Introduction
Psychology is defined as study of the mental characteristics and processes of a person or a group seeking to understand how they affect behavior, cognition, decision making, reasoning, and feelings. In essence psychology is science of the mind (Gross, p13). Studies have shown that most of the world’s research and information in the field of psychology is based on American Psychology whereby studies have been carried out in the USA and have generally been accepted to apply to all humans (Arnett, p4). It is because of this that some researchers in the field have begun to question whether findings of this research can be deemed to be applicable worldwide despite the fact that it has only taken into account people of the same cultural background while the world is made up of people of various diverse cultures, ethnicities, values, age, and religions among other things. The question that thus arises is whether the basic characteristics of the mind are the same in all humans or should research of people in other areas also be emphasized as the people there are exposed to different culture and environmental stimuli.
Summary
According to Arnett, (p61) most of the research in psychology has been carried out in the USA, which means that only 5% of the world’s population has been studied with 95% of it being neglected (Gross, p13). He argues that this research cannot be used to generalize the rest of the world as there are diverse cultural practices worldwide. He also posits that psychological research should change from focusing on understanding of the basic processes of the mind but rather on the culture and context of the study sample. Some researchers argue that the human mind is implicitly the same and point out the benefits that previous research has brought about in the field including the discovery of health solutions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and various medications. Since basic human processes are the same the world over, American psychological research could be considered to be general to other cultures. It would also not be viable to research every single culture or background of humans in the world in order to be satisfied with the study sample.
Analysis and Response
Traditionally psychological research has been generally focused in America with the majority of these studies being carried out using American college students mainly students of psychology. Though this sample may vary in terms of their background, it has been argued that the students are highly likely to have similarities in areas such as age, economic status, beliefs, and education level. He thus questions whether findings in these studies can be used to generalize on people from other parts of the world. He argues that by generalizing finding we ignore the role played by cultural factors in human behavior. He argues that he does not consider humans to be essentially the same with these factors only as add-ons (Arnett, p17). Haiffel et al do not believe that cultural factors are essential in understanding basic human mind processes. They argue that cultural factors can be used to understand human behavior in subjects such as the family structure and gender roles within the culture but not necessarily in the basic human psychology. They cite processes such as cognition and perception which are found in all humans and argues that they it is essential that they be researched.
According to Arnett (p27), psychological research should change its focus from basic processes and instead focus on culture and diversity. He posits that by doing this psychological research could work towards solving international problems such as high HIV rates, terrorism, and poverty among others as opposed to focusing on processes and principles. On this point, Haeffel et al, (p61) argues that research on psychological processes is also important and is needed in the world. They argue that even if research with a cultural perspective were to be pursued, it would not mean that research on the psychological processes should be abandoned for it. They give examples of where previous research has resulted in treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy and cognitive enhancement. Haeffel et al, (p37) also consider the idea of psychological research based on cultural differences as too broad and they do not consider him to have put forward a hypothesis which would then be proven or disproven by it.
Conclusion
Though there is a point in carrying out psychological research using people from different cultures other than only on Americans, it should not be at the expense of studying of basic human processes that are inherent in all humans. Research could be carried out on people of different backgrounds to verify whether the findings on these processes would produce the same results as the studies that have already been done. The proposition that various different cultures in be studied in the world would not be viable as the world is made up of numerous cultures and subcultures and it would not be possible to study people from each of them. Proponents of this idea also do not provide a particular theory that would be proven or disproven with this form of research. This process would also take a lot of time and in the end would probably slow down research in the field.
Works Cited
Arnett, Jeffrey J. "The neglected 95%: why American psychology needs to become less American." American Psychologist 63.7 (2008): 602.
Gross, Richard. Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour 7th edition. Hodder Education, 2015.
Haeffel, Gerald J., et al. "Theory, not cultural context, will advance American psychology." (2009): 570.
