The authors critique cross-cultural psychology, Wundt's Völkerpsychologie, and Shweder's cultural psychology as Western-centric, and propose doing cultural psychology by "defamiliarizing" our most familiar everyday life.
Cultural Psychology - How can we do it?
문화심리학 어떻게 할 것인가
QUESTION
By critically reviewing cross-cultural psychology, Völkerpsychologie (folk psychology), and cultural psychology, how might cultural psychology actually be possible?
FINDINGS
Triandis-style collectivism surveys already build ordinary Asian facts — like living with parents until marriage — into the very concept of collectivism, so measuring with them can only produce "collectivist" results.
아시아인들은 대부분의 경우 결혼할 때까지 부모의 집에서 머무른다는 통상적인 사실이 이미 집합주의라는 개념 속에 포함되어 있는…the ordinary fact that Asians in most cases stay in their parents' home until they marry is already included in the concept of collectivism…p3국문화를 측정하기 위해 개발된 설문지 (Chan, 1994; Triandis, 라 al.. 1988)의 집합주의적 특징을 묻는 질문들이나questions asking about collectivist traits in questionnaires developed to measure Chinese culture (Chan, 1994; Triandis et al., 1988)p3이러한 질문들을 통한 중국문화에 관한 연구는 당 연히 집합주의적으로 나오게 되어 있는 것이다research on Chinese culture through such questions is bound to come out collectivistp3The authors see individualism–collectivism theory as a psychological variant of Western-centrism disguised as objectivity.
Tnandis의 개인주의-집합주의 이론은 이러한 서구 중심주의의 심리학적 변용이며Triandis's individualism–collectivism theory is a psychological variant of this Western-centrism, and…p4서구 중심주의의 심리학적 변용이며 객관성을 가장한 아주 효율적인 도구인 것 이다is a psychological variant of Western-centrism and a highly efficient tool disguised as objectivityp4Wundt's Völkerpsychologie, built on a one-track view of development with European civilization at the top, is likewise judged to be merely a methodological version of Western-centrism.
wundt의 민족심리학 역시 서구중심주의의 방법론적 변형이라는 결론에 이르게 된다…we reach the conclusion that Wundt's Völkerpsychologie, too, is a methodological variant of Western-centrism.p7문명진화론의 기본 적 가정은 유럽문명을 정점으로 하는 피라미드로 표 현된다the basic assumption of the theory of civilizational evolution is expressed as a pyramid with European civilization at the topp6wundt의 민족심리학이란 이러한 문명진화론의 방법론적 응용으로 볼 수 있다Wundt's folk psychology can be seen as a methodological application of this theory of civilizational evolutionp6서구중심주 의의 기저에 깔려 있는 단선론적 발달관에 있다lies in the unilinear view of development underlying Western-centrismp7Shweder's cultural psychology cannot explain how symbols are newly created or what history they arise from.
Shweder의 문화심리학 이론의 문제점은 상징의 구성주의적 설명의 부재와 상징의 역사성에 대한 통찰의 결핍에 있다The problem with Shweder's theory of cultural psychology lies in its lack of a constructivist account of symbols and its lack of insight into the historicity of symbols.p9어떠한 과 정을 통해 새로운 상징이 만들어지는가에 대한 설 명을 Shweder의 문화심리학에서는 찾아봘 수 없다an explanation of the process by which new symbols are created cannot be found in Shweder's cultural psychologyp9As an alternative, cultural psychology starts not by studying distant tribes but by looking at our most familiar everyday life as if it were strange.
우리의 가장 익숙한 세계를 낯설게 함으로서 가능해진다…becomes possible by making our most familiar world strange.p12우리가 표-르는 낯선 원 시림의 부족들을 찾아가 그들의 의미체계를 분석하 는 것이 아니라not visiting unknown tribes in strange primeval forests and analyzing their systems of meaningp12IN DAILY LIFE
The old custom of poking a hole with a wet finger in the paper door to peek at a newlywed couple's first night. Read only through a Western framework, it would wrongly make our ancestors look like collective voyeurs.
신혼 부부의 첫날밤을 문 장-한지에 침 발라 구멍을 내고 보있던 관습을…the custom of wetting the hanji paper of the door with saliva, poking a hole, and watching the newlywed couple's first night…p8서구인늘의 설대화된 분석체계를 통해 “사회 심리 학적” 으로 분석한다면 우리의 선조들은 집단적으로 관음증을 않고 있는 휘자늘일 따름이다if analyzed 'social-psychologically' through Westerners' absolutized analytic framework, our ancestors would be nothing but patients collectively suffering from voyeurismp8Korean often drops the subject or lumps people together as uri (우리, "our/we"). But while "uri eomeoni" (our mother) passes easily, saying "uri nampyeon" (our husband) carries real moral resistance.
