Cross-Cultural Psychology

Culture varies amongst different races and nationalities; what may be the cultural norm in my race may not be the cultural norm in another race. The text defines culture as “a set of attitudes, behaviors, and symbols shared by a group of people and usually communicated from one generation to the next” (Shiraev & Levy, 2013, p. 3).

The African American culture is usually stereotyped as being “ghetto” in other words we are considered to be loud, rude, and uneducated. This classification is based on the African Americans that lives in poverty or reside in the “inner city.” African Americans are often scrutinized for naming our children ridiculous names; which causes them to be predisposed to being misjudged. I believe the phenomenon of the names is a result of babies having babies. No thought is being put into what we are naming our children; they have no meaning. Many families in the African American culture rely on public assistance to aid them in caring for their families; but some other cultures look at it as looking for a hand out and being lazy.

A custom that is commonplace in the African American culture would be religion. In my family and in most family most families the grandparents were strong believers of Christianity. They were the ones that kept families together and taught the word of God. Although there are many denominations of the African American religion; I believe Christianity “the black church” started it all. In my household any day that those church doors were open we were there. Church was thought of the place that kept families together in any circumstance. The main church service typically took place on a Sunday. Once Sunday service was over; the family would usually meet at the grandparents’ house for a grand dinner.

The evolutionary approach of Christianity derives from the power of prayer and having faith in God. Many run to the church or seeks God’s help when tragedy strikes, when one is ill, or even when a baby is about to be born. Prayer and faith also comes into play when one is wishing to obtain new employment, looking for love, or even just simply needing help financially. Honestly, I do not believe that that will never change; people will continue to see God’s help.

With today’s society with all the violence, rapes, and illnesses and diseases, I do not see the church being discarded or disregarded. There may be many that have lost faith, but there are still many that still believe. From the sociological approach there is still a need for the church. We all still need to have a place to grieve, to ask for forgiveness, to pray for others; as well as pray for ourselves.

The ecocultural approach to Christianity has changed. We now have churches that will now marry couples of the same sex, when it once was a no no, but in some communities it is still a no no. Many churches are open to accept anyone that enters its doors. In some churches you