Measuring and Interpreting Subjective Wellbeing in Different Cultural Contexts

Measuring and Interpreting Subjective Wellbeing in Different Cultural Contexts PDF Author: Robert A. Cummins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108575366
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
The scientific study of 'wellbeing' involves both objective and subjective variables. While objective wellbeing can be simply measured as tangible aspects of the living environment, measuring subjective wellbeing involves quantifying self-reported feelings. Although reliable and valid measures can be achieved, in a cross-cultural context differences in language and culture present formidable challenges to measurement comparability. This Element begins by describing the behaviour of subjective wellbeing in single cultures, using the theory of homeostasis. Robert A. Cummins then discusses cross-cultural differences in subjective wellbeing, with a focus on measurement invariance as a means of ensuring the validity of comparative results. Cummins proposes that the major barrier to creating such comparability of measurement is a pervasive response bias that differs between cultures. He concludes that current instruments are inadequate to provide valid cross-cultural measures of subjective wellbeing, and that suitable measures may be created as short forms of current scales.

Measuring and Interpreting Subjective Wellbeing in Different Cultural Contexts

Measuring and Interpreting Subjective Wellbeing in Different Cultural Contexts PDF Author: Robert A. Cummins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108575366
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 122

Get Book Here

Book Description
The scientific study of 'wellbeing' involves both objective and subjective variables. While objective wellbeing can be simply measured as tangible aspects of the living environment, measuring subjective wellbeing involves quantifying self-reported feelings. Although reliable and valid measures can be achieved, in a cross-cultural context differences in language and culture present formidable challenges to measurement comparability. This Element begins by describing the behaviour of subjective wellbeing in single cultures, using the theory of homeostasis. Robert A. Cummins then discusses cross-cultural differences in subjective wellbeing, with a focus on measurement invariance as a means of ensuring the validity of comparative results. Cummins proposes that the major barrier to creating such comparability of measurement is a pervasive response bias that differs between cultures. He concludes that current instruments are inadequate to provide valid cross-cultural measures of subjective wellbeing, and that suitable measures may be created as short forms of current scales.

Public Happiness

Public Happiness PDF Author: Seung Jong Lee
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030896439
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
We all strive for personal happiness in one way or another, but what about public happiness? What does public happiness mean and what role can governments and public policies play? The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inadequacies of old governance paradigms and even before this pandemic, increasing inequalities and frustration with the old GDP-centric growth paradigm have fueled dissatisfaction with and distrust of governments. This book suggests a new path towards public happiness as a potential solution. The book builds a theory of public happiness as a distinct concept from individual happiness, borrowing especially from Eastern philosophy. It provides an overview of the efforts so far to go “beyond GDP” – including measurement and exploration of the determinants of happiness – and how these efforts have fallen short of expectation. Lastly, the book sketches out what a public happiness policy might look like and identifies the factors of a successful happiness policy.

Cross-Cultural Psychology

Cross-Cultural Psychology PDF Author: Kenneth D. Keith
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119438446
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 844

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Book Description
Explains and explores the important areas of psychology through a cultural perspective This book addresses key areas of psychology, placing them in cultural perspective via a comprehensive overview of current work integrating culture across the major subfields of psychological science. Chapters explore the relation of culture to psychological phenomena, starting with introductory and research foundations, and moving to clinical and social principles and applications. It covers the subfields that are of most importance to undergraduates and beginning graduates, such as consciousness, development, cognition, intelligence, personality, research methods, statistics, gender, personality, health, and well-being. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, 2nd Edition is richly documented with research findings and examples from many cultures, illuminating the strengths and limitations of North American psychology, while also highlighting the diversity and vitality of this fascinating field. The book offers many new chapters, in addition to fully updated ones from the previous edition. Starting with basic concepts in the subject, the book offers chapters covering ethnocentrism, diversity, evolutionary psychology, and development across cultures. It also examines education, dreams, language and communication issues, sex roles, happiness, attractiveness, and more. Provides a comprehensive overview of current work integrating culture across major subfields of psychological science Offers introductory chapters on topics such as cultural psychology and ethnocentrism, which provide a foundation for more specialized chapters in development, education, cognition, and beyond Features new chapters in areas such as cultural competence, culture and dreams, education across cultures, abnormality across cultures, and evolutionary psychology Presents chapters by some of the leading contributors to the fields of cultural and cross- cultural psychology Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, 2nd Edition is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate courses in cultural or cross-cultural psychology.

