Cultural Beliefs: Chapter 4 Samuel R. Mathews, Ph.D. Dept. of Psychology University of West Florida.

Cultural Beliefs: Chapter 4

Samuel R. Mathews, Ph.D.Dept. of Psychology

University of West Florida

Culture:

• customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of :– racial, – religious, or – other social group;

• characteristics features of everyday existence; • set of shared values, goals, and practices that

characterizes an institution, group, or organization

Culture and Adolescence

• Developmental periods/stages are constructed within a culturally specific context

• Defines rules, responsibilities, benefits, and structures appropriate to the period of time we call adolescence

• Adolescence, for many cultures reflects a coming of age

• Provides specific rituals or rites of passage and specific practices in preparation for adult responsibilities and privileges

Cultural Beliefs• Norms, values, standards, and expectations a culture

has generated for its participants• In general, adolescents are unique in that their own

values are moving toward those of adults in the culture

• Intergenerational transmission of beliefs about roles form coherence of society

• Changes in beliefs due to historical and individual events form basis for cultural evolution (e.g. Bandura)

Socialization: Bringing Individuals into the Culture

• Self regulation—managing one’s behavior in a culturally appropriate way

• Role preparation—learning the prerequisites for assuming one or more roles as defined by cultural beliefs

• Sources of meaning—understanding the essence of human existence (mortality, evil/good, etc)

Socialization: Bringing Individuals into the Culture

• Socialization is grounded in: religious, political, historical, familial, and individual dispositional factors

• Socialization is related to: age, sex/gender, social class, race, etc

• Learning one’s appropriate place in one’s culture is based on intentional and incidental learning.

Cultural Values—Individualism/Collectivism

• Independent self—broad socialization: – Focus is on being schooled to a broad set of norms within which one

can choose;– focus is on individual choice and autonomous behavior; – individual success is valued over the collective’s or group’s

success/values;

• Interdependent self—narrow socialization: – Focus is on being schooled to conform to a single or narrow set of

norms– Individual variability is reduced and the collective’s or group’s values

are enhanced– Group or collective success is valued over individual success

Cultural Values—Individualism/Collectivism

• Individualism more linked to economic success

• Collectivist ideals linked to other forms of wellbeing

• There are trade offs for each pole in the continuum between individualism and collectivism

• Within either culture there is a high degree of variability

Cultural Values and Cultural Practices• Cultural Complexes (Practices)—the

intersection between the values and practices of a culture

• Key practices related to values– Dating, courtship, marriage (USA/Palau)– Gendered practices in employment– Racial/ethnic practices in employment

Multicultural Societies and Communities• Typical drift: minority cultures move toward majority

culture’ values and practices• Models of multicultural coexistence:– Assimilation: minority culture relinquishes its identity as it

is absorbed into the dominant culture– Accommodation: minority culture adopts dominant

culture’s practices in interaction with dominant culture but retains its own identity when operating independently of the dominant culture

– Pluralism: each culture maintains its own practices and identities with cooperative and interdependent interactions in settings such as workplaces and schools.

Culture, Religion, and Adolescence• Religion and religious practices provide:– Guidelines for socialization through:• Self regulation• Role preparation• Sources of meaning

– Structures for families’ activities• Participation in religious activities• Participation in rites of passage

Culture, Religion, and Adolescence• Religion and religious practices provide:– Protective factors for adolescents who have

families with structure and common values to guide activities

– Confounding factors:• Family organization and predictability • Joint activities with family• Common values and practices• Positive peer affiliations

Culture, Religion, and Adolescence• Cognitive Development and Religious Themes– The prediction is that as formal operations emerge, beliefs

and values move from concrete ways of acting to more abstract concepts to impact source of meaning

– Abstract and hypothetical thought can also pave the way for:• Questioning core beliefs• Identifying hypocritical actions by those in authority• Exploring alternative belief systems

Culture, Moral Development, and Adolescence

• Focus in theories of development of moral reasoning is on the processes and criteria used to make decisions

• Kohlberg: Based on justice and principled behavior– Preconventional Reasoning– Conventional Reasoning– Postconventional Reasoning– Critiques tend to be focused on masculine bias and justice

focus instead of focusing on relationships

Culture, Moral Development, and Adolescence

• Gilligan: Based on an ethic of care and relationships– Self care– other care– Self-other care from need– Critiques tend to be based on a similar gender bias

• Subsequent studies suggest that males and females vary in their use of justice and care orientations and gender rather than sex seems relevant.

Culture, Moral Development, and Adolescence

• Shweder—cultural perspective– Higher level moral reasoning can occur within the

context of a particular cultural norm;– Everyday experiences are more indicative than

hypothetical cases for assessing moral development

– Concepts of “right” and “wrong” are rooted with a cultural milieu

– Situational ethics are based on a particular religious or traditional focus

Culture, Moral Development, and Adolescence

• Worldview perspectives (Jensen)– Worldviews are lens through which we view the

world and make judgments– Jensen’s Codes

• Ethic of autonomy• Ethic of community• Ethic of divinity

• WorldviewMoral ReasoningMoral EvaluationMoral BehaviorModify Worldview

Culture and Political Thinking in Adolescence

• Key factors in development across adolescence (Adelson’s work):– Cognitive development (immutable laws to a

social constructivist view)– Movement away from authoritarian preference

(consideration of interaction of individual with collective rights)

– Ideological perspectives increase (focus on higher abstract principles)

Culture and Political Thinking in Adolescence

• Political beliefs and political/civic activism– Adolescent disenchantment with status quo; • seeming unequal treatment• being held responsible for acting like an adult without

adult privileges

– Time of questioning (including religious, political, cultural tenets)

Culture and Political Thinking in Adolescence

• Outcomes of political engagement:– Apathy/disengagement– Community Service– Civil disobedience– Civil unrest– Violent rebellion

• Whether or not action is taken, it is typically a time for questioning (including religious, political, cultural tenets)

Discussion Questions for Culture1. Think about your position on allowing

homosexual marriages the same rights and status as heterosexual marriages.

2. What sources from culture informed your position?

3. What sources from culture might have informed those who hold the opposite view?

4. What are differences and similarities in the sources of the two views and how might they be resolved?