Psychology: Culture, Emotions, Brain, and Attraction

Posted on Nov 27, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

Cultural Psychology

We understand culture as the information stored in the brain and acquired by social learning. It is the interpretive framework of each community, transmitted to future generations. Cultural psychology acknowledges the importance of positive science but rejects the idea that empirical reality is the sole criterion for validating knowledge. This psychology is based on culture and deals with interpretation. Unlike the positive sciences, which investigate the real, cultural psychologists explore possible, desirable, and even probable worlds. Cultural psychology draws on disciplines such as anthropology, history, and sociology, forming a transdisciplinary project.

Key Features of Cultural Psychology

  • Culture is not singular but plural. Any individual or social behavior, expression of value, or human worldview is the consequence of a subjectively lived culture.
  • Society is a network of relationships among people and institutions that make life possible and share a common culture, values, and objectives.
  • Psychological development is a social construction. The psychological experience is built on interaction with others when we share a world of meaning.
  • The elements that constitute our subjectivity are symbolic in nature, hence the interest in acquiring language and communication.
  • Cultural psychology speaks from a particular culture and a particular historical moment. It recognizes that if culture changes, our psychological experiences change.

Emotional Intelligence

There are five skills of emotional intelligence:

  1. Self-Awareness: Knowing ourselves, realizing what we feel or need, to lead better lives. This manifests in people who think before they act and take responsibility for their actions.
  2. Emotional Self-Control: The ability to control our emotions and impulses to direct them toward a goal. People with this skill control stress and anxiety in difficult situations and are flexible to changes and new ideas.
  3. Self-Motivation: The ability to motivate ourselves to achieve our goals. It involves delaying gratification, stifling impulsiveness, and resisting anxiety or defeatism when facing difficulties and setbacks.
  4. Recognition of Others’ Emotions (Empathy): The ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others. Empathetic people listen to others and understand their problems or needs. This allows them to transcend prejudices and stereotypes, accept differences, and be tolerant—essential skills in a multicultural society.
  5. Relationship Management: The talent to manage relationships with others, learning to persuade and influence them. A person with social skills knows how to lead groups, drive change, work collaboratively, and create a positive group atmosphere.

The Brain-Mind Problem

  • Dualism: The dualist view posits that the brain and mind are separate entities that may or may not interact but have different characteristics. The brain is material and spatial, knowable through external perception, but not conscious or intentional. The mind is intangible, does not occupy space, and can only be grasped by inner perception; it is intentional and conscious.
  • Monism: Monists reject the division between brain and mind. They claim that the mind and consciousness are merely the result of neuronal activity. The mind depends on brain activity, not an independent reality.
  • Emergentism: The mental state emerges from physical and biological processes but is not limited to them. Consciousness emerges from brain organization and can react to and direct the brain.

Interpersonal Attraction

Interpersonal attraction is a person’s view of another along a behavioral dimension, ranging from positive evaluation (love) to negative evaluation (hate). Many variables influence interpersonal attraction:

  1. Proximity: We may be attracted to people close to us because of shared experiences. The more we see someone, the more familiar they become, increasing attraction. Proximity is not always positive; if someone is unpleasant, proximity increases our displeasure.
  2. Physical Appearance: This variable is important in initial meetings and superficial contact. Aesthetic pleasure and the assumption that attractive people possess other positive qualities explain this importance. Associating with attractive people may also enhance our public image and social status.
  3. Similarity: People are attracted to those who share similar values and interests. This validates our ideas and boosts self-esteem. Those with different values are less attractive, potentially causing troubles, insecurities, or negative feelings. However, people with low self-esteem may not be attracted to those identical to them.
  4. Reciprocity: Attraction depends on reciprocity. Affection, intelligence, consideration, friendliness, happiness, a sense of humor, emotional expressiveness, and social skills are also highly valued.