How much woe when we go: A quantitative method for predicting culture shock

Culture shock is defined as the confusion and discomfort caused by the conflict in perceived motives and expected behaviors between the home culture and the foreign culture. Several quantitative and graphical methods employing techniques of cluster analysis and similarity mapping are offered for predicting the magnitude of culture shock between pairs of countries using data extracted from Hofstede's 1980–83 studies of national cultural values. Implications for business, politics, and personal stress management are discussed.     

Human Nature and Culture: An Evolutionary Psychological Perspective

Personality psychology is the broadest of all psychological subdisciplines in that it seeks a conceptually integrated understanding of both human nature and important individual differences. Cultural differences pose a unique set of problems for any comprehensive theory of personality—how can they be reconciled with universals of human nature on the one hand and within‐cultural variation on the other? Evolutionary psychology provides one set of conceptual tools by which this conceptual integration can be made. It requires jettisoning the false but still‐pervasive dichotomy of culture versus biology, acknowledging a universal human nature, and recognizing that the human mind contains many complex psychological mechanisms that are selectively activated, depending on cultural contexts. Culture rests on a foundation of evolved psychological mechanisms and cannot be understood without those mechanisms.     

文化混搭:研究现状与发展方向

文化混搭指"不同文化在同一时空中呈现"的现象,是全球化背景下心理学中文化研究的新热点。文化混搭研究代表了继跨文化心理学、文化心理学和多元文化心理学之后,心理学文化研究的第四个阶段——文化会聚主义心理学,并从不同方面延伸与拓展了传统的多元文化研究。已有文献从文化混搭对个体心理和行为的影响、个体对文化混搭的反应及心理机制等角度展开了实证研究。未来研究应进一步明晰文化混搭的概念定义和研究范畴、提炼和比较其不同表现形式、探究既有研究结论中的不一致性、比较文化元素的混搭与非文化元素的混搭的异同、采用多学科多层次的研究方法和手段。     

National Culture and Leadership Profiles in Europe: Some Results From the GLOBE Study

Different cultural groups may have different conceptions of what leadership should entail, i.e. different leadership prototypes. Several earlier studies revealed that within Europe various cultural clusters can be distinguished (Hofstede, 1991; Ronen & Shenkar, 1985). Using recent data from the GLOBE project, this article discusses similarities and differences on culture and leadership dimensions among 21 European countries. The results show that two broad clusters or patterns of cultural values can be distinguished, contrasting the North-Western and South-Eastern part of Europe. Within these clusters, differences in leadership prototypes to a certain extent mirror differences in culture. On the basis of these results it is hardly possible to speak of a single typically European culture or one distinct European management style. However, on some dimensions European scores are different from at least some other regions in the world.     

Within- and between-culture variation: individual differences and the cultural logics of honor, face, and dignity cultures

The CuPS (Culture × Person × Situation) approach attempts to jointly consider culture and individual differences, without treating either as noise and without reducing one to the other. Culture is important because it helps define psychological situations and create meaningful clusters of behavior according to particular logics. Individual differences are important because individuals vary in the extent to which they endorse or reject a culture's ideals. Further, because different cultures are organized by different logics, individual differences mean something different in each. Central to these studies are concepts of honor-related violence and individual worth as being inalienable versus socially conferred. We illustrate our argument with 2 experiments involving participants from honor, face, and dignity cultures. The studies showed that the same "type" of person who was most helpful, honest, and likely to behave with integrity in one culture was the "type" of person least likely to do so in another culture. We discuss how CuPS can provide a rudimentary but integrated approach to understanding both within- and between-culture variation.     

The influence of culture on teacher commitment

Culture is believed to be an important factor that influences various aspects of human life, such as behaviour, thinking, perceptions and attitudes. This article examines the similarities and differences in the influence of culture on teacher commitment in three types of Malaysian primary schools. Since commitment to teaching has rarely been investigated in the field of education, it is necessary to identify initially the dimensions of teacher commitment and their interrelationships that are likely to operate in schools. Each of the three types of schools in which this study is conducted is related to one of the three major cultural groups in Malaysia, namely, the Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures. An investigation is undertaken of the similarities and differences between these three groups with respect to cultural orientation with school leadership, in-school working conditions and teacher commitment as the criteria. The statistical analysis, conducted at the teacher level, is path analysis with latent variables using partial least squares regression to estimate the direct and indirect effects for the different ethnic groups of the main variables on teacher commitment. The differences reported between groups are of sufficient strength to argue that analysis with pooled data are largely inappropriate and consideration needs to be given to separate analysis for the various cultural subgroups both within a country and between countries where the effects of culture are largely different.     

