Blog 10

The course objectives were achieved throughout the learning process during the semester. The first objective was to acquaint upper-level undergraduate students with psychological research and theory that examine the influence of culture and psychology throughout the world. This objective was achieved by learning about different types of cultural studies as well as the research in the different areas such as identity, gender, and cognition. The second objective was to understand cultural diversity and the impact of culture on human life. This objective was achieved by reading the textbook as well as through the completion of different assignments. Assignment 4 particularly helped in achieving this objective. The third objective was to develop a greater understanding of people from other cultures and skills for successfully interacting with them. This objective was achieved through learning the content throughout the textbook as well as the completion of different assignments. A specific concept that helped achieve this for me was the independent versus interdependent construals. The fourth objective was to develop critical thinking skills and apply them to psychological theory and research that examine the influence of culture. This objective was achieved through the various assignments, blog posts, and items to archive that I completed for the ePortfolio. These tasks required me to use critical thinking skills to apply the information from the book to the various assignments.

My attitude towards Cross-Cultural Psychology has changed. When signing up for this course, I focused more on the word “cultural”. I knew signing up the cross-cultural psychology would look at psychology across cultures, but I was not sure exactly what that entailed. Throughout the course, I learned and realized how research-based Cross-Cultural psychology is. If I were to take this course again, some things I would do differently are dedicating more time to interact with the content and studying daily. Dedicating more time to interact with the content would have let me gain an even deeper understanding of the material. I only spent enough time with the material to complete assignments which gave me an okay understanding of the material, so spending more time would have lead to a better understanding. I only looked at the material once a week when I was working on assignments for the course. If I separated the material into different days, it would have made it easier to remember the material from constantly interacting with it.

Over the course of the semester, I have grown. Some academic growth includes learning different ways of studying. For course work and understanding, I rely heavily on auditory explanations of the material. This was not a problem for me when I went to in-person lectures; however, it has become a problem with online classes, especially for courses that do not provide recorded lectures. To work around this problem, I changed the way I study. Online classes have forced me to read textbooks more and teach myself the material. Throughout the semester, I learned how to make study guides based on the objectives laid out in the textbook as well as take notes based on the different headings. This growth has taught me flexibility which can be applied professionally. Change is inevitable, so being flexible and finding workarounds is necessary. This course has also taught me skills that help identify cultural differences and how to respond to those differences. Those skills will help me when I am a nurse to respond appropriately to the different patients I may encounter.

Blog 9

The top three things I learned in this course are that there are some things universal to all cultures, culture affects many aspects of life, and the perception of others, as well as oneself, impacts our worldview. I learned a lot of this while working on different posts for my ePortfolio. For example, I learned about the self-determination theory for Blog 6. This theory states that certain psychological needs are present in all cultures, but how these needs are satisfied vary by culture. This theory is universal. Another universal concept I learned while working on the ePortfolio was emotion. I learned that basic emotional reactions are universal across all cultures. Throughout all the different assignments, I evaluated how culture affected certain aspects of life. A lot of these assignments also required me to reflect on the perception of others and oneself. In these reflections, I saw the effect of these perceptions.

There were a lot of concepts that were prevalent throughout different areas of the ePortfolio. One concept that resonated with me was gender. Assignment 4 focused on cultural differences in gendered advertisement, so Assignment 4 takeaway also discussed gender. I also discussed gender in Blog 7 in regards to representation. Also, an Item to Archive that will be one of my Top Artifacts was on gender stereotypes in occupation. These different assignments deal with the perception of gender. In conjunction with my psychology of women class, I have spent a lot of time studying and reflecting on gender. In the psychology of women class, there was a large focus on how experiences are different between individuals and cultural context matters. A specific concept, intersectionality, is related to this idea. Intersectionality is the idea that social identity cannot be easily calculated by adding a person’s identities together. This relates to the emic approach we have learned in this course. An emic approach to culture focuses on culture-specific concepts, concepts that differ amongst cultures. Both concepts highlight the importance of differences.

Blog 8

I have been fortunate in my life to have had multiple interactions with many different people from many different cultures. Each person can express themselves differently, and this can vary based on their culture.

