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PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals

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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Lesson 28
PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE
Psychological Development
Anthropologists are interested in the psychological differences and similarities between societies and
cultures of the world
Cultural Anthropologists reject stereotypes based on hasty ethnocentric judgments
Anthropological Queries in Psychology
The major questions of relevance to cultural anthropologists attempting to understand the linkage between
different cultures and what they can reveal about the human personality are:
·
Do all human beings develop psychologically in the same way?
·
What explains the psychological differences in personality characteristics from one society to
another?
·
How do people in different societies conceive of personality and psychological development?
·
What types of cultural variations may be explained due to cultural factors?
Emotional Development
Early research in anthropology was concerned mainly with supposedly universal stages of emotional
development which seems to be affected by cultural differences.
Margaret Mead found Samoan girls were much less rebellious or emotional turmoil than those in western
societies. In western societies, adolescence is a time of turmoil that helps prepare emotionally for
independence.
Psychological Universals
The ability to make binary contrasts, order phenomenon, plan for the future, and have an understanding of
the world are universal psychological traits. All people have a concept of the self, they can empathize with
others and feel and recognize emotions in others.
Cognition and Culture
Recent research on psychological universals focuses on cognitive, or intellectual, development. For example,
it considers how different cultures acquire thinking habits such as formal-operation notions, which enable a
person to think of the possible outcomes of a hypothetical situation
In looking for universals, many researchers have discovered some apparent differences. Yet most tests used
in anthropological research favors thinking patterns taught in formal schools in Western cultures.
Cross-Cultural Variations
Instead of focusing on uniqueness, anthropologists look at psychological differences found within and
between different cultures
Researchers focus on child rearing practices to account for observable personality differences.
Some anthropologists believe that child rearing practices are adaptive and societies produce personalities
according to their requirements (obedience, self reliance, etc.)
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Useful Terms
Universal: common in all cultures
Formal schools: schools organized by the public or private sector, but with a standardized curriculum and
professional teaching staff
Variations: differences
Rearing: bringing up
Intellectual: concerning the intellect and the process of thinking
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 24 in `Anthropology' by Ember and Pergrine
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-site for this lecture, which provide
useful and interesting information:
Social Psychology5
http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/socpsy.html
5
Please visit the hyperlinks on the website to read selectively on topics like the nature versus nurture
debate
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?:Cultural Anthropology, Internet Resources
  2. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND THE APPLICATION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
  3. MAJOR THEORIES IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Diffusionism
  4. GROWTH OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (continued):Post Modernism
  5. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Comments on Fieldwork
  6. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):Census Taking
  7. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
  8. ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES
  9. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE:Languages of the World, Structure of Language
  10. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE (continued):Levels of Complexity, Cultural Emphasis
  11. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURES:Optimal Foraging, Suggested Readings
  12. FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production
  13. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture
  14. RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent
  15. KINSHIP AND DESCENT (continued):Tracing Descent, Primary Kinship Systems
  16. THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE:Economic Aspect of Marriage
  17. ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE (continued):Family Structures
  18. GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
  19. GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty
  20. STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality
  21. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION (continued):The Functionalists, Conflict Theorists
  22. CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional
  23. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Cultural Interrelations, Reaction to Change
  24. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Planned Change, Globalization
  25. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION:Bands, Tribal Organizations, Chiefdoms
  26. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):State Systems, Nation-States
  27. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms
  28. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals
  29. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE (continued):Origin of Customs, Personality Types
  30. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE:Ideology in Everyday Life, Hegemony
  31. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (Continued):Political ideologies, Economic Ideology
  32. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES:Variation in Associations, Age Sets
  33. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES (continued):Formation of Associations
  34. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE:Similarity in Human Adaptations
  35. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE (continued):Inter-group Relations
  36. CULTURE AND BELIEFS:Social Function of Religion, Politics and Beliefs
  37. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE:Changing Definitions of Local Knowledge
  38. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (continued):The Need for Caution
  39. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT:Influence of Development Notions
  40. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Contentions in Development
  41. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Operational
  42. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART:Relevance of Art, Art and Politics
  43. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART (continued):Art as a Status Symbol
  44. ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY:Ethical Condemnation, Orientalism
  45. RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Ensuring Cultural Survival