Blog #10

People come from various cultural backgrounds and can teach us all something different if we are willing to pay attention and listen. Learning is a growth process that does wonders for our lives.

At the beginning of the semester, I was interested in seeing how much about different cultures I would learn. I planned to learn about diversity in cultures and how understanding each culture affects not only the personal aspects of life, but also areas such as medicine, business, and traveling. Comparing my course expectations with the outcomes thus far, I have learned everything and more than I anticipated. I truthfully did not know we would examine all aspects of cultural psychology. There were many aspects that I did not realize were included in Cross-Cultural Psychology as well. Over the last few months, I have grown academically by becoming more interested in my studies. Before I transferred to ODU, I was taking the necessary prerequisites that honestly were not as interesting to me. I thought I was burning out and losing interest in my degree, however being able to fully immerse myself in different aspects of psychology over the semester, I am more motivated than ever to complete my degree. My attitude towards Cross-Cultural Psychology has improved while I have learned many aspects of culture that I can utilize moving forward in my career and degree. For myself, all course objectives have been met. If I retook this course, I would read ahead more so I could complete assignments quicker than I have this semester. With a full-time job juggling school has been a challenge but one that I enjoy. One skill that I gained from this course would be to observe and not assume that just because someone does an activity differently doesn’t mean that it is wrong. It is easy to judge people from other cultures without taking into consideration how they were raised and what cultural background they are from. Taking time to listen before acting can teach you a lot about other people.

 

 

Blog #9

While there are many branches and differences in the world, it is all centered around the common theme of culture.

One concept I have learned over the course of this semester is how gender and culture go hand in hand. Culture directly influences the treatment of genders around the world. Cultural influence on the perception of women is especially noticeable. In assignment four we examined how advertisements change depending on which cultural norms they are trying to identify with. For countries in the middle east, that means deleting women altogether. The removal of women altogether represents how equality is not universal because of different cultural influences, which do not get discussed nearly enough globally. One other course this relates to is Women and Technology Worldwide. Both classes address cultural differences and how some culturally accepted norms can seem utterly wrong in our perspective but not be in respective cultures.
Secondly, respecting and understanding different cultures is incredibly relevant today. Many tourists do not take the time to research the culture of the location they wish to visit. I reflected on this on assignment takeaway three where we read the blog entries of students who study abroad. Learning her experiences and being able to see from her point of view gave me a new perspective. Traveling with no prior knowledge of the authentic culture of an area is depriving yourself of a great opportunity.
Lastly, culture and emotions also have a significant influence on how individuals are perceived in various cultures. One culture rude and disrespectful behavior may be perfectly reasonable in another. Overall with this course, I have learned to respect others cultures in full and not to be so quick to judge others when we do not fully understand or know about their cultural background and norms.

 

 

 

 

Blog #8

Comparison between western Caucasians (WC) and eastern Asians (EC) on how facial expressions convey emotions.

Individuals from cultures around the world will express themselves differently. For example, Americans usually express their emotions freely without hesitation in public and private. People of Asian culture will usually not publically express feelings that could either be offensive or be inappropriate for the situation. A lot of people I know from different cultures will not show their feelings at that exact moment. I know a lot of people who will smile and pass things off until they are in private and then allow themselves to express their emotions. After reading the article, it is not surprising that different cultures choose when and how to express their emotions. This plays into cultural display rules quite a bit. If a particular reaction to a situation is not favorable in societies point of view, then it is expected of those individuals to keep those feelings private. This is a concept that people traveling abroad need to keep in mind. This is because if you expect an individual to react a particular way and they do not, that can be interpreted as being rude or disrespectful. Most often, this is not the case. It is difficult to sometimes remember that each culture is going to expect different actions from people. We should always be mindful of our actions while traveling or even interacting with others around us of different cultural backgrounds.

 

 

 

Blog #7

There are numerous fairytale stories from all around the world. Even though each story is based on different cultures such as the differences between Mulan and Cinderella, the older stories hold the same cultural norms and values across the board. During the time period of the “classic” Disney stories, women were fighting for their rights for basic equality towards men. Though that is the most common theme, it is not just women that were not represented accurately. Minorities, people of color, and those with disabilities were underrepresented. Over time, drastic changes have been made culturally and thus fairy tale stories follow suit to best be accepted in society. More current stories show strong female roles, people of color, and have abandoned the idea of “damsel-in-distress” for more powerful roles and central themes of the stories. The introduction of a gay character in the rendition of Beauty and the Beast is a strong step forward for the acceptance of the LGBT community in all aspects of our culture. As what is deemed acceptable in society changes, all aspects of culture adapts.

 

 

Blog #6

 

Graduating is main academic goal of mine that represents autonomy.

I satisfy the needs of autonomy related to academics in various ways. I hold my education in high regard. I have always strived to achieve the highest grades possible, fully understand my work assignments, and complete everything on time every time. I plan on continuing my education which includes graduate school and eventually obtaining my Ph.D. I cannot have such high aspirations and not constantly be putting in obvious effort to achieve my goals. My actions such as studying, reading assigned material, and completing assignments correctly reflect my autonomy academically. If I were to present these goals and say that is what I want to achieve but constantly slack off and have no regard for my coursework whatsoever then I could not properly say that I am satisfying my need for autonomy. This ties into the idea of extrinsic motivation. I know at the end of this journey if I continue to work hard I will receive my degrees. Satisfying the need of competence academically means that I take responsibility in my studies and work hard towards my goals. I want to become the best I can be in my field of study and to do that I take the responsibility of all of my work on myself. Nobody other than myself can get my degree. I have to be the one to take the steps and keep working on my goals. This could be represented by intrinsic motivation because my field of study interests me greatly and I enjoy my classes and learning new information. Lastly, relatedness is expressed through working with others in and outside of my classes to encourage them in their educational process. I love seeing people do well and in my opinion, the best thing a person can do for themselves is further their education.

