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Cultural Psychology as the Connector

Cultural psychology is the study of how cultural influences behavior, thought process, and attitude. The main principle of the field is that human behavior and culture are intertwined, meaning that people are shaped by their culture.  

  Cultural competency is the ability to understand, communicate with, and interact with people across different cultures. It includes being aware of our own world views and gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews. It is important for all psychologists to develop a level of cultural competency to allow for work with all different populations. However, cultural psychologists are different due to the fact that they focus on cultural competency and gaining extensive knowledge about different cultures and how psychological practice differs throughout these cultures. Cultural psychologists also focus on language and differences within languages. Words do not strictly interpret, especially psychological terms. Cultural psychologists focus on how other cultures describe psychological symptoms and how different words are used to describe symptoms. This is important when working with minority populations, especially populations that have not previously had access to psychological care. 

The immigration process as a whole encompasses: loss of and separation from country of origin, family members, and familiar customs and traditions, changes in social class and/or socioeconomic status, exposure to a new environment, and the need to understand how to navigate unfamiliar cultural contexts. These stressors have the potential to serve as a catalyst for the development of many psychological problems (American Psychological Association, 2012). Add in the refugee experience – the fear of survival and the processing of traumas – creates an environment that leaves individuals open to severe psychological issues. Cultural psychologists spend their time in the study of other cultures and how their background shapes their behavior. This means that cultural psychologists are aware of the different traumas and problems that individuals are facing within their country of origins. This allows for an understanding of the psychological issues that accompany facing such traumas and the difficulties that these psychological issues can cause for an individual in a new culture and environment. It is important when an immigrant of any background is seeking psychological care, they look for a psychologist competent in understanding how culture affects behavior, thought process, and the understanding of psychological care. This becomes especially important in the care of those who have faced extreme hardships, the fear of survival, and extreme psychological stress; like refugee populations. 

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