Cross-Cultural Understandings!

The following are just a tiny little bit of resources that I have encountered through my own teaching and learning and would like to share as an addition to my previous blog entitled – Reflection: Thanksgiving! I found these books to be especially interesting, and a great resource to learn more about the lives of indigenous individuals and families.

A branch of psychology entitled: Cross-Cultural Psychology has also developed a psychology known as Indigenous Psychology. This branch of psychology seeks to understand the cultural aspects and influences. Whilst it is called “indigenous” this psychology is not just limited to the Native populations, but with the inclusion of populations of various cultural backgrounds. There has been criticism of the development of this psychology, with its Eurocentric tendencies. Thinking that it is also some sort of compensation for the field of psychology itself, as it is deemed as Western sprouting from the development of American psychologists. But I would like to offer another view that is less critical, but rather to reveal that this psychology is needed to realize that human beings have become blends of their environments. Relational intimacies and integrations with various populations, allow for us to seek further understandings of culture and its unique contribution to the individual human, groups, society and populations at large. For further information about Indigenous Psychology please refer to the following:

Reference: Sinha, D. (1997). Indigenizing Psychology. In J. W. Berry, Y. H. Pooringa & J. Panden (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology: Theory and method (pp. 129-169). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

American Psychological Association : Indigenous Psychology

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! 🙂

Notes: The thoughts with regards to Indigenous Psychology were part of PH. D scholarly work with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP)!