 

 

Blog #5

I have always had a positive outlook on situations that I am presented with even when it seems to be easier to focus on the negative.

  1. I am…goal oriented.
  2. I am…creative
  3. I am…outgoing
  4. I am…an animal lover
  5. I am…an employee at Best Western
  6. I am…a daughter
  7. I am…sister
  8. I am… ambitious
  9. I am…positive
  10. I am… organized

 

The statements that I think are associated with the dimension of “independent construal of self” are 1,2,3,8,9, and 10.

The statements that are associated with the dimension of “interdependent construal of self” are 4,5,6, and 7.

An English proverb that reflects “independent” construal of self would be the expression “Express yourself”. This is because it focuses on showing the outside world who you are as an individual and expressing that regardless of what others are doing around you.  One proverb that reflects “interdependent self” would be “Birds of a feather flock together” which to me means that groups tend to stick together and are dependent on one another. It was easier to think of the proverb for the “independent self” I believe because as Americans we are all raised to be fairly independent and self-reliant and do not focus so much on the collective. I believe I am more independent because of being raised in a family culture of supporting myself and being taught to not rely on others as much as myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog #4

 

The chapter on Enculturation seemed to be where my notes were lacking.

Looking back on exam one and the answers that are incorrect, I realize I need to pay more attention to detail when formatting my notes. On the questions I got incorrect, it was not a matter of not recognizing the information, it was about the details of the information I was missing. In the future, I will make sure all notes are detailed as possible and that I fully understand all the information. I spaced out the review sheet over a week prior to the test to make sure I was not trying to cram the information in just one or two nights. This feedback gives me an idea of how information will be presented in the next exam and to look for small details that I may think may not be on the test. I have had success in previous classes by reviewing the test and figuring out exactly was incorrect. It gives you a different perspective of what exactly in your notes was either not written correctly or not in enough detail to help you understand it completely. With the next exam, I plan on utilizing flash cards into my studying method since that has worked in the past.

 

 

Blog #3

 

Being highly introverted I enjoy time alone by reading and drinking coffee

The NEO personality test describes my personality fairly well. I scored high on openness which fits my personality. I enjoy new experiences and am always open to new ideas. I enjoy learning new things about other cultures and hearing peoples ideas and stories of their lives. I scored high on agreeableness as well. I believe this represents my personality well also. I always look for the good in everyone regardless of the situation. I avoid conflict at all cost, however, that is impossible to do. I always try to see the other persons side of any situation especially if they are upset. I scored low on extraversion which matches up completely. I am highly introverted and loathe being in large crowds with people. I have never enjoyed spending long periods of time surrounded by numerous people that I either do not know at all or do not know well. I scored average on neuroticism which is the only aspect that I feel does not match up with my personality well. Personally, I feel that I do not handle stress well whatsoever. When I am stressed everyone in the room can tell it radiates off of me. I feel as though I should rank higher on neuroticism. Lastly, I scored average on conscientiousness. This matches with my personality well because I like to think of myself as a very dependable person. I do my best to be there for everyone and help in any way I can. I agree that I am moderately organized, though I could do better. I know when I need to get down to work and also when it is okay to take a break and relax.

 

 

 

Blog #2

 

 

While growing up, attending college was a huge topic of conversation. There was never any doubt I would be attending college and obtaining my Bachelor’s degree. My cousin and I will be the first members of our family to hold a degree of any kind. My family is incredibly supportive of my choices regarding higher education. I decided to further my education because I knew what I wanted to pursue as a career would require at minimum a graduate degree. I am from a small town in central Virginia. I knew that if I did not obtain a degree and move, I would be stuck. I believe the support that I received from family and teachers influenced my decision the most. My family wanted more opportunities for myself than previous generations had. My mom especially instilled the values of hard work, determination, and responsibility. I knew early on that I could achieve anything I wanted to do so long as I stay focused on my end goal. My high school English and Government teachers especially inspired my drive to further my education. These teachers taught students how to use resources such as community college and scholarships to enhance our college experience for the better. Another influence that aided my ability to pursue my degree is being able to take online courses. Online courses have enabled me to do my coursework from anywhere, practically any time. Being able to complete coursework from home allows more flexibility in my schedule which allows me to work to support myself through college.

 

 

Blog #1

 

Image result for culture around the world

 

Becoming acquainted with the influence culture has on psychology around the world will help me in the future to better understand the diverse cultures that I will be exposed to while working in psychology. Being able to understand cultural diversity will allow a better understanding of why people do what they do. Each country has its separate culture. Culture plays a role in what people eat, how they dress, whom they marry, and in general how they live their lives. Being able to respectfully interact with individuals outside of our own culture is crucial. Utilizing the skills that we will learn during this course will allow me to be more respectful towards cultures other than my own during research. Throughout this course, I plan to learn about the diverse cultures we are surrounded by and how the diversity can allow different perspectives to be combined to achieve a collective goal. I plan on utilizing my calendar to record important dates, checking blackboard daily for new updates, and reading ahead to make sure I understand the material thoroughly to ensure success in this course.