Multicultural Approach in Psychology - Essay Example

Diversity Psychology Final Exam s affiliation Diversity Psychology Final Exam A definition and of the field of Psychology and a Discussion of three Areas where Social Psychology is relevant to a multicultural approach in Psychology using examples from the readings. Social psychology refers to a branch of psychology dealing with the study of individual in the social context. This basically implies that social psychology is the study of how and why people think, feel and do the things they do depending on the various situations facing them. While defining social psychology, it would be worth noting that the relationship between social psychology and sociology is understood in this regard, however, the main distinction arises in the context that instead of focusing on group factors like race and social class, social psychology gives much focus to the individual. Additionally, social psychology gives most reliance on the scientific research in a bid to give meaning to the various theories of social behavior. Amongst the various aspects that social psychology aims at understanding include how people act in certain situations while also analyzing the various stereotypes formed, the reasons behind the existent of racism and sexism and complex aspects of relationships like how an individual may seem to like an entirely different person in different situations and also the art of falling in love. Multiculturalism gives much focus to the different ways in which both history and identity inform each other while it also examines the various aspects of the politics of culture as well as the politics of cultural identities within the United States (Grusec, & Davidov, 2010). A simpler definition of multicultural psychology would be understood in the context that it involves the examination of the various effects culture has on the way people either act, think or feel. Consequently, culture is an external factor due to the fact that it influences occurring events and the interactions amongst people, and on the other hand still influences internal processes like the interpretation of the things going on around us. Taking this into consideration, we can conclude that multicultural psychology mainly deals with the systematic study of not only behavior, but also cognition and effect in many cultures. The growth in the recognition of the importance of cultural, in addition to the importance of ethnic and gender differences in the field of social psychology continues to adopt an increasingly multicultural perspective as it pays a careful attention to the rate of culture as well as human diversity as factors that influence social behavior and social thought (Grusec, & Davidov, 2010). To this regard it is worth appreciating the fact that multicultural psychology plays a tremendous role as regards sensitization on the importance of culture as regards the understanding of human behavior and the promotion of the necessity of cultural knowledge. 3. Assumptions associated with Western psychology that may limit its applicability to Asia American Culture Western and Asian psychology differ to some extent. This is as a result of diversity is culture, beliefs and behaviors of people from the two backgrounds. To start with, the way people relate to one another is quite different in the two cultures. Thus, the differences in Western and Asian cultures, classified as collectivist or individualist, fully relies on the relationships among people and how these people value others in the society. Under this, individualist culture can be described by a sense of one being independent and separate from others whereas collectiveness is deemed to be characterized by characteristics of dependence across the ethnic groups. Asians psychology depicts people as dependent on others whereas Western psychology presents people as independent from others. Moreover, individuals who are in collective cultures, that is Asians, emphasize the relationships with others and group membership. In these relationships, people tend to develop what psychologists will term as interdependence personalities which are oriented towards harmony and general affiliation with other people. On the other hand, the Western culture, that is individualism, emphasizes on independence and autonomy in the society. People tend to develop what psychologists will term as independent personalities which are oriented towards detachment from other people and a display of general uniqueness. Western and Asian psychology differ in cognition (Chang, 2012). The Asians have a unique orientation in cognition. Holistic or analytical cognition orientation is the most common in Asian ethnics such as Japan, Korea and Chinese. For instance, the China people will always see the world as collection of continuous and overlapping substances. Therefore, in order to understand the world, the complexities of concepts and perception in this field has to be generalized. This will focus on the relationships among the objects and how these objects relate with people in particular fields. In the Western culture, such objects are deemed or rather understood as particulars or individuals. The focus on the western culture is on the attributes and not the relationships. Thus, the ways through which people will view the world enable them to determine the way they reason through particular ideas. Asians have always cultivated a holistic thought whereas the Western people have always encouraged an analytical culture. An analytical culture is best known for emphasizing objects and attributes whereas the holistic culture is best known for seeing objects against their back drop of specific fields alongside a belief that any event in the culture will result from a slight operation in the field. As much as the holistic thought concentrates on the relationships of objects and people, the Western culture concentrates on understanding these objects according to the context, categories and rules. Cultures have always served a screening function since they determine what people can either attend to or ignore. Thus, people in certain cultures will always differ in the degree on which they attend to things such as information in a particular context and the meaning it comes with. The message contexts are much more vital than explicitly stated worlds in the two cultures. 6. A brief summary of the psychological impact of the history of multiracial individuals in America, the changes that have occurred in multiracial identity over the last two decades and the current psychological statues of multiracial Americans The past four decades have seen the United States undergo various important cultural, social and demographic changes. The emergence of social movements like the women’s and civil rights and their influence as regards communal approach on matters relating to race relations, the amount of interracial relations and marriages have become more profound within the period. The repeal of miscegenation laws prohibiting racial mixing in 1967 has seen a rise in the number of interracial marriages in the United States. Pursuant to this, there has been an alarming increase in the number of individuals claiming membership in multiple racial categories with a rapid multiplication in the number of multiracial children. There have been various arising issues resulting from the explosion in the number of individuals with multiracial background especially as regards to these people fitting into the preexisting social categories a case in point being the 2000 census where individuals of mixed ancestry had the option of choosing between their component identities on the census form which in the actual sense does not accurately reflect the true racial make-up of the country. Other arising issue has been the notion of having a multiracial identity challenging American societies traditional notions and assumptions as regards race and racial categories. The last two decades have seen a turning point as regards the social, cultural, geographic, racial and ethnic fabric of the nation (Kenney, & Kenney, 2012). The shift is so profound that there is a clear revelation of something that was never expected in America just twenty years ago especially as regards its influence on aspects like determining who is elected to run the country, the state and even the cities and to the different type of houses that will be built and where. Other psychological studies have not been left behind in marveling about the metamorphosis over just two decades especially the demographers and social observers. The fact that many Americans have multiple identities reflecting not only complex ancestral origins, but also tribal and communal associations have resulted into varied ideological outlooks on both race and culture. It is worth noting the fact that most people may not in general change their ethnicities as a matter of fashion, but to give emphasis to different aspects mainly dependent on the prevailing circumstances. America was a multiethnic and multicultural society right from the onset with the ethnic and racial landscape becoming even more complex during the nineteenth century. Americanization could also be attributed to the replacing of detailed ethnic origins with simplified pan ethnic or racial categories which further reinforces thee political and socioeconomic divisions. Thus, the current era of high immigration could be identified as the source of the emergence of Americanized and admixed identities References Chang, C. (2012). How people tell an ad story: Western vs. Asian styles. Asian Journal Of Communication, 22(3), 235-252. doi:10.1080/01292986.2012.681662 Kenney, K. R., & Kenney, M. E. (2012). Contemporary US multiple heritage couples, individuals, and families: Issues, concerns, and counseling implications. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 25(2), 99-112. doi:10.1080/09515070.2012.674682 Grusec, J. E., & Davidov, M. (2010). Integrating Different Perspectives on Socialization Theory and Research: A Domain-Specific Approach. Child Development, 81(3), 687-709. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01426.x Read More