10/27/2021; W07 Culture and Psychology

We probably don't think culture has a relationship with psychology. But it turns out it does! Let's find out how.

We all know that our cultural paradigms shape our beliefs and our conceptions of the world. One example is the things we consider embarrassing. In many countries what is considered as embarrassing, is not in others. For example, before America was colonized, the Cherokee men Indians were in charge of the hunt. While women were in charge of the farm. When the white men arrived, the Cherokees realized they would have to adapt to a new way of living, and as a consequence, they would have to participate in farming labor. Which for them was disgraceful, since it was a women's task.

Another intriguing thing is that rates of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are higher in Mexican-Americans, Africa-Americans, and Asian-Americans than in Mexicans, Africans, and Asians. Even though each culture and parallel subculture have the same genes! I also found this study from UCLA university that may be interesting as well.

I would like to finish this post talking about something that I consider a serious and imperative problem. This is 'stereotype threat' and its relationship with self-esteem. According to Frontiers in Psychology,

Stereotype threat is the fear or anxiety of confirming a negative stereotype about one's social group.

A good example is, for instance, white men feeling inferior to black men in athletics. Or black men scoring lower in tests when they are asked to select their race. These stereotype threats and the impact they have on lack of self-esteem is a worrying issue. In my opinion, self-esteem is one of the most important elements in education, and yet it often goes unnoticed. Our students come from different cultures, and their self-concept might be significantly hurt. We should help them! It is not OK to let them think like that about themselves. We should help them notice their strengths and inspire them to believe in themselves. Oh, how necessary this is in education! Remember...