Chapter Nine: Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

Cross-Cultural Relations

INTRODUCTION

Cultural perceptions have profound effects on our behavior, from

WHAT'S AHEAD

• How do stereotypes benefit us ---and how do they distort reality?
• Why does prejudice increase in times of social and economic unrest?
• Why do well-intentioned people sometimes get caught in a "cycle of distrust" with members of other ethnic or cultural groups?
• Why isn't there contact between groups enough to resolve cultural conflict? What would work?

KEY CONCEPTS

Introduction/Overview
Stereotypes
Prejudice
Can Cultures Get Along?

---

Introduction/Overview [p.317]

INTRODUCTION

Ethnocentrism is the belief that our culture is superior.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

• Universal and adaptive because it aids survival and increases a willingness to work for the group.
  
  
• "US"
  
  
  • Ethnocentrism rests of this fundamental social identity.
    
    
  • When you have an "us", there is automatically a "them."
    
    
  • So powerful even arbitrarily created categories of "underestimators" and "overestimators" produced us-them.
    
    
• Ethnocentrism makes it difficult for multicultural harmony.
  
  
• Multicultural society issues:
  
  
  • Relativistic position: cultures should be judged on their own terms and one should not pass judgment on any custom.
    
    
  • Absolutist position: there are certain universal rights that should not be violated by any culture.

Stereotypes [p.319]

INTRODUCTION

A stereotype is a summary impression of a group of people are viewed as sharing a common trait or traits.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

...Benefits

• Allows people to make efficient decisions by:
  
  
• Quickly processing new information and retrieve memories.
  
  
• Organizing experience, identifying differences, and predicting behaviors.

...Problems

• Exaggerates differences between groups: Other groups viewed as odd or different.
  
  
• Produces selective perception: See only what fits the stereotype.
  
  
• Underestimate difference within other groups: My group is made of individuals with unique differences; "they" are all the same.

...Grain of truth in unfortunately generalized to characterize all in the group.

...Stereotypes affect behavior towards someone from the stereotyped group.

...Stereotypes depends on observer's values, cultural norms, and attributions.

...The same event is evaluated differently by different cultures.



LINKS About Stereotypes

• weblink: Paper on stereotypes.
• weblink: Stereotypes of Asians in Western literature.

Prejudice [p.321]

INTRODUCTION

Prejudice consists of a negative stereotype plus a strong dislike for the group.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

Origins of Prejudice:

...Psychological Roots:

• Benefits user by warding off doubt and fears

• Reduces complex problems to one cause.
  
  
• Increases self-esteem by disliking groups as inferior.

...Social-learning theories:

• Can acquire prejudices from advertising, shows, and news that perpetuate derogatory images.
  
  
• Process of socialization make communicate subtle messages of prejudice.
  
  
• Pressures of conform make it difficult to break away from own group's prejudice.

...Sociocultural view:

• Prejudice brings economic benefits and justifies the majority group's dominance:
  
  
• Prejudices rises when groups cue in direct competition for jobs.
  
  
• Number of lynching negatively correlated with economic value of cotton.

Varieties of Prejudice

...Prejudicial attitudes are declining in US and Canada.

• Improved attitudes about integration.
  
  
• Improved attitudes about gender equality

...Positive statistics may be misleading:

• People may not be honestly reporting attitudes.
  
  
• Symbolic racism - focus on symbolic issue, e.g. "welfare abuse".
  
  
• Alternative method of assessing prejudice - use unobtrusive measures:

• Speed of positive or negative word associations.
  
  
• Behavior when emotionally upset: While initially showing less aggression towards black students, while students show more aggression towards blacks than whites when angered.

...Not all people are prejudiced in the same way.

Can Cultures Get Along? [p.323]

INTRODUCTION

There are a number of programs to reduce prejudice.

KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED

Resolution to the "cycle of distrust."

• Cycle of distrust: People trying to break prejudice habit show their discomfort or unfamiliarity when interacting with the minority group. The minority group interprets the awkwardness as evidence of prejudice and becomes hostile and aloof. This reaction is interpreted as unreasonable by the majority group. The cycle of distrust is maintained.
  
  
• People of goodwill or both sides view breaking the cycle of distrust as a process of acquiring skills and rewarding people for making an effort to change biases.

Changing circumstances rather than moral conversion:

• Change laws that make discrimination acceptable.
  
  
• Contact hypothesis:
  • Bring both sides together to discover their shared humanity.
    
    
  • This strategy is often unsuccessful

Interdependence in reaching goals: The Robber's Cave Study

• Competition produced hostility between two groups of boys at a scout camp.
  
  
• Predicaments created that could only be solved by cooperation for boys to reach their goals reduced the competent and hostility.
  
  
• Cooperative education may produce a similar posture effect but doesn't work when there is unequal status, blame for social loafing, or perceived favoritism.

Four conditions necessary for reducing conflict:

Both sides must have:

1. Equal status and economic study.
   
   
2. Cooperate working together for a common goal.
   
   
3. Moral, legal and economic support by the authorities.
   
   
4. Opportunities to work and socialize together formally and informally.

LINKS About Multicultural Issues

• weblink: Language, race and ethnicity in Australia.

Next Topic - Taking Psychology With You.......... ..................... Chapter Contents