Blog 10

After reading what I wrote for my first blog entry, I would say that I successfully achieved my course objectives. Learning and reading about different aspects of Cross-Cultural Psychology helped me have a better understanding of the American culture but also a better understanding of the way my culture (Argentinian) interacts in an American environment. If I had to take the class, I would not change anything. I am very satisfied with this class and also with my performance in it. The syllabus was very clear from the beginning, so it made it very easy to keep up with the assignments. Academically wise, I learned how to manage my time better. Since I enjoyed doing the different assignments, I always did them in moments when I did not want to do homework. As weird as that sounds, it worked very well because the assignments motivated me to finish them.
Since I started this course, my understanding of people’s attitudes has grown a lot. I am able to see that because I have a different background than my American friends, we react completely differently in certain situations, but that does not mean that anyone is wrong. Now I am also able to analyze cultural stereotypes, which are also very interesting.

Blog 9

Throughout this course and the assignments I did for my e-Portfolio, I learned many different things related to Psychology and Cross-Cultural Psychology. I have enjoyed (one more than others) writing reflections relating concepts with the different assignments. My top three favorite things that I have learned were in blog number seven, which talked about the set of cultural values and norms that fairy tales share, in assignment number four, which talked about gender stereotypes, and the different ways that men are women are represented, and finally in assignment number two that talked about the values that Americans have,   

In blog number seven, I analyzed how fairy tale stories, especially Disney ones, show a set of cultural values and norms, and they repeat it over and over. For this assignment, I used the example of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The idea that she could only be rescued by her “prince” always bothered me. And that is not the only example I can think of. “Sleeping Beauty” too who also needed to be rescued by a prince in order to survive. I can see how this assignment is applied in assignment number four, which talks about the representation of men and women in different areas. In fairy tales, women are often shown as “sweet.” weak, unable to defend themselves. That is the stereotype of females that we are used to seeing.  

On the other hand, assignment number two was very relevant to me because, as an international student, I could so much relate to the article “The Values Americans Live” by L. Robert Kohls. It also made it more interesting that I learned about American materialism in my Marketing class. I always find it fascinating to learn about topics that caught my attention just from living in this country. It feels like confirming all my thoughts and analysis about it. 

Blog 8

It is very easy for me, as an international student, to relate to this topic. The Argentinian culture and the way that we express ourselves, however, do not differ that much from the American one. Overall we have similar reactions and ways to express our feelings, which made it easier for me to adapt. However, one difference I do notice is the way that Americans express love. Argentinian people are more expressive and maybe even a little exaggerated when it comes to expressing love. This is something that I did not realize at first because in order to express love to someone, first, you have to build a relationship and connection. That is why this is something I noticed when I got closer with my roommates, that now are my best friends. They do not verbalize love very often, but it does not mean that they do not feel it. They just have different ways to express it, and I understand that now.   

Another case where I noticed how different people from other cultures express themselves occurred with a Russian teammate that I had. Now that I understand the topic more, I can see how the cultural display rules help explain the way she behaves. The way she manages her emotions is very different than mine. I could not often tell if she was happy or sad or angry. She had no facial expressions most of the time, and for someone like me that is showing everything all the time (even when I do not want to), it was complicated to understand. Now that I learned that social circumstances could play such a big role, I know why she was the way she was.

Blog 7

Fairy tale stories are a fascinating topic to analyze. I personally believe that they do reflect a shared set of cultural norms and values. An example that I think represents this is “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The idea that she could only be rescued by her “prince” always bothered me. She was a grown and independent woman. Why was a man the only way she could be saved? Why did they have to make it all about him? Why was her character so oblivious? I never really liked that, and I never felt represented by her character. I think the impact that this movie had was not the best one. This idea of women needing to be rescued by men in order to survive is not something that I would like to teach to my kids, especially to little girls.

However, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is an old movie, and the truth is that this set of cultural norms and values has changed. The movie “Encanto” is the perfect example of this. Mirabel, the main character, is a powerful woman that had to deal with the fact that she was the only one in her family without powers. But that did not make her character weak. On the contrary, she fought every battle almost by herself, and she ended up being “priced” with a very special power that no one else had. The stereotype of defenseless women who needed to be rescued by their prince was not present. And the fact that it was a movie inspired by the Hispanic culture was also very different and inclusive.