Enabling diverse learners to thrive in the online homiletics classroom

Many early efforts at teaching preaching online incurred disastrous losses in quality. Revamped versions now claim to meet, and in some areas even exceed, classroom learning effectiveness, with potentially significant gains for students from non‐dominant cultures. Students preach in local ethnic and denominational contexts, so a wider range of sermon styles can flourish in indigenous soil. Students hear immediate feedback from their community, and from their online peers and professor. Online discussion formats level the playing field for non‐native speakers. By remaining embedded in their denominational and ethnic environments, student's cultural differences may be simultaneously affirmed and critiqued. This article describes capacities which predict success among preaching students, and how culture may influence the manifestation of these capacities. It details best practices and continuing challenges for professors making the transition to online preaching courses, as they seek to build culturally sustaining learning environments in which diverse students may flourish.     

Integrating Cultural Community Psychology: Activity Settings and the Shared Meanings of Intersubjectivity

Cultural and community psychology share a common emphasis on context, yet their leading journals rarely cite each other’s articles. Greater integration of the concepts of culture and community within and across their disciplines would enrich and facilitate the viability of cultural community psychology. The contextual theory of activity settings is proposed as one means to integrate the concepts of culture and community in cultural community psychology. Through shared activities, participants develop common experiences that affect their psychological being, including their cognitions, emotions, and behavioral development. The psychological result of these experiences is intersubjectivity. Culture is defined as the shared meanings that people develop through their common historic, linguistic, social, economic, and political experiences. The shared meanings of culture arise through the intersubjectivity developed in activity settings. Cultural community psychology presents formidable epistemological challenges, but overcoming these challenges could contribute to the transformation and advancement of community psychology.     

Complexity of culture: the role of identity and context in bicultural individuals' body ideals

Culture plays an important role in shaping body image, and people from different cultures have different beliefs about what constitutes the "ideal" body type. This study examines the relationship between culture and body ideals in Asian-American and Black-American women. Results from two studies show that subjective cultural identity and situational cultural cues had different relationships with body ideals. Among Asian-American women, identification with Asian culture was related to a thinner body ideal, but exposure to Asian cultural cues (relative to American cultural cues) was related to a thicker body ideal. Among Black-American women, identification with Black culture was related to a thicker body ideal, but exposure to Black cultural cues (relative to American cultural cues) was related to a thinner body ideal. These results have theoretical and practical implications for understanding how internal and external manifestations of culture can differentially influence body image.     

Process-Product Dynamics: The Role of Otherness in Cultural Cultivation

Carriere (2013) presents a stimulating perspective on the cultural phenomena aiming to recover the role of the external products of culture to imbalance the currently popular emphasis on subject’s process of cultivation highlighted by semiotic developmental cultural psychology. The excessive focus on subject’s internal processes dismissing a better consideration of products of culture and the compelling objective realities of other dimensions of culture are pointed out. By this way the author’s proposes a better dialogue with others perspectives on (cross)cultural psychology. These arguments are analyzed through a closer consideration of I-Other perennial movement. A dialogical view of process-product dynamics is then proposed. The role of Otherness—the one that (partially)shares and the one as witness, approving or disapproving subject’s products of cultivation—is discussed through the analysis of a concrete episode of the cultivation of the subject. It is concluded that a semiotic developmental cultural psychology and (cross) cultural psychology have different objects of knowledge comprising distinct interests and research fields.     

Jewish Attitudes toward Intermarriage

This paper explores attitudes toward intermarriage among American Jews. After an introduction of the basic findings about attitudes toward intermarriage in the general sample, we present the differences between the major American Jewish denominations in this respect. A correspondence analysis of intermarriage attitudes and the denominational factor shows the typical attitude profiles characterizing groups according to current denomination and the denomination in which they were raised. We then go on to show how much of this denominational effect is related to the influence of Jewish education, age, and marital status on attitudes toward intermarriage. Finally we consider all three sets of factors together in a multiple regression analysis of attitudes toward intermarriage, in order to determine the net or independent effects of each of these influencing factors. We show that intermarriage attitudes are a compromise between two forces: the strength of Jewish identity, as reflected in denominational affiliation, and Jewish education; and the exigencies of the mate selection process, as reflected in age, marital status, and proximity to other Jews. Data are based primarily on the 1991 New York Jewish Population Survey.     

