Multicultural Psychology
May 12, 2008
Psych 535
Shavon Phipps
Perceptions and beliefs surrounding individual cultures seem to influence every avenue of life especially psychology. In order to understand the differences between cultures, multicultural psychology has entered the scene as an answer to a problem that has plagued societies for far too long. Multicultural Psychology has brought forth an explanation of difference in the world of psychology. The challenges have just begun for multicultural psychology researchers as demographically we as a nation continue to change but the development of such a tool has helped to explain some of the rational behind cultural values and the interaction between cultures. In the next few paragraphs, multicultural psychology will be explored as a means to bridge the gap between cultures.
Who are you? When we begin to ask this question we can see that many answers emerge. Multicultural psychology is the defining aspect of a person and the relationship between cultures and values that cause an interaction to occur between individuals. Multicultural psychology can be seen as a state of culture within a specific demographical area. Within the United States alone, there are many differences that are evident, and these differences are what can cause a disruption between individuals when we are not prepared to interact with those differences. Multicultural psychology seeks to study culture values in comparison to human behavior and it is through these differences or similarities that groups co exist. Cultural variables are often ignored, thus causing every difference to be amounted to cultural difference. “A common problem in cross-cultural and multicultural psychology is that cultural variables are often poorly defined or not defined at all (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993). Culture values can be attributed to the unwritten law of the land, which can be seen throughout everyday interactions. Hope...