Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 May 2024 | Viewed by 6536

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Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies (CEFH), Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 4710-362 Braga, Portugal
Interests: neurodegenerative diseases; the interface between media and human behavior; the psychology of religion
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Dear Colleagues,

The classical definition of culture includes explicit and implicit patterns of historically derived and transmitted values and ideas that manifest in institutions, practices, and artifacts, which themselves are produced through behavior. Cultural issues matter for understanding human psychology; this is widely accepted within the field of psychology. Culture is seen as a network of imperfectly shared knowledge representations for coordinating social transactions, serving individuals' goal pursuits. There is a link between cultural tightness and comparison proclivity across individuals, being that perceptions of ambient tightness and interdependence are uniquely associated with stronger social-comparison tendencies. Cultural differences are found in various psychological processes, including self-concepts, motivation, emotion, and cognition; processes underlying cultural differences in those psychological processes are also identified. Also, new perspectives on the conceptualization of psychopathology and on the definition of culture and how these are intertwined arise. Moreover, culturally sensitive assessment practices in psychopathology are identified, including multiple cultural identities of the patient, explanatory models of the psychopathology, psychosocial stressors and strengths, and the cultural features of the practitioner–patient relationship in the clinical encounter, being that clinical interaction is a cultural one. Concerning cultural differences, psychological research is usually based on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) participants. However, this group does not represent the majority of the world's population. Therefore, the challenge is to study populations from non-WEIRD countries, compare them with those from WEIRD countries, and theoretically justify the differences found.

Dr. Ângela Maria T. Leite
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • social differences
  • cultural differences
  • psychological perspectives
  • WEIRD and non-WEIRD countries

