"There is as much difference between us and ourselves, as between us and others." - Michel de Montaigne (1588)
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The socio-cultural perspective focuses on the rolls of social and cultural influences on human behavior and mental processes. It is assumed that important influences such as sex, age, race, income level and the culture in which people grow up can affect how we feel, think or behave. The socio part of the term refers to the social study of influence and culture whilst the cultural aspect refers to the study of similarities and differences in how people act across different cultures and cultural upbringings. Culture is a very important part of every day life, and it can mean different things to different people, for example the beliefs, values attitudes and so on which are shared by a group of people can vary throughout different cultures. Most countries however have different ‘subgroups’ within a country, each with their own culture. This means that although people may live in the same country, the can still have their own culture, and can be formed by people of various racial or ethnic groups. Combining this with the social element of behavior such as requiring every adult woman to cover her face and hair in public, or loose rules such as not wearing thongs in a church service is called a socio-cultural perspective.
The main subject matter of the socio-cultural perspective is that the mind and culture are inseparable and ‘mutually constitutive’. This means that people are shaped by their culture, and their culture is shaped by them. Sociocultural psychology’s core meaning is the scientific study of people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and how they are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others. It studies how the people around you and your friends shape the person we are. It is a common saying that ‘we become the people we spend our time with’ and this is exactly the case of socio-cultural psychologist because their studies show that our brain processes and remembers the things that people do around us, therefore causing us to eventually copy that action or behaviour. This is the exact same with the culture aspect of the perspective. Culture can determine, for example, whether children education will focus on hunting or reading, whether they make eye contact during a conversation and whether or not they form queues or lines in public places.
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In this illustration we can see many different families and how each on of the is different. Culture is a way of life of a particular group of people, and it helps shape almost every aspect of our behaviour and mental processes. Although the families in this image could all live next to each other and have much in common, it is likely that each family has their own set of beliefs, family values, attitudes due to their cultural heritage or background. Each family would most likely mix with their friends and hang around in different social groups, and this also connects to culture and the choices of friends and acquaintances that people make. People around the world are alike in many ways. They tend to live in groups, have families, educate their children, have religious beliefs, use language, eat, sleep and so on. Males and females throughout the world are also alike in many ways because nerve cell activity and reactions to a sour taste for example are the same in both men and woman. However many aspects of human behaviour and mental processes are changed and altered by ones socio-cultural factors. What is true of people in one culture may not be necessary true of people in another.
Numerous studies that have been conducted in the U.S over the last couple of years reveal that racial, ethnic, and religious groups show wide variations in alcohol and drug use. Other studies show that patterns of use and problems vary significantly as a function of age, sex, and socioeconomic class. This shows us that there are aspects of human behaviour and mental processes that may be entirely determined by culture and others that seem to be entirely unaffected by it. The socio-cultural perspective has been very important because it means that people haven’t overlooked our true origin and that they haven’t overlooked the importance of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes. It is very obvious to see and think about the affect that social groups and culture have on people.
Numerous studies that have been conducted in the U.S over the last couple of years reveal that racial, ethnic, and religious groups show wide variations in alcohol and drug use. Other studies show that patterns of use and problems vary significantly as a function of age, sex, and socioeconomic class. This shows us that there are aspects of human behaviour and mental processes that may be entirely determined by culture and others that seem to be entirely unaffected by it. The socio-cultural perspective has been very important because it means that people haven’t overlooked our true origin and that they haven’t overlooked the importance of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes. It is very obvious to see and think about the affect that social groups and culture have on people.