Globalisation

Question 1

GLOBALISATION STUDY 1

Answer 1

Becker et al
- natural experiment in Fiji
- effect of television on body image
- ages 16-18
- 1995 group - 12.7%
-1998 group 29.2% on EAT-26, more dieting, felt too fat, felt that their parents told them to eat too much, self-induced vomiting and purging behaviour
- there were also follow-up interviews, they revealed that the participants admired figures they saw on tv and that they had little awareness of the fact that these images are heavily edited
- conclusion: global influences and westernisation can lead to worse mental health and have an influence of abnormal behaviour
S: high ecological validity, credibility - interviews
L: replicability low, self-reported data, not known how much and if the participants watched tv, samples used different participants, etic approach

Question 2

GLOBALISATION STUDY 2

Answer 2

Hikikomori: culture-bound syndrome found primarily in Japan where young Japanese may lock themselves in their rooms and refuse to come out for years at a time. The disorder, also known as “social isolation syndrome,” has three key characteristics: 1. No motivation to participate in school or work; 2. No signs of other psychological disorders; 3. Persistent social withdrawal for at least six months.

Norasakkunkit & Uchida
- sample: almost 200 Japanese students
- tested for risk of hikikomori
- test to measure their attitudes about social harmony and social conformity: perception of their current self, their ideal self, and general Japanese society, sense of local identity (social harmony and collectivism) and global identity (individualism and achievement)
Results
- both groups agreed that social harmony and conformity are highly valued in the Japanese society
- high risk: lower value social harmony (self-perception), lower on both local and global identity
- conclusions:
— local influence: local culture may allienate those who choose not to conform with the norms
— global influence: allienation if they don’t indentify with or can’t access global culture
— identity struggle, allienation, withdrawal from society
S: large sample size
L: correlational study, analogous approach, self-reported data

(can also go with Ogihara and Uchida)

Question 3

THEORY

Answer 3

• the process by which cultures become more connected, interdependent, and unified, beliefs, values and behaviours spread across countries and become adopted by other cultures, creating common trends and tendencies
• can affect our sense of identity, attitudes, and behaviours
• creation of “global norms”
• exclusionary or integrative reaction - perceived as a threat or as problem-solving
• local (those than one is encultured into) and global influences