Interpersonal and Group Practises Flashcards
(34 cards)
What have previous lectures looked at?
People live in different nations, which have different cultures and values
Individual internalisation - internalises the belief
Causing them to think and behave in certain ways
Why look at behavioural norms across cultures?
Can think of it in terms of practises - the norms they have might be due to the cultures they have come from. This might influence how they display behaviour
What are the different communication styles?
Low context communication - this is direct, saying what you mean. The goal is to maximise clarity and self-expression. The more clear and explicit, the better ‘can I have some water please’
High context communication - this is indirect, ‘would you like some water’. Don’t want to risk harmony, emphasis on reading between the lines, maximise interpersonal harmony.
Collectivist cultures are thought to be high in context, whereas low context are characteristics of individualistic
How can our rules for emotions be displayed in different cultures?
Expression of emotion among US and Japan - watched short film of bodily mutilation. 2 conditions: alone vs others presents. Facial expressions were videod and coded. Results:
alone - both nationalities showed disgust
Others present: Americans still showed it but Japanese didn’t show disgust, showed embarrassment or awkwardness, Japan more concerned about the negative effects on social harmony with expressing a bad emotion
Japan - have more stronger rules for not showing emotions
This supports US - Japan differences - across US, individualism-collectivism accounted for 30% of CC differences in display rules
How do cultures differ on reading emotions from different cultures?
US participants judged high intensity expressions as indicating less intense experience than expression - judged them as showing less intense, they are exaggerating
Japanese judged low intensity expressions as indicating more intense experience than expression - showing they hide some emotions, experiencing, they are more intense than they think
I-C measure accounted for individual but not cultural differences
What is the difference between tightness and looseness?
Tight cultures - have many strong norms and low tolerance of deviant behaviour
Loose cultures - weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behaviour
Why do different cultures have different tightness?
Because of adaptations to physical and natural environment
ecological and human made threats increase the need for strong norms and punishment of deviant behaviour in the service of social coordination for survival
less threatening - relaxed norms
if threatening situations - adaptive to tighter norms
What are the examples of tight and loose norms?
In this country, there are very clear expectations for how people should act in most situations - tightness
People in this country have a great deal of freedom in deciding how they want to behave in most situations - looseness
In this country, if someone acts in an inappropriate way, others will almost always disapprove
Looked at responses to items on world value, everyone in cultures give the same responses to each other
What situations was tightness more prevalent in?
Ecological and historical threats - when population bigger and growth, lower food and water supplies, lower air quality, more natural disasters, more territorial threats from neighbours, more disease and infant mortality
Societal institutions - autocratic rule, closed media, fewer political rights, stricter punishments, lower crime, more religion, less collective action
Psychological adaptations - if inhabit cautiousness, dutifulness, self-regulations, need for structure, self-monitoring
How many marriages are arranged?
Over 50% of the world - marrying for love is very unusual, continuum of arrangement - individual freedom
What are the benefits of arranged marriages?
Preserve social harmony
Create political and economic links between families
Social and economic protection - marrying wrong person might be threatening
Relational rather than emotional choice - marrying emotional might be good but only in less threatening environment
Do people get married without love?
Students were survey, asked if a man had all the other qualities you desired, would you marry this person if you were not in love with them?
higher score = no
Individualism-collectivism r=.56
stronger correlation with affluence r=.75 - the richer you are, less likely to marry without love
correlated with marriage rate r=.70 and fertility rate r=.56 - less likely to lose children if richer
What are the characteristics of a desirable mate?
Buss et al. (1990) studied preferences in selecting mates in 37 cultures
Relatively similar profile across cultures
Most desirable characteristics:
Mutual attraction—love
Dependable character
Emotional stability and maturity
Pleasing disposition
Education and intelligence
Greatest cultural variation in value of chastity - if virgin or not
Are there characteristics of a desirable mate at an individual level?
Factor analyses Buss et al at individual level
Found 4 factors, if you prioritise one thing, you won’t prioritise the other
1. love vs status and resources
2. dependability and stability vs health and good looks
3. education and intelligence vs desire home and children
4. sociability vs similar religion
National averages correlated with affluence. prioritised first things more in richer countries, second things more in poorer countries
Does love mean the same thing everyone?
Suggestion: companionate love in collectivism cultures, friendship
Contrasted with individualistic focus on romantic love. Compared portrayal of romantic love in US and Chinese pop songs:
both showed expression of intense desire
US: wanted positive qualities of loved ones, happiness
Chinese: suffering, context where love occurs, sometimes easier
What are the love styles across cultures?
Studied endorsement of 6 love styles among students in 8 countries:
small cross cultural differences: no differences in passionate love, self sacrificing, possessive love
Found differences in terms of companionate love (collectivist), practical love, more easier in collectivist cultures, and game playing love, fickleness (highest in individualistic)
Different meanings of love, related to culture
What are the reasons for having children?
Economic development
Psychological value
Economic value - work in family business, look after when old
Fertility
Found affluence influenced reasons:
richer countries: want children for psychological fulfilment of children, so have lower fertility rates as don’t need as many
poorer: have them for economic gain, important to have more children
Why do poorer countries have more children?
Because they have them for their economic value
What are the differences in ways children are brought up?
Parental control:
collectivist- higher power distance, poorer cultures, socialisation for obedience, based on norms
individualistic - lower power distance, richer countries, socialisation for autonomy (learning to make own decisions)
What are the similarities between the ways children are brought up?
Warmth - parents in all cultures protect and care for the young
What is the relationship between parental control and warmth?
It is moderated by culture
In western nations (US, Germany) - greater control is associated with less warmth, not good to be controlling
In non western nations (Japan) greater control is associated with more warmth - lack of control perceived as neglect
What are the differences in family structures?
Nuclear family, mother, father and children: prevalent in North America and Northern Europe - also in hunter gatherer societies, makes more sense have a smaller family to move around
Extended families, grandparents, father, mother, children, cousins etc: most of the rest of the world, especially agrarian societies (maintaining land) - live in a place for land
What is relational mobility?
Relational mobility is “a socioecological variable that represents how much freedom and opportunity a society affords individuals to choose and dispose of interpersonal relationships based on personal preference”
What are the characteristics of high and low relational mobility?
Low - don’t get to know many other people, don’t form friendships
High - group could move for different friends, freely choose who they associate with