The Effects of Switching on Denominational Subcultures

For many years, sociologists have examined the role of religious collectivities in shaping individual attitudes and behaviors. This research has assumed that religious groups are the "locus of subcultural differences" in social attitudes. However, scholars have not addressed how denominational mobility or switching affects denominational subcultures. Our research uses data from the General Social Surveys to examine the consequences of switching on denominational subcultures. Our analysis investigates denominational differences in central tendencies and differences in homogeneity for "switchers" and those who remain affiliated with the same religious group over the life course. Further, comparisons of both types of religious group differences are adjusted to account for sociodemographic characteristics. Several promising directions for future research on religious variations in social values and attitudes are discussed.     

Five potential principles for understanding cultural differences in relation to individual differences

This paper deals with psychological differences between two cultures, with respect to the differences between individuals in those same cultures. Five principles are presented which describe either actual or probable empirical relationships between within- and between-culture differences, and a possible theoretical account is given for each of the presumed differences. (1) The differences between “cultures” seem “bigger” than the actual differences between the individuals in these same cultures. This relation is attributed to the idea that universal human biological predispositions are often opposed by cultural traditions, so the outcome is somewhat of a compromise between the two. (2) Differences between individuals in different cultures are generally larger in behavior than in thoughts or feelings This is attributed to the fact that it is easier to socialize behavior than mental events. (3) Many cultural differences are expressed in individuals in terms of different default responses or interpretations or preferences for the same situation. Dominant responses in one culture are usually a less salient part of the repertoire of individuals in another culture. (4) Much of the effect of culture, and our impression of culture differences, results from the physical/social artifacts (environments, institutions) created by the culture. There is a strong tendency by psychologists to under-rate or ignore the effects of the physical environment. (5) In the contemporary world, differences between individuals in two cultures will be larger in older generations. Cultural differences may be markedly reduced in the most recent generations, on account of globalization. The position put forth is an attempt to integrate the ideas that there are real human predispositions of various sorts and that culture is a powerful force, and to explain why it is surprisingly easy for us to understand the viewpoint of people from other cultures (their “reality”is often a less preferred alternative in our own repertoire).     

The multidimensional analysis of asymmetries in alphabetic confusion matrices: Evidence for global-to-local and local-to-global processing

This study examined the ability of an asymmetric multidimensional scaling program (DEDICOM) to reveal information about letter-perception processes. To demonstrate its potential, we applied it to the controversy concerning local-to-global versus global-to-local letter perception. These two theories lead to different predictions about stimulus confusion asymmetries. Since DEDICOM is capable of recovering the structure of asymmetric or directional patterns, it should reveal whether a stimulus-response confusion matrix contains patterns of asymmetry more consistent with one or the other perceptual theory. This was tested using two data sets. The first (from Lupker, 1979) revealed an additive hierarchy of asymmetry strongly consistent with global-tolocal processing, although unexpected additional structure and reliable anomalies indicated the need for a more refined theoretical account. The second (a full alphabetic confusion matrix combining data from Gilmore et al., 1979; Loomis, 1982; and Towasend, 1971) revealed five distinct patterns, each consisting of transformations attributable to the failure to detect specific local letter features. This solution strengthened support for local-to-global processing, in sharp contrast to the first analysis. Possible reasons for this divergence are discussed, including differences in the stimuli, exposure durations, and a hypothetical two-stage process of perception. Despite their differences, both solutions demonstrated how asymmetric scaling can reveal structure in asymmetries, which is relevant to perceptual theory and which would have been difficult to recover by other means.     

