PSY 301 – Primary Cultural Influences

PSY 301 – Primary Cultural Influences

PSY 301 – Primary Cultural Influences

To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapters 2 and 3 of your textbook (Feenstra, 2013).  In addition, read Culture as Patterns: An Alternative Approach to the Problem of Reification (Adams and Markus, 2001) and Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation (Markus and Kitayama, 1991).  Finally, review Instructor Guidance and Announcements.  In this discussion, you will consider patterns that have shaped your sense of self.  Be sure to use your own academic voice and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.

• Identify some of the primary cultural influences in your life.  (Note that culture can be defined broadly to include a number of dimensions.)
• Examine your sense of self.
  • Would you characterize yourself as more independent or interdependent?  Why?  Identify specific examples that illustrate.  You might find it helpful to start by considering Figure 1 and Table 1 in Markus and Kitayama (1991).
• Appraise the consequences of your self-construction.
  • What are some of the implications of independence/interdependence (for cognition, emotion, motivation, etc.)?
• Analyze your responses to the Twenty Statements Test in the introduction (Post Your Introduction).
  • Does your description fit with predictions of theory and research findings, as described by Markus and Kitayama (1991)?