Summer before freshman year of college, I worked at Ben & Jerry’s. The coworkers I worked with most frequently were from Russia or the Philippines. One night, five of us were working: two Russians, two Filipinos, and me. We had a line that went out the door. There was one man who got mad because the person helping him did not understand his request. He yelled in the packed store, “Isn’t there anyone here who speaks English?” I rushed over to help and asked him what he needed. “Heath bars, do you guys sell Heath bars?” He asked. I told him we did not, and he ordered something else. When we slowed down a bit, I checked in with my coworker that got yelled at by the man, and he just laughed it off. My coworker did not seem bothered by the situation, probably because it happened frequently. I think I felt more upset than him. I expected him to be upset, and my other coworkers too, but it did not appear that way. Maybe they were more upset than they let off and just remained unbothered because it was work. Their expression could be related to their culture. In my experience with Filipino culture, emotions, feeling, and expressing them are more private. Expressing oneself in this manner could be similar in Russian culture.

I had a Japanese friend in high school who would get made fun of sometimes because he was a bit eccentric. He never showed it bothered him, and sometimes he would play into it and exaggerate what he was being made fun of for. Generally, when someone is made fun of, I would expect them to either get angry or sad, but he displayed neither. This could be related to his culture.

While basic emotions are universal, the rules for when it is appropriate to display them are different. Rules about displaying emotions vary from culture to culture. This is why there may have been differences in my expectations against what happened. Some cultures are more expressive than others, and others are more reserved.

Blog 7

Fairy tales share some cultural norms and values, but there are variances based on the culture. I remember this one English class lesson from middle school where we compared and contrasted Cinderella with similar stories in other cultures. I do not remember which culture it was, but when I googled “Cinderella in different cultures” there were multiple examples from many cultures. The details for each story were more culture-specific, but the main message of a little girl overcoming misfortune through magical means and marrying an affluent man was pervasive throughout many cultures. This suggests that at least some values and norms are shared and reflected in fairy tales. 

Gender roles are shifting, so old fairy tales that depict gender stereotypes are more wrong than ever. Gender roles and identities are being challenged, so showing children these concepts will make those who do not align stereotypically will feel included. Feeling included validates their feelings and normalizes them. Showing inclusivity can foster tolerance and eventually acceptance for those who are against inclusivity. Showing children more inclusive characters shows them the reality of life. It can be uplifting for young girls to see strong women be princesses or other main character roles. The disproportionate number of women in STEM fields is not due to the lack of skills of women, it is because young girls are still being influenced by the idea that STEM is a boys’ field. Showing young girls women who are into science can help lessen that gap and help diversify the field. 

Newer renditions of fairy tales have been more inclusive and showed more equality. Disney portrayed Repunzel in Tangled not as a helpless damsel in distress, but as a strong and curious young woman who just needed help to get back home. As well, in The Princess and the Frog, the main character was a hard-working African American woman living in New Orleans working to open up her own restaurant. The prince did not save her, but she saved him and transformed his views along the way. Portraying strong women in this fashion can inspire, motivate, and open children up to new ideas they might not have thought of previously. 

Blog 6

Self-Determination Theory deals with the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. According to the theory, these needs are present in all cultures, but how they go about satisfying those need differ. Autonomy is having a choice and in control of one’s life. Competence is knowing how to handle one’s environment. Relatedness is relating and connecting with others.

Aspects of my academics fulfill my psychological needs. My need for autonomy is satisfied by choosing what I major in and what classes I take each semester. I choose what my major would be based on what interests me and is relevant to my career goals. Allowing me to choose which courses I take each semester lets me sign up for classes that interest me and relevant to my needs. Having a choice satisfies my need for autonomy. Taking classes that are not too difficult for me fulfills my need for competence. The courses that I am taking are also not too easy. Because I have taken other psychology classes in the past, I have a basic understanding of psychology that makes the classes I am currently taking make sense. My need for relatedness is satisfied by having discussion forums with classmates. Talking with my classmates about the material helps me understand the material better and relate to them as well.

