Commentary: Nuancing the Meaning of Cultural Diversity

Abstract

The featured articles in the section on cultural diversity across the Pacific address important cultural issues in psychology as applied to psychopathology (Marsella & Yamada, 2011), intercultural relations and acculturation (Berry, 2011) and the phenomenon of culture shock (Furnham, 2011). We appreciate how the three articles offer a wide multidisciplinary lens and view mental problems from this broader vantage point. Beyond narratives of biology and individual personality dispositions, the authors include an anthropologists' eye to viewing mental illness (Marsella & Yamada, 2011), use sociological explanations of intergroup relations in a multicultural model of acculturation (Berry, 2011) and refer to demographic migration patterns to elucidate culture shock among foreign students (Furnham, 2011). The contribution of this set of writings lies in its insightful emphasis on how culture interfaces with one's subjective life. Our essay unpacks the cultural lens used in the psychological accounts, points out conceptual spaces that are largely unexplored in cross-cultural psychology (something that is observed and lamented by these authors in their articles here and elsewhere) and suggests avenues for future research about cultural diversity.