Integration of Basic Controversies in Cross-cultural Psychology

Abstract

This article discusses controversies in the field of cross-cultural psychology, including cultural psychology, with a view to possible integration.1 It briefly describes the indigenisation movement as a reaction against Western scientific ethnocentrism and mentions two methodological topics, that is, lack of equivalence of cross-cultural data and issues with culture-comparative studies designed as experiments. Later in the article, major conceptual contrast in cross-cultural psychology such as the dichotomy of universalism and cultural relativism are addressed. The article also addresses the major empirical dichotomy of individualism and collectivism and its extension in cultural neuroscience research. Some examples of applied cross-cultural psychology are given that show how interventions can be adapted for other societies as where they were developed even when dichotomies prevalent in academic research have not been resolved.