Cultural Psychology

Cultural Psychology

The extensive exploration of culture and cross-cultural elements within the broad field of psychology has been primary in understanding the criteria in which cultural phenomena can shape the numerous perspectives of human growth. Examination of culture in psychology is key to the numerous research and scholarly explorations of various components within the cultural and cross-cultural contexts, which have been key in developing knowledge and expansive understanding regarding their role in shaping people's behaviours (Heine, 2015). The literature will undertake an in-depth review of the cultural and cross-cultural scholarly articles while examining their primary significance and contributions to the field of psychology.

As examined by Hodel et al. (2017) in their study on "Gender-Fair Language in Job Advertisements," gender stereotypes have long existed within traditional labour divisions and, more recently, within the contemporary labour landscape. Intending to establish how a gender-fair language has been overly employed within specific cultural contexts, particularly in countries with grammatical gender languages, the information depicts the prevalence of gender stereotypes within various job markets. (Hodel et al., 2017), results depict an extensive prevalence of gender-fair language in most egalitarian countries, which implicate that women tend to work in occupations characterized by caring and cooperation because they are highly perceived as communal, while men work in jobs that require more critical decision making and physical strength because they are perceived as agentic. Because men are culturally perceived as ambitious and independent, they are most exposed to jobs that require much mental and physical energy. Additionally, within the existing perceptions of gender-based occupations, male professions are extremely associated with great power and high social status in most egalitarian cultures compared to female professions.

These perceptions were overly illustrated in the traditional labour landscape when stereotypes and gender fixes highly dominated male and female professions. Despite that cultural hierarchies and stereotypes of gender in labour have gradually decreased in the last decades, the cultural and individual perceptions regarding occupations still prevail in many societies within the study nations, and men continue to have more power than women in jobs within such cultures, and this implicates the continued persistence of the issue even with subtle forms and manifestations. From this perspective, language has been overly employed to maintain specific gender arrangements. Since language has always been an important vehicle for transmitting perceptions and stereotypes, egalitarian cultures have relied on it in the general expression of variance in the context in which professions and occupations are regarded. The conclusion from earlier research incorporated in this information regarding the issue of gender-fair language shows that what people say is structurally used in the development and construction of reality. Such studies support the traditional gender hierarchies and perceptions. According to the study conclusions, gender-fair language is mostly employed in cultures with a high level of gender equality than in nations with a lower emphasis on equality from the gender perspective. The high variations in the socioeconomic status between men and women in such nations are drawn from the cultural differences based on particular egalitarian values of power and strength (Sczesny, 2016). In this context, the study sums up that language use is a critical reflection of the extent of gender inequality and an element that has contributed to its maintenance or reduction.

Hodel et al.'s (2017) research is of vital significance in studying cultural and cross-cultural psychological perspectives. For instance, the research lays a solid foundation for future exploration and examinations regarding the relationship between language use and egalitarian cultural attributes, or otherwise the scheme in which language, legal and cultural influences interact. Foremost, the research avails information about the primary relationship between cultural perceptions founded on language and male and female occupations. From this foundation, researchers have a good educational base for exploring the various elements of language used to shape society and its individuals regarding jobs and occupations. Since language has expressed a direct relation to perceptions regarding gender inequality, psychologists can advance understanding of psychological factors that are notably involved in linguistics and the criterion in which actual language shapes people’s perceptions towards an issue (Hodel et al., 2017), Because language has strong connections with thought and perceptions, the research is beneficial because it outlines a base to the concept of cultural language and its influence on cognition. Further branches and research areas may be explored from this perspective because the study has considerably outlined the gender-typical job market.

Cohen, Wu & Miller (2016), through their exploration of individualism and collectivism, examine the context of religious differences within the two elements and how the differences are reflected within numerous domains regarding moral judgment, experiences considered significant in people’s lives, and attributions. The research states that there are various viewpoints on the association between religion and culture, ranging from cognition to emotion to morality. Various independent and interdependent viewpoints largely and primarily constitute cultural differences exhibited in the concepts of individualism and collectivism regarding oneself. In this context, collectivist cultures primarily encourage individuals to grow and develop interdependent selves, or a society where people see themselves as interconnected to others in important ways. The collectivist nature encourages individuals to emphasize the need for good relationships within their societies over their own individual goals (Cohen, Wu & Miller, 2016). Contrary, in individualistic cultures, people are motivated to attain independent senses of self in the context where it is beneficial to think of oneself as relatively different from others. In this way, it is much important to focus and prioritize individual goals, motivation and personality rather than mutual communal relationships with those close to them. The broader cultural element of religion is crucial in evaluating how individual behaviours and attributes have been continually shaped by religion in the perspective of collectivism and individualism.

Within the explorative cultural study, Cohen, Wu & Miller (2016) illustrate that the cultural elements are a primary contributor and shaper of attributes and behaviours of its people. They theorized that Jews and Catholics of the United States are more likely to have collectivistic attributes of religion. At the same time, Protestants and other groups would be willing to subscribe to individualistic religious institutions, which consider religion a personal matter that portrays one's relationship with God. The context of religiousness within this study has a broad relation to the issue of moral judgment. The cultural perceptions instilled in the people through religious affiliations determine the context of judgment within such societies. For instance, Protestants and other religious groups give more attention to the concept of thought and place their judgment on individual actions because people are responsible for focusing on their positive personal actions.

In this way, the Jews are more reluctant about internal thoughts and pay attention to immoral actions due to their collectivist perceptions (Saroglou, 2020).  The study's exploration on the effects of culture in the perspective of attributions, or otherwise the behaviour exhibited by individuals in the society, states that individualistic societies are more likely to behave in a personal soul because their soul is the primary driver of their actions, while collectivism societies which comprise the Catholics and Jews souls at most behaviour from a societal context because the society is the broader driver of their attributions.

The research by Cohen, Wu & Miller (2016) is highly essential to psychology because both elements explore the nature of truth and reality. Since religion is a primary element that contributes a greater percentage to the quality of life, psychologists are offered a base, through collectivism and individualistic perceptions, on the factors that can continually help elevate the quality of life (Lomas, 2015). Similarly, the research is critical in evaluating behaviours from a religious context because religion may extensively influence various human behaviours, specifically when examined from the individualistic and collectivist perspectives. Psychologically, the information is highly relevant in evaluating cross-cultural attributes, which are often influenced by religious perceptions of morality. The study forms a clear base of exploration on the various religious components arising from the extensive differentiation and variation of beliefs, thoughts, and notations, as in the collectivist and individualistic contexts. Despite that cultural and cross-cultural psychology comprises numerous attributes, components, features, and elements, examining culture through religion is significant to psychology, as it provides knowledge of religious indicators that influence behaviour in humans (Keith, 2019).  The two studies are of critical value and significant weight within the numerous research areas of cultural psychology because they form fundamental bases in examining finer and deeper components within cross-cultural perspectives.