Psychology 410/510
Culture and Personality seminar
Spring 2002
Notes on chapter 2 of the Westen book
"Big questions" for final exam (Thurs., June 13, 10:15 am)
What is personality, what is culture, and how are culture and personality related and coordinated? How are culture and personality related to deference/status systems and to moral development?
What are some important ways in which cultures differ in ideals or values (held by their constituent individuals) and in types of power and authority? How are these differences related to individualism and to various conceptualizations of collectivism?
How is religion best defined? How is it importantly related to other aspects of culture, to culture change and revitalization, to societal authority, and to personality processes (motives, values, needs, emotions, and/or behavior patterns)?
What is modernization, and does it come in one form or many? What effects can we expect modernization to have on culture and on personality, and how (by what means or mechanisms) will it have these effects? (Include effects of cultural disintegration and/or revival that it triggers.)
...with any question, you'll be asked to create an integrated and coherent account that reflects critical as well as creative thinking, with good examples valued .
Likely format: in-depth answers to two (assigned) of these questions, either no content from or brief answers in some form to other two (assigned)