Week 12 Indigenous Psychology

Question 1

Define culture

Answer 1

shared rules that govern the behaviour of a group, and allow it to survive and thrive. It influences people’s norms, values and behaviour, and the ways they understand, interpret, and respond to themselves and others.

Question 2

Explain some methodological problems in studying culture

Answer 2

Cultures tend to be different to western psychology teachings.
Study alone can be offensive to some cultures.

Question 3

Outline the dimensions along which cultural groups may be distinguished (3)

Answer 3

• attitudes to time
• appropriate levels of emotional display
• interpersonal space and conversational distance.

Question 4

Describe promotion of cross-cultural relations in multicultural societies

Answer 4

• education: Western and indigenous cultures value different forms of learning and intelligence
• communication: cultural differences can influence all components of the communication process, leading to misunderstandings across cultures
• language: plays an important role in cultural nuances. The loss of language is a key factor in the loss of Aboriginal culture.

Question 5

How has culture shaped identities of Indigenous peoples in Australia and NZ

Answer 5

Culture is central to a persons identity.

Identity is formed and reformed but culture is consistent

Question 6

What approaches do cultural psychologists take to promote cross cultural interactions

Answer 6

• denounce universal/western psychology findings

- attempt to understand reasoning from within their culture.