Multicultural Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide
1. Introduction to Multicultural Psychology
Why Culture Matters in Psychology
Culture = shared beliefs, values, norms, practices, artifacts. Passed across generations.
Values: what’s good/bad, right/wrong.
Norms: standards for expected behavior.
Psychology historically universalist → overlooked culture; now recognizes behavior is
culturally embedded.
Key Cultural Variables
Subculture: smaller cultural group (e.g., teens, hip-hop, Italian-Americans).
Nationality: political citizenship (e.g., Canadian, Kenyan).
Ethnicity: shared cultural traits & ancestry (e.g., Han Chinese, Navajo).
Race: socially constructed based on perceived physical traits.
Racism: assigning value/power by race; systemic discrimination.
Branches of Cultural Psychology
Cultural Psychology → how culture shapes thought, emotion, behavior.
Cross-Cultural Psychology → compares cultures (etic/universal vs. emic/culture-specific).
Multicultural Psychology → how multiple groups interact in same society; focuses on equity,
discrimination, acculturation, identity.
Colonial Legacy & Decolonizing Psychology
Colonialism dismissed non-Western knowledge.
Research dominated by WEIRD samples (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich,
Democratic).
Consequences: pathologizing cultural differences (e.g., biased intelligence tests).
Decolonizing Psychology Movement:
o Draws from postcolonial thinkers
o Advocates local knowledge, cultural humility, inclusion of marginalized voices.
Indigenous Psychologies
Responses to cultural imperialism:
o Afrocentric psychology (communalism, spirituality).
o Māori psychology (holistic, spiritual + physical).
o Chicano/Latino (familismo, respeto, bicultural identity).
o Native American (storytelling, land, intergenerational healing).
o African American psychology (affirm identity, address trauma, promote resilience).
Applications
Clinical: DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) → assesses role of identity, community,
religion.
Social/Developmental: parenting, attachment, self, motivation, emotions shaped by culture.
Core Concepts
Cultural Relativism: judge within culture’s context.
Ethnocentrism: viewing own culture as standard.
Emic vs. Etic: culture-specific vs. universal.
1. Introduction to Multicultural Psychology
Why Culture Matters in Psychology
Culture = shared beliefs, values, norms, practices, artifacts. Passed across generations.
Values: what’s good/bad, right/wrong.
Norms: standards for expected behavior.
Psychology historically universalist → overlooked culture; now recognizes behavior is
culturally embedded.
Key Cultural Variables
Subculture: smaller cultural group (e.g., teens, hip-hop, Italian-Americans).
Nationality: political citizenship (e.g., Canadian, Kenyan).
Ethnicity: shared cultural traits & ancestry (e.g., Han Chinese, Navajo).
Race: socially constructed based on perceived physical traits.
Racism: assigning value/power by race; systemic discrimination.
Branches of Cultural Psychology
Cultural Psychology → how culture shapes thought, emotion, behavior.
Cross-Cultural Psychology → compares cultures (etic/universal vs. emic/culture-specific).
Multicultural Psychology → how multiple groups interact in same society; focuses on equity,
discrimination, acculturation, identity.
Colonial Legacy & Decolonizing Psychology
Colonialism dismissed non-Western knowledge.
Research dominated by WEIRD samples (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich,
Democratic).
Consequences: pathologizing cultural differences (e.g., biased intelligence tests).
Decolonizing Psychology Movement:
o Draws from postcolonial thinkers
o Advocates local knowledge, cultural humility, inclusion of marginalized voices.
Indigenous Psychologies
Responses to cultural imperialism:
o Afrocentric psychology (communalism, spirituality).
o Māori psychology (holistic, spiritual + physical).
o Chicano/Latino (familismo, respeto, bicultural identity).
o Native American (storytelling, land, intergenerational healing).
o African American psychology (affirm identity, address trauma, promote resilience).
Applications
Clinical: DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) → assesses role of identity, community,
religion.
Social/Developmental: parenting, attachment, self, motivation, emotions shaped by culture.
Core Concepts
Cultural Relativism: judge within culture’s context.
Ethnocentrism: viewing own culture as standard.
Emic vs. Etic: culture-specific vs. universal.