Blog 6

As a student-athlete, it is hard for me to evaluate my academics without relating them to my volleyball team. When I came to ODU, my team had a 3.76 GPA, so I understood that they were expecting big things from me as soon as I knew that. And I took that as a challenge. I would not say that I compete with my teammates because we all have different majors, but it is true that when you have people by your side working really hard, it motivates you to do better. However, they also gave me every resource available for me to succeed in my classes. Of course, study hall hours were required too, but once our academic advisor saw that we could manage our own time and still achieve the goals, I appreciated more autonomy. I am the type of person that likes to do stuff at my own pace. This freedom, however, only came after we built a good relationship with our academic advisor, and she understood that she could trust us.   

Blog 5

After reading about the different dimensions and writing down ten statements that answer who I am, I came to the conclusion that I have more statements associated with the dimension of “interdependent construal of self” than of “independent construal of self.” I will say numbers 1, 4, 6, 7, 8. 9. and 10 are associated with the dimension of interdependent construal self since they are more defined in relationships. On the other hand, only 2,3 and 5 are associated with the independent construal self since they have more of an individual focus. Therefore, based on these answers, I would say I am more interdependent than independent.   

A good way to describe the English proverb that reflects independent is “stand out.” On the other hand, a good way to describe it for interdependent is “work on connecting with people.” Personally, it was easier for me to think of the proverbs for independent self. I believe the reason for that is that it is easier for me to think about the independent self since it does not really involve anyone other than me, making it easier.  

Blog 4

After taking my first PSYC420 test, I would say that something I learned was how useful (if used properly) study guides can be. I started answering all the different questions two weeks before the test so I would not have to be in a rush. Since I did not remember some of them, I looked for the answers in our textbook. I finished answering all the questions a week before the test, so all I had to do was to study a little each day. My grade was very good, so I would say that my method worked.

Blog 3

The NEO test gave me, in my opinion, accurate and consistent results according to my personality. My results were low neuroticism, high extraversion, average openness, average agreeableness, and low conscientiousness. According to other people’s responses, this means that I am a secure, hardy, and relaxed person even under stress. I am extraverted, outgoing, active, and I prefer to be around people all the time. I am also practical, but I am willing to consider new ways of doing things. It also showed that I am warm, trusting, agreeable, but I can also be stubborn and competitive. To conclude, the results showed that I am easygoing, not very well organized, and sometimes careless. 

Blog 2

I believe that values define the person you are. For better or worse, your values will shape your future. In my opinion, some of the most important ones when it comes to career pursuits are determination, integrity, courage, tolerance, trustworthiness, and self-reliance. In my case, I do not remember doubting about continuing onto higher education or not. I grew up surrounded by family members that all went to college, so I guess I always knew that it was the best thing to do. However, I did struggle to find my major, but I never felt any type of pressure from my family. They let me find it on my own, but they were always there encouraging me.  

I chose this picture because I think it represents my college experience very well. I took it last spring, I was in our volleyball locker room, and I was doing rehab with Normatec while doing some homework.

Blog 1

For my first blog, I will be writing about the course objectives for my Cross-Cultural Psychology class and how they will help me in the future. As an international student, I am constantly exposed to cultural shock, and I truly believe that this class will help me understand the psychological side of this. In addition, since my native culture does not surround me, I am always learning about the American one, and I find it fascinating. I honestly do not think I would ever stop learning about it. Therefore, I believe that this class will help me gain a better understanding of it. One thing is to experience cultural shock, but a different one is to read and learn about it in order to compare and gain a better understanding. That is what I am looking for in this class. I want to comprehend why the American culture interacts the way they do and what are the main difference between them and my native culture.

In order to succeed in this class, I will spend a reasonable amount of time working on our different assignments. My goal is to analyze our texts and our homework in depth so I can develop critical thinking skills and a better understanding of the topic.

I chose this meme for my representative visual image because I found it very funny. While reading the different contents of culture, I could not stop thinking about Yerba Mate, an Argentinian drink that looks very peculiar to American people. This drink is basically yerba and hot water. Still, the funny part is that people who do not know about this (which is basically every American that I met so far) are always very curious because of how the yerba looks. If you look at the meme, you will understand what they think about it.