Part 1

David Matsumoto, author of Culture & Psychology, has written an article, “Culture, Psychology, and Education.” In the article, he discusses his research on adjustment. A factor analysis on data from 2,500 individuals indicates that there are key factors or variables that play a role in adjustment. Of these variables, emotion regulation is the most important.

Matsumoto (2002) states that emotion regulation “is always the most consistent and strongest predictor of all adjustment indices measured in our studies.” Matsumoto considers this to be a universal component of adjustment. He even goes so far as to assert that educators have a responsibility to not only focus on the subject matter when teaching but also teach values-based education with the end goal of increasing emotional regulation. This would equip students to manage in a multicultural and increasingly diverse society (Matsumoto, 2002).

In your response, address the following:

• Define emotional regulation. Explain how you regulate your emotions when faced with extreme stress. Explain whether you believe that emotional regulation will better equip you to live with more diversity.

• Some Eastern cultures start teaching their children about emotional regulation when they first enter school. Is it possible for students to learn emotional regulation in college or should this teaching start earlier? Research, analyze, and describe the concept of emotional regulation in Eastern cultures. How do Eastern cultures, such as the Chinese, teach their children emotional regulation?

• Explore studies on longevity or aging and emotional regulation. What trends did you discover? Does emotional regulation increase with time? If so, explain why this might occur.

Reference:

Matsumoto, D. (2002). Culture, psychology, and education. In W. J. Lonner, D. L. Dinnel, S. A. Hayes, & D. N. Sattler (Eds.), Online readings in psychology and culture (Unit 2, Chapter 5). Bellingham, WA: Center for Cross-Cultural Research, Western Washington University.

Part 2

Gender Differences and Society

Numerous societies have clear gender differences. There are some societies that place women in a subservient position. Furthermore, some women are devalued as their family honor is more important than their lives. This is often the case in honor killings. There was a publicized case of a woman from Iraq who escaped to a US military base because her family was going to kill her. She had disgraced them by talking to a young man on a cell phone. Using the Internet, the South University Online Library, and other sources, conduct research on honor killings.

In your response, address the following:

• Why do some cultures engage in honor killings?

• Do nongroup members have the right to interfere with other cultures when it comes to long-standing cultural practices? What happens to the culture when others interfere?

Most cultural groups developed their cultural practices in relative isolation, and as mentioned in the lectures, these practices often served a practical role. When cultural groups have maintained radical or “harmful” practices that have not evolved, how might the members of the group be impacted? State some examples of “harmful” practices. Do the antiquated practices impact the members of the group when there is little outside influence?