Glossary / Lexicon

Culture

Deutsch: Kultur / Español: Cultura / Português: Cultura / Français: Culture / Italiano: Cultura /

Culture is defined as an on-going pattern of life, characterizing a society at a given point in history; the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, behaviors, artifacts, and traditions which characterize a group of people or shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Culture, moreover is defined as socially constructed and socially transmitted confederation of beliefs, values, goals, norms, traditions, and institutions.

Description

Culture in the psychology context refers to the shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors of a group of people that are passed down from generation to generation. It influences how individuals perceive and interpret the world around them, shaping their thoughts, emotions, and actions. Culture plays a crucial role in shaping an individual's identity and sense of belonging, contributing to their sense of self and social relationships. It impacts various aspects of psychological functioning, including cognition, emotion, and behavior. Understanding cultural differences is essential in providing effective psychological interventions and promoting mental health and well-being. Cultural psychology examines how culture influences human behavior and mental processes, highlighting the importance of considering cultural factors in psychological research and practice.

Application Areas

  • Cross-cultural counseling
  • Intercultural communication
  • Global mental health
  • Cultural competence training for psychologists
  • Family therapy in multicultural settings

Treatment and Risks

  • Risks: Cultural misunderstandings leading to misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment
  • Treatment: Culturally sensitive therapy approaches tailored to the client's cultural background

Examples

  • Impact of collectivist cultures on decision-making processes
  • Effect of acculturation on immigrant mental health
  • Cultural differences in the expression of emotions

Similar Concepts and Synonyms

  • Cultural diversity
  • Cross-cultural psychology
  • Ethnopsychology

Articles with 'Culture' in the title

  • Collectivist culture: Collectivist culture: Collectivist culture is a type of culture that emphasizes the importance of belonging to a larger group, such as a family, tribe, or nation- cultures where people are seen as interdependent beings who should . . .
  • Counterculture Movements: Counterculture Movements: Counterculture movements refer to social groups that reject and oppose the dominant cultural norms, values, and practices of their society
  • Culture conflict: Culture conflict : Culture conflict refers a sociological perspective on crime which suggests that the root cause of criminality can be found in a clash of values between variously socialized groups over what is acceptable or proper . . .
  • Culture of honor: Culture of honor refers to a social network in which men are taught from an early age to defend their reputation for strength by responding to insults or threats with aggression
  • Culture-Bound Syndromes: Culture-Bound Syndromes refer to recurrent patterns of maladaptive behaviors and/or troubling experiences which are specifically associated with different cultures or localities
  • Culture-fair: Culture-fair means equally appropriate and fair for members of all cultures. In psychology, the term culture-fair refers to tests or measures that are designed to be unbiased or neutral with respect to cultural differences
  • Culture-fair IQ test: Culture-fair IQ test refers to a tests that are fair for all members in a culture. A culture-fair IQ test is a type of intelligence test that aims to minimize the impact of cultural and social factors on test performance
  • Culture-free: Culture-free: Culture-free refers to descriptive of a test in which cultural biases have been removed. On such a test, test takers from different cultural backgrounds would have an equal opportunity to earn scores that reflect their true . . .
  • Ethnic subculture: Ethnic subculture refers to the cultural values and behavioral patterns characteristic of a particular group in a society that shares a common ancestry- memories of a shared historical past- and a cultural focus on symbolic elements that . . .

Weblinks

Summary

Culture in the psychology context refers to the shared beliefs, values, and behaviors of a group that influence individual psychological processes. It plays a crucial role in shaping identity, cognition, and behavior. Understanding cultural differences is vital in promoting mental health and providing effective psychological interventions. Cultural psychology emphasizes the importance of considering cultural factors in research and practice, highlighting the impact of culture on human behavior and mental processes.

--