Week 4: Values and Social Dimensions Social psychology is impacted by culture in virtually every aspect. For instance, culture influences values, social perceptions and cognitions, and basic social psychological processes such as self-identity, beliefs about love, and behaviors relating to conforming or not conforming to groups. Scholars have devoted entire careers to examining how cultures may affect the values and beliefs group members have about such topics as masculinity and femininity, or about whether love is something best arranged by families and authorities or best left to the individuals involved. Understanding how values and social dimensions vary by culture can immensely assist you in many domains of your own life, both professionally and personally, such as at work or at leisure. Helping you gain deeper insights into individuals and how their backgrounds and experiences are in part formed by cultural factors, will be critical importance. For this week, you will explore how the basic concepts of social psychology are influenced by culture. You also will explore how socialization, social roles, social cognition, and social behavior are influenced by culture. The impact of group culture on individual behavior will be examined based on a topic of your choosing. Learning Objectives Students will: Analyze the impact of culture on basic concepts of social psychology Analyze the influence of culture on socialization, social roles, social cognition, and social behavior Analyze the impact of group culture on individual behavior Analyze solutions for group think and individualism vs. collectivism (MA)* Analyze solutions and their impact of socio-emotional, cognitive, and behavior aspects in conflicts (MA)* Analyze the impact of gender, cultural values, and dimensions, and group dynamics (MA)* Analyze implications of working between and within groups (MA)* Discussion 1: Values and Culture Cultures vary widely in the values to which members adhere. For example, some cultures may highly value personal achievement, where other cultures value religious convictions as a core value. One culture may emphasize the importance of being independent while another culture may focus on the importance of being a supportive group member. As you review the Learning Resources for this Discussion, think about your own culture and the many values you hold dear. Then, think about the other cultures you will read about and why their value systems may be different from your own. How might understanding values and culture help you to develop as a professional and promote a sense of appreciation for others personally? For this Discussion, you will examine how the basic concepts from social psychology ., socialization, social roles, social cognition, and social behavior are all influenced by culture. To Prepare: Select two dimensions or values described in this weeks Learning Resources. Then, select two cultures other than your own found in this weeks Learning Resources. By Day 3 Post and briefly define the two dimensions or values you selected. Next, describe and discuss examples of how these two dimensions or values are expressed in the two cultures you selected. In your explanation, make sure to explain how socialization, social roles, social cognition, and social behavior are influenced by culture. Note: Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources and identify current relevant literature to support your work.Show more