The Association Between Church Attendance and Psychological Health in Northern Ireland: A National Representative Survey Among Adults Allowing for Sex Differences and Denominational Difference

This study extends previous research concerning the association between religion and psychological health in six ways: (1) by focusing clearly on religious attendance (church attendance); (2) by employing a robust measure of psychological distress (GHQ-12); (3) by studying a highly religious culture (Northern Ireland); (4) by taking sex differences into account (male or female); (5) by taking denominational differences into account (Catholic or Protestant); (6) and by obtaining a national representative sample (N = 4,281 adults aged 16 and above). Results from a 2 (sex) by 2 (denomination) ANCOVA demonstrated that Catholics recorded significantly lower levels of psychological health compared to Protestants, and that females showed significantly lower levels of psychological health compared to males. In addition, females reported higher frequency of religious service attendance than males, and Catholics reported higher attendance rates than Protestants. A significant positive association was found between frequency of religious attendance and GHQ-12 scores, and this association was moderated by sex and denomination. In conclusion, the results suggest that there may be sex and denominational differences in further understanding the relationship between frequency of religious attendance and psychological health.     

Denominational Variations Across American Jewish Communities

This article explores the Jewish identity of different Jewish denominational identification groups using the Decade 2000 Data Set with its 19,800 interviews of Jewish households in 22 American Jewish communities. We relate the Jewish identity of individuals in each denominational group (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform/Reconstructionist) to the denominational composition of the community. Communities are clustered via k‐means cluster analysis based on their denominational profiles. We examine the extent to which individual Jewish identification varies by the denominational composition of the community in which an individual resides, finding that considerable variation exists in Jewish identity measures depending on the type of denominational profile that exists in the individual's community. That is, Orthodox Jews, for example, behave differently in a community with a significant Orthodox population than in a community with few Orthodox, but many Reform Jews. Implications for Jewish communities, as well as for the broader interreligious community, are considered.     

The autonomy of cultural practice: Basis, limit and significance of the possibility of developing ��cultural automatism��

Culture has always led a “problematic existence.” As a result, the diagnosis and treatment of various cultural diseases continue to depend on the embarrassing double identity of culture as both patient and doctor, hence making it difficult for culture to explore its own obscure recesses. The question of whether culture is autonomous and can be itself in its own way should therefore be considered theoretically. Since culture is closely associated with civilization, real culture must be generated from the florescence of a civilization based on a logic of human integrity within a certain historical period of time. In order to illuminate and adhere to this cultural attribute, some “cultural truths” must be made clear by establishing and maintaining public order and good customs from a properly lofty spiritual view. We must prudently and critically inquire after the ideological promise of culture regarding reasonable existence and the evolution of humans, and present an ideal prophecy in line with the human demand for a good life so as to assure culture’s healthy, benign, and sustainable advancement and stable performance of its function of molding graceful, noble, and tasteful means of life.     

Cultures of teaching in childhood: Formal schooling and Maya sibling teaching at home

Culture can be thought of a set of shared practices, beliefs, and values that are transmitted across generations through language [Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press]. Teaching is one way that culture is transmitted, but forms of teaching vary across cultures and across activity settings within cultures. This article explores the impact of culture on styles of teaching in a place where more than one cultural model of teaching is found: the Zinacantec Maya of Chiapas, Mexico. Zinacantecs have an indigenous model of teaching that applies to the learning of informal tasks, such as making tortillas and weaving. When children go to school, the indigenous model interacts with the model found at school, and this mixed model is transferred back home to sibling interactions. Videotaped ethnographic observations and quantitative discourse analyses reveal cultural patterns in the development of children's teaching.     

Is intrinsic religious orientation a culturally specific American Protestant concept? The fusion of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation among non‐Protestants

The relationship between intrinsic and personal extrinsic religious orientation as suggested by Gorsuch and McPherson is studied within four denominational samples of university students in four different cultural environments. Results show that intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientation form two separate dimensions only within the American Protestant sample. In three different European religious environments (one Eastern Orthodox, one Islamic, and one Roman Catholic), all extrinsic personal and intrinsic items can be combined into a single dimension. It is speculated that the intrinsic orientation may be culturally tied to Protestantism. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Person,symbol, sociality: Towards a social psychology of cultural dynamics

Contemporary research on personality and culture has successfully mapped out major cultural differences in personality profile. However, in order to investigate the dynamic process by which culturally shaped personalities are formed, maintained, and transformed, sociality or the totality of social processes that mediate the culture–personality relationship need to be examined. A research program of a social psychology of cultural dynamics is outlined, and a computer simulation is described as an example of this metatheoretical orientation. This connectionist-based simulation suggests that there exists a physically realizable system that can generate both individual differences and culture from a stream of social interaction episodes among multiple actors. The importance of sociality in personality and culture research is emphasized.