1. The SocialCultural Perspective How ethnicity, gender and culture form our personality

2. Individualism vs. Collectivism Individualism – Cultures where people define themselves according to their personal identity & give priority to personal goals. –Example: I am a outgoing. I am a teacher. Collectivism – Cultures where people define themselves according to the group they belong to. Their goals are the goals of the group. –Example: I am Irish Catholic.

3. Which Culture is the U.S.? Capitalism encourages us to amass personal fortunes and shun social programs. Movies glorify the person who stands up to authority and stands out from the crowd. “Be all YOU can be.” We are Individualistic. Eastern Cultures (Japan, China) tend to be more Collectivist.

4. Sociocultural Factors affect our Self Concept & Self Esteem How we believe other people see us affects our belief about ourselves. Ethnic groups that have held power have higher views of the themselves. White women have a higher dissatisfaction with their appearance. Why? –Media idea for white female models is on average 9% taller and 16% slimmer than the average woman in the U.S. 58% of high school African American girls were happy with who they were vs. only 22% of white girls. Why is this? –A.A. girls believe that if they are treated negatively it is not because who they are or what they do but a third factor, prejudice while white girls blame themselves for not meeting the dominant culture’s ideal. –A.A. girls do not compare themselves to the white models of the media but to other girls in their group.

5. Acculturation Acculturation – process of adapting to a new or different culture. Different paths an immigrant can take to this: –Complete assimilation – stop your native country’s customs and completely adopt the new country’s customs and language. –Separation – Retain native country’s customs and language and never fully adopt those of the new country. –Bicultural – Combine native customs with new country customs and values (melting pot). People who are bicultural have the highest self- esteem.

6. The Social-Cognitive Perspective: Evaluating the Perspective

7. Evaluation of Socialcultural Perspective Most agree that external forces are internalized and affect how we see ourselves. Social perspective allows us to appreciate how culture shapes who we are. Criticism: Ignores the influences of unconscious, emotions, conflicts