Multicultural Psychology - Current Event Analysis Paper - Essay Example

no. Multiculturalism It is certain that our lives and our daily routine of livelihood are governed by the culture and customs that surround us. It is not because of culture being a norm but because of it being part of the intrinsic part of our lives. Therefore, what is best definition of culture? Culture is the totality of socially transmitted behavioral patterns, arts, beliefs, institution and all other products of human work and thought. These activities that eventually turn to be termed as our culture had first originated back in the heydays with the likes of our ancestors and our great grandparents.

It is during the past generations that rules and regulations were made to govern the people and the community at large in terms of governing not only their moral behavior but their lives as a whole. This in turn led to cultural pratices. The culture we can defend with innate passion. The culture we hold so tight and dear to us in the name of respecting and honoring it (Burke et al 29). The world is however made up of a great diverse of different people with great discern in tribes, races, religion, age groups, minority groups, and social classes among many other differences.

All these people with such distinct differences all believe in their own culture and beliefs. These differences are apparent and they ultimately make the culture a multi one with tremendous differences in beliefs, art, behaviors and customs. This in turn led to what is termed as multicultural systems (Burke et al, 2009). The openness of people from all walks of life and with each having their own beliefs and customs has led to a vast number of different cultures worldwide. Therefore, multicultural means pertaining to many different cultures in a given environment.

The worldwide environment is very much endowed with people from a broad array of different cultures. It is with the necessary psychology understanding that the people living together in a given environment can do so in peace, love and coexistence with each other (Burke et al 81). Hence, how best can we comprehend each other’s culture and understand each other? How can we respect each other while ensuring that no one’s cultures and beliefs get poked? What better way can we show our appreciation to the different cultures disposed to us?

This is where multicultural psychology comes in very handy. Multicultural psychology is the systematic study of behavior, cognition and effect. This type of psychology involves examining and analyzing the effect of culture on the way people behave and act in defense of their respective cultures. It can as well be defined as the study of the influences of multiple cultures in a single social context on human. Many peoples’ lives from the wealthy to the erudite learners, the poor fellows, and the religious all believe in their found cultures and customs.

Multicultural is an external factor that influences the events that occur around us as well as our interactions with other people. Multicultural psychology investigates the influence of different cultures that surround us on the human thoughts and behaviors. It is with these profound differences in cultures that multicultural psychology has become one of the most conversant and common branches of Psychology with many students taking it as a course to specialize (Burke et al 99). The role of studying multicultural psychology is to be acknowledged with some of the common and unique behaviors in relation with the contribution of specific cultures in which the behavior are born from.

Multicultural psychologists may choose to focus on two different approaches with the aim of understanding the multicultural psychology. These are: 1. The etic approach: - This type of approach mainly focuses on studying the similarities exhibited in different cultures around the environment. 2. The emic approach: - This type of particular approach focuses on studying the difference between the different cultures around us. The study of multicultural psychology acts as an eye opener in providing the necessary knowledge on how various different cultures operate and how to coexist with the people from the different cultures in a peaceful manner.

With a much wider scope of view from the study of multicultural psychology, one is able to get the needed insight on the beliefs and customs of the different cultures thus comprehending further in regard to the practices performed by different people who staunchly believe their culture (Burke et al 102). Multicultural psychology which is a subspecialty of psychology was introduced to better out our understanding regarding to the different cultures that surround us. It is with this particular understanding that we gain the mechanism of not judging each other’s different culture but instead appreciate its contribution and its aesthetic and intrinsic value that it contributes to the society at large.

With this knowledge, we become prevalent and aware of the reasons as to why particular people dress the way they do, as to why some people worship God in different ways, as to why some practices such as rites of passage are usually done in certain communities among many other behaviors. Unlike back in the decades where people of the same community with same culture lived in certain secluded areas, the world has evolved to a much complex one, with different people from different communities and cultures in the world living together.

The multicultural psychology, which is the study of each and every aspect of an individual’s activities and behavior as it occurs in an environment with different people with different culture has certainly proved to be beneficial especially in improving the peaceful interaction and socialization sector of people from different cultural backgrounds (Burke et al,2009). Work cited Burke, Edmund, and Kenneth Pomeranz. The Environment and World History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Print.