Cultural Psychology - Assignment Example

? Lone star reaction Introduction Cultural psychology refers to the study of behavioral tendencies and their relationship with cultures. Cultural psychologists believe that the culture of an individual embodies his or her behaviors. The relationship between behavior and culture, loosely defined as people’s way of life is symbiotic since the culture shapes the behavior while the collective behavioral pattern of a group shapes their culture. Cultural psychology survive on the tenet that culture and the human mind are inseparable. Human form specific mindsets based on several factors four of which form the culture’s cycle. These include the individual, interactions, ideologies and institutions. Individuals enjoy relative entitlements, which coincidentally depend on the cultural institutions they interact with thus forming their diverse ideologies. The relationship between the four elements helps build a definite culture and behavioral pattern (Heine, 2011). As a product of culture, films just as any other product of art communicate the essence of the society. However, creators of film strive to strike a balance in their portrayal of the cultural factors in order to achieve relevance with both the society they depict and the society habited by their diverse audience. The film Lone star is one perfect example of a cultural manifestation as their developers strive to provide a factual representation of the diverse contemporary societies. The modern society is cosmopolitan and as rightly termed a global village. The development of the communication technologies succeeded in integrating the world by enhancing the interaction between different individuals from all over the world. This implies that people readily and easily trade cultural products. The film is therefore a representation of the perfect contemporary society and addresses numerous cultural issues. The film therefore relates to cultural psychology as it addresses such factors as religion, diversity, morality and mental health among others as the essay below portrays. Produced in 1996, Lone star is a mystery film dealing with a Sheriff’s investigation into a murder. From the very first scene, the movie begins to depict thee cultural factors in the society. The story in the film revolves around the life of Sheriff Sam Deeds who in the process of going through his daily routine in the country, stumbles upon a murder undertaken several years ago. In his investigation into the murder, he realizes that he is deeply intertwined with the events of the murder a feature that portrays the nature of the society he has lived in all his life. Firstly, Sheriff Deeds does not like his job. He did not dream of being a sheriff but only joined the force because of his late father’s determination and influence. This first revelation is the beginning on the film’s portrayal of cultural psychology. As discussed earlier cultural psychology relies on four elements key among which is the institution. Family is one of the most vital institutions interact with. As the basic institution, people spend most of their active time with the family as they share mutual interests. The family shapes the ideologies that one believes in since they grow up interacting with their parents who help formulate the basics of the society. From the family, people learn the nature of the society including all the virtues and vices. People first learn and interact with morality at the family level. Additionally, the family helps shape the dreams and aspirations of children thus influencing their career choices and to some extent their life partners and subsequent families. The same is the case in the film, as officer Deeds grow up he rarely interact with his father. While the residents of the county remember his father as a fair and realistic sheriff, he knows him as a distant father who cheated on his mother severally. To him, this is forms the manifestation of his father and many other fathers out in the society. The film portrays the immoral nature of the society and in doing so it further manifests the vice. While Sherriff Deeds detest the corrupt nature of his work, he is capable of doing very little owing to the fact that corruption and promiscuity are the historical products of power. He watched his father cheat on his mother with an unnamed mistress. He also remembers his father absconding with his colleagues’ payoff money. The sins of his father therefore haunt him for the rest of his life as the film portrays. He falls in love with Mercedes Cruz’s daughter. Unknown to him, Miss Cruz was his father’s mistress and there is the likelihood that they are related. Such is the network of immorality that the film portrays and any audience cannot fail to link such to the several social institutions that help shape the culture of the people. Morality refers to principles that inform human behavior. Morality is relative and depends on the nature of the society. People must always weigh their actions and their possible outcomes, the ability to decide between wrong and a right action relies on the morality and the ethical concerns of both the society and the individual. The small society in Texas is liberal and does not hold dearly some of the principles of morality. The same is true of the America society often viewed as very individualistic, equal or independent. As explained earlier, the individual is one of the most fundamental elements in the society; however, the formation of the individual relies on the nature of his or her relationship with others. In the American society, people exhibit private lifestyle with minimal interference of private affairs. The late Sheriff Buddy is openly promiscuous and the society witnessed his behavior. However, in his death the same society still considers him a hero who fought for equality and justice in the society. In such fragmented societies, moral lapse becomes evident, as is the case in the small town in Texas. The individual, an element in the societal culture thus shapes the culture of te society. Everyone in the American society retains a protection of their private lives; people rarely discuss their sexual lives and morality with their friends or colleagues at work. The young Deeds thus watch his father cheat on his mother and grow into old age as a corrupt officer who would do any vile thing in order to satisfy his lover at the expense of his family. The society attach more importance to the individual a feature that affect the relationship between the individual and the three other elements of the society key among which is the institution. The family is the most important institution in the society. However, since the individual is more important is the context of the movie, Buddy disregards his son and wife in open embodiment of immorality and nobody cares. While portraying the moral lapse in the society, the film also depicts a sense of diversity of the local population. Diversity refers to the differences within the people; the fact that Buddy’s family is broken and the late Sheriff lived a reckless life does not imply that the entre society is as such. The American society embodies a culture of independence as each family and individual ascribes to specific moral standards. The same is the case in the film as other families enjoy unity and peace. The people exhibit their differences but still manage to live peacefully and in unity in the larger society. Unlike his father, Sheriff Deeds is an honest and reserve individual who sets out to investigate some of the past misdeeds without favor. He unearths his father’s vile acts without fearing that he might tarnish his name. His love for Pilar Mercedes Cruz’s daughter does not affect his objectivity. When they are forcefully separated, he accepts the change and leads a solitary life inly to unite with the woman after the death of her husband. The film portrays other diversities in the society, every of the many characters depict diversity of behavior and cultural beliefs. The people divulge in various economic activities all of which perpetuate the economy. However, the film gives more prominence to the immoral business such as nightclub. Such portrayal is strategic in order to depict the interaction of the society with the law enforces. The director thus strategically selects such characters and roles not because that could have been the nature of the Texan society. He does this purposely in order to support the core of the story. The likes of Otis Payne are vile individuals who manage illegal business but the director depicts them as the leading figures in the African American society. This fosters some of the early American stereotypes against the special interest group. Religion on the other hand is among the most important elements in the society. The presence of a religious outfit in the society portrays a sense of direction and morality since religions teach social values (Shweder & Levine, 1984). People depend on the religious teachings to develop effective social structure and societies that uphold morality and ethical standards. Furthermore, religions have an effective mechanism of ensuring that the adherents uphold its teachings and dictates. This way, religions confine human behaviors thus support the development of cohesive society. With this understanding, the director evidently avoids the portrayal of any form of religion in the film. The film seeks to depict the social ills and immorality in the society. The director develops a conspicuous absence of the church thus validating the behavior of the people in the society that lacks any religious institution. The limitations in the religious institutions thus validate the philandering and corrupt behaviors of such characters as Sherriff Buddy. In retrospect, cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that investigates the relationship between culture and human behavior. As portrayed in the film Lone star, it becomes evident that the two are dependent mutually inclusive. The interactions between the individual and the different institutions in the society both rely on the social culture and shape the nature of the culture in the society. With the understanding of such a unique relationship, the developer of the film depicts the cultural nature of the small Texan town in his film. References Heine, S. J. (2011). Cultural Psychology. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Shweder, R.A. & Levine, R.A. (Eds., 1984). Culture theory: Essays on mind, self, and emotion. New York: Cambridge University Press. Read More