Blog 5

Independent construal of self are views of the self separate from others; they focus more on personal attributes. Statements associated with independent construal of self are: I am intelligent, or I am unique. All of the statements I wrote are associated with independent construals of self. I interpreted the question as asking me to describe myself through my traits, so I completed the statements with my traits. Since all of my statements were independent, I identify more independent.

Interdependent construals of self are views of the self in relationship to other people. Statements associated with interdependent construal of self are: I am Bob’s sister, or James is my father. These statements show the relationship from the individual to others. None of my statements were interdependent. All of my statements were traits I possessed. While some of my traits favor heavily towards my relationship with others, none were directly about my relationship with others. Based on this, I am less interdependent.

An English proverb reflective of independent self construals is “Fortune favors the brave.” This proverb tells people to be bold to get what they want. Another proverb is “The end justifies the means.” This proverb promotes doing whatever is necessary to get what one wants. An English proverb I have heard about interdependent self construals is “if a blade of grass grows taller than the rest, you cut it down.” I remember hearing it in a Simpsons episode when I was younger. While the statement reflects interdependent construals, the episode demonstrated how they disagreed with that sentiment. A preschool teacher had said that statement to Maggie to get her to cooperate, but she did not and the episode ended with showing a future where Maggie was successful and different from the rest. Another proverb that demonstrates interdependence is “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This proverb promotes working together and strengthening the team rather than individuals. Another example is “Blood is thicker than water.” This proverb promotes family closeness and being family-minded. It is much easier for me to notice and think of interdependent self construals.

Blog 4

Reviewing exams after taking the test can be helpful. Evaluating what went wrong helps to learn the concepts from the exam and prepare for future exams. Once I could see what questions I got wrong, I went through the test and noted which questions they were. Some of the questions I got wrong were questions on areas I thought I knew a lot about, so I did not spend time reviewing those concepts. Some of the questions I missed were definition-type questions. I also noticed how much time I took on the test. I took about half the allotted time for the exam, which is typical for me. However, I got a lower score on this exam than I generally do in other classes. Next time, I should slow down and read the questions and double-check that I choose the correct answer.

Before the exam, I studied by reading the chapters and taking notes on what I thought was relevant during the weeks they were assigned. I moved my notes into the appropriate questions on the study guide when I found the study guide. There were some concepts that I did not bother reviewing because I thought I knew them; however, this was an oversight. The three days leading up to when I planned on taking the exam, I would look over the study guide and review the material for a few minutes.

Having reviewed exam one and seeing the types of questions I missed, I will know the kind of questions I should spend more time reviewing. It also reminds me of the way this professor asks questions. Being prepared for the types and language of the questions helps me not go in blind. Reviewing the exam also let me know how I should change my studying habits. The next time I compile a study guide, I should make sure to answer all the questions. For any questions that do not have answers, I need to go back and review that information.

Blog 3

On the NEO personality test, I scored very high in openness, low in conscientiousness, average on agreeableness, low in extraversion, and high in neuroticism.

A very high score in openness is consistent with my personality because I have a broad range of interests and am willing to try new things. When I go to new places, I almost always try to experience things unique to the particular place. In the past, when I traveled with my sister, she would emphasize trying food that is special to the area, so I have adopted this as something I do. I also consider myself a creative person. Ever since I learned to write, I have written stories and poetry.

A low score in conscientiousness is consistent with parts of my personality. Due to my upbringing, organization skills are something that I needed to teach myself, so it makes sense to me that I would score low on this aspect. However, part of low conscientiousness is preferring not to make plans, and this aspect is not consistent with my personality. Making plans and goal setting is something I love doing. Before entering college and talking to advisors, I looked up the recommended course guides and tried to plan how I would take classes.

An average score in agreeableness is consistent with my personality. Previously, I have scored high in agreeableness, but I think it might have changed in light of recent events. The pandemic has made it obvious to me that there are a lot of selfish people out there who do not care for the safety of others. While I can tolerate people of this nature, I do not find their behavior acceptable. I have scored very high on agreeableness because I trusted others to make the right decisions and whatever they believed in. In general, though, I work well with others and enjoy doing so.

