Theme 1. Cross-cultural psychology as an interdisciplinary branch of scientific know Purpose: to introduce undergraduates to the basic theoretical and methodological aspects of modern cross-cultural psychology.? Key words: cross- cultural psychology, absolutism, relativism, universalism, cross- cultural studies. Main questions: 1. The concept of cross-cultural psychology. 2. Aims and objectives of cross- cultural psychology. 3. Basic theoretical orientation cross-cultural research. 4. The current state of cross-cultural psychology.

Bibliography 1.Берри Дж., Пуртинга А.Х., Сигалл М.Х., Дасен П.Р. Кросс- культурная психология. Исследования и применение/перевод с англ. - Харьков: Гуманитарный Центр, Berry, J. W. The Directories of Cross-Cultural Psychology ( ): Building a Network.The Directories of Cross-Cultural Psychology ( ): Building a Network 3.Hofstede G. (1984) Culture's consequences: international differences in work-related values. - Beverly Hills. 4.Коул М. Культурно-историческая психология. - М., Лебедева Н.М. Введение в этническую и кросс-культурную психологию. - М.: Изд. Дом"Ключ", Лебедева Н. М. Кросс-культурная психология: цели и методы исследований. / Этология человека и смежные дисциплины / под ред. М. Л. Бутовской., М., С Мацумото Д. Психология и культура/перевод с англ.. – СПб.: Изд.дом на Неве, Почебут Л.Г. Кросс-культурная и этническая психология. – М., СПБ, Воронеж: Питер, Триандис Г. Культура и социальное поведение/перевод с англ. - М.: ФОРУМ, Triandis H. C. Culture and social behavior. - N. Y.,

The notion of cross-cultural psychology. In modern psychology today are the two modern branches of knowledge, identified by two scientific traditions in the understanding and study of human psychology conditionality of its ethnic and cultural identity. In the Western, especially American psychology research communication culture and psychology involved in cross-cultural psychology and psychological anthropology. In post-Soviet psychology, including Kazakh, the study of human psychology, has been defined by its ethnicity ethnic psychology. Despite the fact that the object of their research is the same, however, they are different sectors of psychology. The American Psychology - ethnopsychology - is one of the smaller sections of cross-cultural psychology, and in the post-Soviet psychology - cross-cultural psychology - a section of ethnic psychology.

The subject of cross-cultural psychology is the human behavior in the context of culture. This original definition focuses our attention on two main aspects: the description of the diversity of human behavior in the world and attempt to link individual behavior with the cultural environment in which it is manifested-is. It is relatively simple and straightforward. Many other definitions are opening some new faces and point to certain difficulties. 1. "Cross-cultural research in psychology is an accurate, systematic comparison of psychological variables in different cultural settings, in order to determine the causes and conditions of various behaviors." 2. "Cross-cultural psychology focuses on the empirical study of representatives of various cultural groups with different experiences, which leads to predictable and important differences in behavior. In most of these studies examined the groups speak different languages and belong to different political systems. " 3. "The purpose of cultural psychology, above all, is a comparative study of how culture and mentality complement each other." 4. "Cultural psychology - the study of the role of culture in the spiritual life of the people." In all these definitions there is the term "culture". At this point, we can identify culture as "a way of life that is common to a group of people"

Thus, cross-cultural psychology - an interdisciplinary independent branch of scientific knowledge, which has its object and subject of the research, its aims and objectives, determining its categorical apparatus and principles.

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