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 539 KiB  
Article
Influences of Social–Psychological Constructs in Predicting Taiwanese Pro-Environmental Behaviors
by Shin-Cheng Yeh, Alex Yong Kwang Tan, Rei-Ling Lai, Rey-Sheng Her, Wei-Ta Fang and Shiang-Yao Liu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(4), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040261 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 826
Abstract
A value–belief–norm (VBN) model for understanding the pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) of Taiwanese was developed. This formulated VBN model included personal values, openness to change, awareness of consequences, personal norms, social norms, and PEB. Ecological world view and ascription of responsibility were excluded to [...] Read more.
A value–belief–norm (VBN) model for understanding the pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) of Taiwanese was developed. This formulated VBN model included personal values, openness to change, awareness of consequences, personal norms, social norms, and PEB. Ecological world view and ascription of responsibility were excluded to develop a tighter model. A total of 1079 completed questionnaires were collected and structural equation modelling was utilized, where standard estimates and coefficients of determination validated the formulated VBN model’s effectiveness. Each construct served its role as the mediator between its distal variable and outcome variable, with a substantial level of predictive accuracy, and 74.3% of the variance in PEB was accounted for. Further findings found that mature individuals had a stronger tendency towards awareness of consequences due to personal values; the young had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; men had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; and women had a weaker tendency due to a greater emphasis on altruism. Future interventions, such as sharing of personal pro-environmental lifestyles verbally or through social media, periodically decluttering personal items and maintaining a minimalist lifestyle, where these personal norms are in line with collective social norms, could help to strengthen PEB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences)
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14 pages, 300 KiB  
Article
Risky Sexual Behavior and Psychopathy: Testing the Relationship in a Non-Clinical Sample of Young Adults in Hong Kong
by Heng (Oliver) Chan and Anthony Beech
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14020094 - 27 Jan 2024
Viewed by 886
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and psychopathy in a non-clinical sample of 714 Hong Kong adults, shedding light on sex differences. Our findings reveal that males exhibit significantly higher mean levels of RSB (general, penetrative, and [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and psychopathy in a non-clinical sample of 714 Hong Kong adults, shedding light on sex differences. Our findings reveal that males exhibit significantly higher mean levels of RSB (general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative), as well as egocentric (Factor 1) and callous (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with increased sexual desire compared to females. Regression analyses indicate that elevated levels of antisociality (Factor 2) and callousness (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with sexual desire, emerge as significant risk factors for engaging in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Intriguingly, higher age and being in a long-term relationship are associated with RSB. The implications of this study suggest potential avenues for reducing, if not entirely preventing, the inclination to engage in RSB in the presence of psychopathic traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences)
15 pages, 326 KiB  
Article
Psychological Distress in Low-Income and Economically Marginalized Populations in India: Protective and Risk Factors
by Dipti Singh, Shagufta Nasir, Juhi Sharma, Lydia Giménez-Llort and Mohammad Ghazi Shahnawaz
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14020092 - 26 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1023
Abstract
Studies at the juncture of development economics and public health take on considerable responsibility in addressing inequality and related mental health distress. Mental healthcare in economically marginalized populations requires depicting the linkages between socioeconomic status and psychological distress. In the present work, a [...] Read more.
Studies at the juncture of development economics and public health take on considerable responsibility in addressing inequality and related mental health distress. Mental healthcare in economically marginalized populations requires depicting the linkages between socioeconomic status and psychological distress. In the present work, a sequential mixed-methods design was used to study 190 people in such communities in India. Gender-dependent psychological distress was found according to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) with moderate distress in women (M = 26.30, SD = 9.15) and mild distress in men (M = 21.04, SD = 8.35). Regression analysis indicated that gender significantly predicted psychological distress, followed by age, marital status, and the level of education of the head of the family. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of semi-structured interviews of the six women who scored the highest on the distress scale unveiled three master themes: (1) manifestation of psychological distress, (2) contextual challenges, and (3) sources of strength and resilience. Overall, participants reported a lack of resources, community violence, gender discrimination, and widespread substance use as major contributors to the ongoing distress. These findings can pave the way for future studies to expand beyond independent economic indicators and curate clinical interventions for culturally competent mental healthcare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences)
29 pages, 2144 KiB  
Article
Pro-Environmental Behavior and Climate Change Anxiety, Perception, Hope, and Despair According to Political Orientation
by Ângela Leite, Diana Lopes and Linda Pereira
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(12), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13120966 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1693
Abstract
The main objective of this paper is to assess pro-environmental behavior, climate change anxiety, perception, hope, and despair in different political orientations. Our specific aims included to assess the validity of all the instruments used; to assess whether the factor structure of the [...] Read more.
The main objective of this paper is to assess pro-environmental behavior, climate change anxiety, perception, hope, and despair in different political orientations. Our specific aims included to assess the validity of all the instruments used; to assess whether the factor structure of the scales were valid across political orientations; to evaluate their reliability; to assess differences concerning age, gender, and political orientation; to learn the variables that explain pro-environmental behavior; and to evaluate the moderating role of climate change perception, despair, and hope in the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behavior. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), multi-group CFAs (to calculate measurement invariance), multiple linear regressions, and moderations were performed. Results showed that pro-environmental behavior and climate change hope achieved the four assessed levels of invariance across different political orientations; climate change anxiety achieved the first three levels of invariance; and climate change perception and climate change despair achieved configural invariance. Climate change anxiety, personal experience with climate change, and climate change perception (total, reality, and consequences) presented higher values for the left political orientation than for the right or the center. Climate change anxiety variables contributed most to explaining pro-environmental behaviors. Hope, despair, and climate change perception (consequences) moderated the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behavior. These results open up new avenues for investigation, specifically to understand why high levels of anxiety lead to more pro-environmental behaviors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences)
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16 pages, 1307 KiB  
Article
Political Trust and Festival Attachment: Influencing Residents’ Engagement in Traditional Festivals
by Jing Zhang and Guangquan Dai
Behav. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13090741 - 05 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1518
Abstract
Traditional festivals hold immense cultural and tourism value, but striking a balance between preservation and adaptation in the face of globalization is challenging. This study focuses on the Hmong New Year, the largest traditional festival in a prominent Hmong settlement in China. Through [...] Read more.
Traditional festivals hold immense cultural and tourism value, but striking a balance between preservation and adaptation in the face of globalization is challenging. This study focuses on the Hmong New Year, the largest traditional festival in a prominent Hmong settlement in China. Through mixed research methods, it examines the impact of festival attachment and political trust on residents’ attitudes toward festival tourism development. The results reveal the significant influence of festival attachment on residents’ perception and judgment of festival tourism, with political trust playing a crucial moderating role. Successful repetition of festival activities fosters stable cognitive perceptions of festival tourism, outweighing potential risks. This research enhances our theoretical understanding of festivals and provides insights into the sustainable development of traditional Hmong festivals, offering support for studying traditional festivals in diverse cultural contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychological Perspectives of Social and Cultural Differences)
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