Psychology

The word culture does not have a very specific definition but it is generally used to refer to the way of life of a group of people which includes the behaviors, beliefs, values, attitudes and religion. In other words its the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group from another Culture is very diverse and there is a general consensus among anthropologists that people throughout the world have adapted to various widely differing conditions. Many separate societies around the globe differ markedly from each other in terms of language, traditions and many other aspects. Apart from these, there are also variations in the way they organize themselves, their shared concept of morality and the way they interact with the environment (Xenia, 2004). On the other hand, psychology is the science of the mind which is believed to be the source of all thoughts and behavior.

The discipline of psychology works towards understanding the role of mental functions in individual and social behaviors while exploring the psychological and neurological processes (Rartner, 2002). Culture and its significant role in human behavior has been recognized by psychological researchers and literature demonstrates cultural variations in many areas of psychology. In addition, the need to study culture in psychology was highlighted by the American Psychological Association most recently (Xenia, 2004).
 
Incorporation of culture in psychology in the past
In the past, there was a dormant perception of the importance of culture in psychology and psychological processes. Up to about 1950, it was believed that culture was not part of people and it was considered as a kind of experimental treatment. It was until the 1980s that many researchers started emphasizing the importance of culture in psychology because they had internalized that there were some aspects of culture that influence all psychological processes. After culture was incorporated into psychology, some researches generally used it as a means of testing the universality of psychological processes while others used it to determine how local cultural practices shaped psychological processes. Therefore cross-cultural psychologists became mostly involved in determining whether certain developmental stages were universal across a variety of cultures. On the other hand, cultural psychologists became interested in knowing whether the social practices of a particular culture shaped the development of cognitive processes in different ways. In addition, research done using cultural psychology informs several fields within psychology like social psychology, developmental psychology and cognitive psychology although it tends to contradict with the Universalist perspectives that are common in most fields of psychology (Shinobu  Coyen, 2007).

Importance of studying culture in relation to psychology
Based on the fact that all human behaviors are cultural to some extent, culture is of great importance in the field of psychology. Research has shown that the study of culture provides three main contributions to the understanding of human behavior and other mental processes. The great knowledge about cultural similarities and differences in behavior forms the basis for improving psychological theories. Culture helps in understanding the evolutionary and historical patterns of the human behavior. In this case, the study of culture plays the role of gauging how people are programmed to behave in certain situations and whether these behavioral patterns are common across cultures or whether there are only culture specific behaviors. Findings from cross cultural research have impacted all areas of psychology and it informs us the similarities and differences in attachment, child rearing and development.  Examples of the areas of development include personality, thinking, perceiving, reasoning and problem solving. Therefore cross cultural research has contributed to knowledge in every area of psychological inquiry (Hill  Kraal, 2003).

The study of culture is a prime example of critical thinking because cross-cultural research asks questions on how notions of truth and psychological principles are applicable to people. For this reason, culture will explain why social behavior differs in people and address the issue of why some individuals in society follow the prevailing group norms more than others. This is followed by an analysis of their values, an area in research that is particularly in cross-cultural research. Culture also plays the role of explaining social cognition giving emphasis on attribution. This is the tendency to explain human behavior in terms of reasons that are located either in the person or the environment. Similarly its from the study of culture that psychologists are able to understand gender behavior the perception of men and women in various societies, patterns in the selection of marriage partners, opinions on how men and women ought to behave and the differences in their psychological characteristics (Hill  Kraal,2003).

Another major contribution of culture in psychology is elucidating the process of psychological adjustments in individuals. Cross-cultural psychologists have studied this topic for many years and the findings that have emerged have appeared to be of great importance. Studies can be done on the factors that can predict intercultural adjustment success and the potential for that success. The Intercultural Adjustment Potential Scale (ICAPS) can be used because it predicts adjustment and adjustment related behaviors. These behaviors are above and beyond those predicted by personality and emotion recognition. Such studies are essential in the identification of psychological engines of adjustment. Psychological engines refer to the psychological skills which are necessary for a successful living in a multicultural environment. Examples of such psychological skills include emotion regulation, openness, flexibility, critical thinking and autonomy. Therefore culture functions in giving solutions to some psychological research studies by providing the appropriate tools like the ICAPS (Hill  Kraal, 2003).

Lastly, research on intercultural adjustment provides clues to psychologists about the possible psychological constructs necessary for adjusting well to life in a pluralistic and diverse environment. To elaborate this further, culture contributes towards psychology by helping in the creation of a universal psychology that is inclusive of many people of diverse backgrounds. Due to these, cross-cultural research has flourished and the new findings have gained recognition with more theories incorporating culture. Although many classic findings still remain classics up to date, results on the universality of facial expressions, the relationship between language and thought, some developmental processes and other traditional notions of psychological processes have been modified to include culture. Therefore, its essential to note that conceptions of self are bound culturally like the concrete manifestations of many psychopathological states. These developments are useful to psychology and cross cultural research has played an immensely big role in facilitating them (Hill  Kraal, 2003).

In conclusion, the incorporation of culture in psychological studies is of optimum importance because its part of an individual and most things that affect people psychologically are a result of what happens around them of which culture is not an exception. To be more specific, involving cross-cultural studies in psychology have always yielded good results that offer solutions to most psychological problems.