Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

tents ONLINEHomework 2pd Personality, Emotion, and the Self in Cultural Context

ID: 3502382 • Letter: T

Question

tents ONLINEHomework 2pd Personality, Emotion, and the Self in Cultural Context objectivity assumption-Cultural outsiders are able to accurately describe psychological characteristics and culturally pattern behaviors without imposing 5. The Do you agree or disagree? Please explain. 6. Geert Hofstede and Robert McCrae (2004) report that dimensions of culture, such as individualism, are correlated with specific personality traits, such as extraversion. The culture and personality research of the 1930s and 1940s assumed that cultural practices shape personality. Hofstede & McCrae, however view personality traits as largely inherited. Thus, they reason that different personality traits would give rise to different cultural practices. How might you explain why a society that has more extraverts would become individualist society that has more introverts would become collectivist? and a

Explanation / Answer

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) (5) This assumption is quite general as it is entirely dependent on whether or not the observer comes to the right conclusion. Let us assume that a European visits the river Ganges in India. The European has read about how the river is revered as a goddess in Hinduism. However, the European is surprised to find out the pollutants that the Hindus let into the river from pyres of cremated bodies, prayer objects, bathing in the river etc. To the European, the objective assumption would be that the people do not respect the river goddess.

However, if one looks at it from a cultural and societal context, there are two essential aspects to consider. The Hindus believe that the river Ganges is able to cleanse almost anything impure. Hence, people conduct their rights and rituals at the river banks, without the fear of polluting it too much. Secondly, the previous generations in India were not literate enough to understand the environmental damages that the pollutants would cause.

Such a social context is essential to get to the true reason behind what the European tourist had observed. Therefore, objectivity might be an essential outlook yet, knowledge of the past cultural traditions is imperative data that leads to the correct answer.

(2) The big question here is whether culture shapes the personality or whether personalities collectively shape the culture. There is no denying that people are born with certain traits and other traits are picked up over time from the cultural environment.

If one looks at any culture today and analysis the same culture about fifty years ago, there would be a few minor changes, to say the least. Technology, open communication, globalisation and accommodation of different outlooks have caused the new generations to change their cultural traditions one degree at a time.

On the other hand, a person from a community culture might find it difficult to believe that a westerner is not obliged to be a part of a close-knit community of family, friends and neighbours. It is mostly observed that an introvert would mingle with the community that they were brought up with because they might not want to make new friends. Conversely, an extrovert is individualistic because they believe in making their own friends and they reject the company they are not compatible with.

In a case like this, the community culture has affected the personality of the introvert and the extrovert is enabled by the individualistic culture. Here, both are equal driving forces in shaping both the personality and the community.