The Importance of Cultural Psychology

I think that cultural psychology is a beneficial topic to everyone because it can explain how and why there are different cultures, and how culture shapes people's psychology. Personally, as a nursing student, and soon to be (hopefully) Registered Nurse, that cultural psychology can help me understand each and every patients beliefs, values, and morals-- free of judgment. Cultural psychology can help us to understand the basic function of the human mind and how culture plays a role in shaping one's mind. As most of us know, there has been an increase in globalization over the past few years. For those who do not know what the term "globalization" means, it is simply; an interaction between individuals or groups from different nations. This increase in globalization, in turn increases the diversity of the cultures we deal with on a daily basis.
I grew up in a small rural village, where the word "diversity" was not even in our vocabulary. So, attending a University where the population is a bit more diverse, has opened my eyes to how important it is to understand not only my own but also, the culture of others.
A sentence that really stood out to me, while reading the text book from out Cultural Psychology class said something along the lines of; in-order for us to all get along, we should stop focusing on our cultural differences, instead, focus on common human nature (Heine, 2012). I found this relates largely to my personal life, because, I have found that the more I educate myself on these topics, the easier it is to understand why it is that we are all different.


 Heine, Steven J. (2012). Cultural Psychology: Second Edition. W.W. Norton. New York, London.