TASK: What is culture & psychology? How culture & psychology interact and influence each other? In Pakistan, how cross cultural psychology is present and how it can be studied?
Culture & Psychology:
When humans started transforming their lives from Stone Age to modern era of livelihood, they developed particular set of norms, values and traditions suitable to their needs, requirements and for the preservation of their legacy. With the passage of time, these acts became an integral and essential part of their lives constituting as the culture of a specific region. Culture itself is bound to change with time as it is an evolving process containing generation’s history. In identifying the roots of a nation, culture plays a significant role. Culture comprises of various social norms, traditions, social institutions, laws, values, customs, beliefs and knowledge of the people belonging to a particular region or community which represents their identity. One of the most significant aspect of any culture upon which a nation’s identity relies is its religion. Religion is one of the most vital components of any culture describing the social constituents comprising different set of rules and norms in one particular culture. For instance, in Muslim countries, Islam impacts the overall identity of people as in their beliefs and concepts, traditions and laws.
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior of human beings. To understand the reasons behind certain behaviors, comprehend various psychological issues and problems and devising interventions and techniques to overcome such problems by improving the mental health are included in psychology.1
Relationship between Culture & Psychology:
The influence of culture on psychology is significant enough to determine different patterns of behaviors observed in different cultures and communities. The psychology also varies depending upon one’s environment, his or her upbringing in a specific culture and the physical conditions provided in a particular setting enhancing the important role of culture in the formation of psychology. Culture and psychology interacts with each other in various ways such as the modification of individual’s thought patterns and mental processes are influenced by the culture. Similarly, psychological processes affect culture. For instance, In Islamic countries the thought patterns are different as compared to western regions of the world i.e. the cultural difference exists. One the most common example in this regard is the concept of consumption of alcohol.2 Such comparison of multiple psychological variables among different cultures is termed as cross cultural psychology as shown in the figure given below.
Culture A & B symbolizing two different cultures in different regions
1 https://open.maricopa.edu/culturepsychology/ 2 https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141927 In an article named “Psychology and Culture” written by profound authors worked in the domain of research related to culture and psychology mentioned the dynamic interplay between psychology and culture supporting their argument with evidence and researched based factual knowledge.3
Cross-cultural Psychology in Pakistan:
Cross cultural psychology in Pakistan is an emerging domain of psychology. Researchers study psychological phenomenon varying across different cultural landscapes with rich cultural diversities. In Pakistan, cross cultural psychologists try to understand impact of culture on various variables. For instance, considering education practices or learning methods; variations exist among different regions. Cross cultural psychologists would play their role in devising such techniques which are suitable, most appropriate and effective depending upon one’s culture. As Canadian educational system is different of Pakistan’s making their implementation of effective techniques and methodologies difficult to apply here. Same goes for the mental health of the community. Cross cultural psychologists perform their researches by comparing therapeutic techniques and interventions, checking their applicability on various groups of people and by eradicating obstructing variables caused by cultural differences to administer them in Pakistan. To study psychology across diverse cultures in Pakistan, comparison is made by the cross cultural psychologists. Studies, researches, surveys and other different methods are used to identify varying factors and variables depending upon regional differences, traditional dissimilarities and many others.
3 November 2003 Annual Review of Psychology 24(1):355-378 DOI:10.1146/annurev.ps.24.020173.002035 REFERENCES
