Cultural Psychology Final Paper: Analyzing A Specific Target

Cultural Psychology Final Paper: Analyzing a Specific Target

In this course, we have studied how culture can be meaningfully integrated into psychology, with an emphasis on the process of meaning construction. Instead of simply existing outside of individual minds or defining groups of people, culture works within individual minds – and between them – as an integral part of psychological and social processes. We have discussed the distinction between collective and personal culture and thought about how the individual and collective (social, societal) levels of analysis are connected. Concepts like internalization/externalization and cultural transmission help us understand how the histories and institutions that define our social worlds become part of our individual minds as collective cultural forms become part of the psychological systems of individual people (in terms of meanings and the development of mechanisms of semiotic regulation).

We’ve looked at examples of how culture is dynamically created and re-created within psychological processes and externalized back into collective culture. That “big cycle” connects the individual to the collective and connects generations of humans to each other through history. Culture is a living, breathing human creation that is the medium within which individual minds develop. At the same time, we all play our role in creating, maintaining, transforming culture, just by living our lives. As Richard Shweder is famous for saying, cultural psychology is the study of how mind and culture “mutually constitute” each other.

In this course, we have seen examples of how some of the things that people take to be most personal (e.g., one’s identity as a parent), some of the things that people take to be most natural (e.g., your reaction to the lollipop protocol or the idea of eating grilled tarantulas), and some of the things that people take to be most mundane (e.g., you fighting your alarm clock in the morning) all involve psychological processes that are, at their core, cultural. For your final paper, you will create your own cultural psychological analysis on an object or target of your choice. Each of you has been writing about a specific target all semester. Now is the time to look at the target you’ve been writing about and make sure that it works as a target for your final paper.

Paper For Above instruction

For your final paper, select a very specific object, event, or personal experience that you have encountered or are interested in. The focus should be on understanding how cultural processes influence the meaning construction related to this target, and how both collective and personal culture interplay in shaping perceptions, behaviors, and identities connected to it. Your analysis should incorporate key concepts from the course, such as internalization, cultural transmission, semiotic systems, and the relationship between individual and collective cultural levels. Use relevant course readings and supplement with at least three additional scholarly journal articles to support your argument.

The paper should include: a clear introduction to the topic, a detailed description of your chosen target, an analysis applying the relevant concepts, and a discussion of your findings or reflections. Emphasize how culture is actively involved in the meaning-making processes surrounding your target. You can incorporate personal experience, observation, or qualitative data, but always ground your analysis in the theoretical framework provided by the course. The paper must follow APA format, be approximately 10 pages in length, include figures if appropriate, and feature at least six references (including three outside the course readings).

Remember, the goal is to analyze how culture actively shapes the psychological aspects of your target through meaning construction mechanisms, demonstrating the mutual constitution of mind and culture. Be analytical rather than descriptive; your paper should provide insight into cultural processes at work within the specific context of your chosen object or experience.

References

• Valsiner, J. (2007). Culture in Minds and Societies: Foundations of Cultural Psychology. Sage Publications.
• Shweder, R. (1991). Thinking through cultures: Expeditions in cultural psychology. Harvard University Press.
• Holland, D. C., & Quinn, J. (Eds.). (1987). Culture and cognition. Harvard University Press.
• Walker, V. (2010). "The semiotic basis of cultural psychology." In U. Neisser & S. W. Bond (Eds.), The embedded mind: Foundations for cognitive science (pp. 123-140)..
• Kagitcibasi, Ç. (2007). Family, self, and human development across cultures: A view from the other side. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Gergen, K. J. (1994). Realities and relations: Smith College Studies in social-constructivist philosophy. Harvard University Press.