A low score in extraversion is consistent with my personality. I prefer to keep to myself or few people that I am comfortable with. Sometimes I have trouble expressing what I am trying to say, but that is never a problem when communicating with close friends or family. I was a shy kid growing up, so I have had to push myself out of my comfort zone when talking to new people, but generally, after that initial hurdle of meeting them is over, everything flows smoothly.

A high score in neuroticism is consistent with my personality because I can be a very emotional person. I love to write and act, so being emotional helps to create characters and make their reactions believable. I can also be a little sensitive in certain situations and sentimental towards certain items.

Blog 2

Some important life values relevant to career pursuits are time awareness/management, respect, and discipline. These are important to me because they are interconnected and make it easier to work with others. Additionally, these are important for career pursuits because good employees possess these values. People who are conscientious over time will be more disciplined with their time. I learned that “time is money” and very precious because we only have a finite time on this planet, so it is necessary to use that time wisely. I also learned that not respecting other people’s time can be likened to theft. Being disciplined enough to get what needs to be done first before doing what one wants to do will make everything run smoothly. Respecting others is crucial in creating a safe and positive environment. Combing time awareness/management, respect, and discipline will make a favorable work environment.

Obtaining these values and pursuing higher education has been made possible by my supportive family and school experiences. Growing up, multiple members of my family would help me with my school work. There was always a strong emphasis on doing good in school. Since I was little, I knew that I would go to college and pursue a medical-related degree. I am grateful and fortunate to have a family that could start a college fund for me when I was young making me financially able to attend college. I am also fortunate to have grown up in a school system that emphasized critical thinking that prepared me mentally for college. In high school, I was in the IB program that has a workload that mimics college class. It mentally prepared me for the stress and workload of college. I was also in the marching band in high school. The band director emphasized discipline and taught us other meaningful values that go beyond high school band class. These different experiences have made me who I am today and made it possible for me to pursue higher education.

There was never a doubt in my mind that I would pursue higher education. Both my parents went to college, and it was expected of me to go as well. While this expectation can put undue pressure on some, it was never a problem for me because I knew that to be a nurse or a doctor, I would need to go to college. Also, knowledge and education were valued highly by most of my family members, so I knew that I would go to college.

Blog 1

The course objectives will be personally useful to me in the future. The first objective is to acquaint upper-level undergraduate students with psychological research and theory that examine the influence of culture and psychology throughout the world. This objective will be useful because the United States is diverse, so I will likely have to interact with someone of a different culture. Knowing the psychological research and theory will help me understand. The second objective is to understand cultural diversity and the impact of culture on human life. This objective will be useful because culture influences a lot of people’s identities. Understanding cultural diversity and how it impacts others’ lives will allow me to have better interactions and communication with those of other cultures. The third objective is to develop a greater understanding of people from other cultures and skills for successfully interacting with them (intercultural competence). This objective will be useful because communication is vital for humans. Additionally, I hope to work in a medical setting, so having the skills to successfully interact in that setting will make the patient more comfortable. The fourth objective is to develop critical thinking skills and apply them to psychological theory and research that examine the influence of culture. This objective will be useful to me because critical thinking is important. Critical thinking will allow me to see different perspectives and understand them better. The fifth objective is to be able to make connections, or integrate learning, between courses and to outside experiences. This objective will be useful to me because it applies the class to real-life situations. Thinking of these while in class will make it a habit to think of them in different situations outside of class.

My expectations for this course are that I will learn about cultures. I expect to be challenged in my current way of thinking and develop better ways of thinking about culture. From this course, I hope to gain a better understanding of culture. I hope to gain knowledge on proper communications amongst cultures. To succeed in this course, I will check my emails and blackboard every day and make sure I keep track of the due dates. My student emails appear on my phone and my notifications are on. This makes it so whenever any of my professors send out an email, I will be able to promptly see it. I have already marked down assignments on a physical calendar and my phone. Additionally, I printed out the schedule and have it on my desk next to my laptop. Having access to the due dates in three places will ensure that I do not miss them.