The Ontology of Well-Being in Social Policy and Welfare Practice

The Ontology of Well-Being in Social Policy and Welfare Practice PDF Author: Steven R. Smith
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031181425
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
This book provides important philosophical insights concerning the kind of creatures we are such that we can experience something we understand as well-being, with these insights then being applied to various areas of social policy and welfare practice. The author defends what he calls The Ontology of Well-Being Thesis (TOWT), addressing ontological questions about the human condition, and how these questions are fundamental to issues concerning what we might know about human well-being and how we should promote it. Yet, surprisingly, these ontological questions are often side-lined in academic, political, and policy and practice based debates about well-being. Addressing these questions, head-on, six features of the human condition are identified via TOWT: human embodiment, finiteness, sociability, cognition, evaluation, and agency. The main argument of the thesis is that these features reveal the conflicting character of human experiences, which can, in turn, have a profound bearing on our experience of well-being. Notably, it is our conflicting experiences of time, emotion, and self-consciousness, which can potentially help us experience well-being in complex and multi-dimensional ways. The author then applies these insights to various social policies and welfare practices, concerning, for example, pensions, disability, bereavement counselling, social prescribing within health settings, the promotion of mental health, and co-production practices. This book is of importance to philosophers, social policy analysts, and welfare practitioners and is also relevant to the fields of psychology, sociology, politics, and the health sciences.

The Process of Wellbeing

The Process of Wellbeing PDF Author: Iza Kavedžija
Publisher:
ISBN: 110894082X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
Conviviality, care and creativity offer a powerful perspective on wellbeing as an intersubjective process that thrives in circulation.

Concept and Method in Cross-Cultural and Cultural Psychology

Concept and Method in Cross-Cultural and Cultural Psychology PDF Author: Ype H. Poortinga
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108904394
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
An overview is given of cross-cultural psychology and cultural psychology, focusing on theory and methodology. In Section 1 historical developments in research are traced; it is found that initially extensive psychological differences tend to shrink when more carefully designed studies are conducted. Section 2 addresses the conceptualization of “culture” and of “a culture”. For psychological research the notion “culture” is considered too vague; more focal explanatory concepts are required. Section 3 describes methodological issues, taking the notion of the empirical cycle as a lead for both qualitative and quantitative research. Pitfalls in research design and data analysis of behavior-comparative studies, and the need for replication are discussed. Section 4 suggests to move beyond research on causal relationships and to incorporate additional questions, addressing the function and the development of behavior patterns in ontogenetic, phylogenetic and historical time. Section 5 emphasizes the need for applied research serving the global village.

The Nature and Challenges of Indigenous Psychologies

The Nature and Challenges of Indigenous Psychologies PDF Author: Carl Martin Allwood
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108650600
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
The indigenous psychologies (IPs) stress the importance of research being grounded in the conditions and culture of the researcher's own society due to the dominance of Western culture in mainstream psychology. The nature and challenges of the IPs are discussed from the perspectives of science studies and anthropology of knowledge (the study of human understanding in its social context). The Element describes general social conditions for the development of science and the IPs globally, and their development and form in some specific countries. Next, some more specific issues relating to the IPs are discussed. These issues include the nature of the IPs, scientific standards, type of culture concept favored, views on the philosophy of science, understanding of mainstream psychology, generalization of findings, and the IPs' isolation and independence. Finally, conclusions are drawn, for example with respect to the future of the IPs.

Culture-Inclusive Theories

Culture-Inclusive Theories PDF Author: Kwang-Kuo Hwang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108604838
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
The author proposes an epistemological strategy to resolve controversial issues in the indigenous psychology (IP) movement. These include the nature of IPs, scientific standards, cultural concepts, philosophy of science, mainstream psychology, generalization of findings, and the isolation and independence of IPs. The approach includes a two-step strategy for construction of culture-inclusive theories, based on a Mandala model of self and a Face and Favor model for social interaction, and the use of these models to develop culture-inclusive theories for Confucian morphostasis. The author has successfully used this strategy, and encourages others to use it to construct their own culture-inclusive theories.

Women across Cultures

Women across Cultures PDF Author: Hilary M. Lips
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108877206
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 111

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Book Description
Psychology's study of women has revealed some themes that span cultures and countries, yet women's lived experiences in different cultures can be dramatically different. This Element explores, from a psychological perspective, women's issues in cultural contexts. Beginning with the question of public and private identity (i.e., who 'counts' as a woman), it goes on to examine embodiment, sexuality, reproduction, family roles, economic participation and power, violence, leadership, and feminist activism. It concludes with a brief discussion of women's complicated relationship to culture: as both keepers and sometimes prisoners of cultural traditions - particularly in the context of migration to different cultures. Running through the Element are two general themes: the pervasiveness of a gender hierarchy that often privileges men over women, and the ways in which women's lived experience varies within cultures according to the intersection of gender with other categories that affect expectations, norms, power and privilege.

Acculturation

Acculturation PDF Author: John W. Berry
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108605230
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 107

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Book Description
Acculturation is the process of group and individual changes in culture and behaviour that result from intercultural contact. These changes have been taking place forever, and continue at an increasing pace as more and more peoples of different cultures move, meet and interact. Variations in the meanings of the concept, and some systematic conceptualisations of it are presented. This is followed by a survey of empirical work with indigenous, immigrant and ethnocultural peoples around the globe that employed both ethnographic (qualitative) and psychological (quantitative) methods. This wide-ranging research has been undertaken in a quest for possible general principles (or universals) of acculturation. This Element concludes with a short evaluation of the field of acculturation; its past, present and future.