의 표현은 대충 넘어가기에 상당한 도덕적 저항감이 동반된다…such an expression is accompanied by considerable moral resistance to just glossing over.p13한국어는 주어가 생략되거나 “우리” 라는 단어로 대 충 넘어가는 경우가 대부분이다in Korean, the subject is usually omitted or glossed over with the word 'uri' (we)p13('부리 어머니” 는 그냥 넘어가 줄 수 있는 데 “우리 집사꾸, “우리 남편”('our mother' can be let pass, but 'our wife,' 'our husband'p13The Korean collective symbol of han (한, 恨) cannot be understood without the historical context of repeated foreign invasions and a male-centered society.
한국인의 한(恨)이라는 집단적 상징을 한국사에서 끝없이 반복되었던 외세의 침탈…the Korean collective symbol of han (恨), [apart from] the foreign invasions endlessly repeated in Korean history…p9남성중 심의 한국사회에 대한 설명을 제거하고는 이해할 수 없다cannot be understood without an account of male-centered Korean societyp9In depth
This paper, more closely — every sentence carries an original quote and page number.
Background
Psychological discussion of "culture," which had long disappeared, has recently restarted under the name "cultural psychology."
사라졌던 문화에 관한 심리학적 논의가 최근 “문화심리학 (cultural psychology)" 이라는 이름 하에 다시 시작되고 있다…psychological discussion of culture that had disappeared has recently begun again under the name "cultural psychology."p2Yet how cultural psychology differs — or should differ — from existing cross-cultural psychology has not been widely discussed, so this paper explores how cultural psychology is possible.
과는 어떻게 차이가 나는지, 또 차이가 나야만 하는지에 관해 아직까지 폭 넓게 논의되고 있지 않다…how it differs [from cross-cultural psychology], and whether it must differ, has not yet been widely discussed.p2문화심리학이 과연 어떻게 가능할 것인지 탐색해 보려는 시도이 다an attempt to explore how cultural psychology is possible at allp2Method
A theoretical paper that critically reviews leading psychological theories dealing with culture and proposes an alternative.
등의 문화와 관련된 대표적인 심리학이론을 비판적으로 정리하고 있다…critically reviews the representative psychological theories related to culture.p1본 논문은 비교문화심|리학 (cross-cultural psychology)" , •민족심리학 (VöIkemsychologie)", “문화심리학 (cultural psychology)"This paper [critically reviews] 'cross-cultural psychology,' 'folk psychology (Völkerpsychologie),' and 'cultural psychology'p1현재의 심리학 이론들의 암묵적 전제가 되는 서구중심주의가 해체되어야 하며the Western-centrism that is the implicit premise of current psychological theories must be dismantledp1대안으로 너무도 익숙하여 인식되지 않는 문화적 현상에 대한 낯설게 하기” 를 통한 개념흐卜를 제안하고 있다as an alternative, proposes conceptualization through 'defamiliarizing' cultural phenomena so familiar they go unrecognizedp1Detailed findings
The biggest problem with cross-cultural psychology, the authors argue, is that it treats ethnicity and nation — mere ideological constructs — as natural, unchanging categories.
이데올로기적 구성체일 따름인 종족, 국가의 개념을 자연적이며 불변의 범주로 정당화한다는 것…that it justifies the concepts of ethnicity and nation, which are merely ideological constructs, as natural and unchanging categories.p3으로서의 비교문화심리학의 가장 큰 문 제점은 이데올로기적 구성체일 따름인the biggest problem of cross-cultural psychology as [...] is that [it treats] mere ideological constructsp3Triandis's "individualism vs. collectivism" is merely a reworked version of the scheme "democracy vs. despotism."
“민주주의 대 전제주의” 라는 도식을 변형시킨 개념에 불과한 것이다…is nothing more than a concept that transforms the scheme of "democracy vs. despotism."p3Tnandis는 집합주의의 극단적 형 태는 전제주의와 관련되어 있고 민주주의, 다원주의 등은 개인주의에 상응한다고 주장한다Triandis argues that extreme forms of collectivism are tied to despotism, while democracy, pluralism, and the like correspond to individualismp3This is not a rejection of comparing cultures as such; what must be guarded against is comparison as a uniform "numbers game."
경계해야 할 것은 획일화된 숫자놀음으로서의 비교문화방법이다What must be guarded against is the cross-cultural method as a uniform numbers game.p5Triandis의 이론에 대해 제기하는 필자들의 비판 이 “비교문화 라는 방법론이 가지고 있는 장점에 대 한 부정은 아니다the authors' critique of Triandis's theory is not a denial of the merits of the cross-cultural methodp5For Wundt, both individual psychology and Völkerpsychologie were "developmental psychology" tracing how the national spirit unfolded.
결국 wundt에게 있어 개인심리학이나 민족심리학 모두 민족정신의 전개과정을 밝히는 발달심리학으로 이해되는 것이다In the end, for Wundt both individual psychology and Völkerpsychologie are understood as developmental psychology that reveals the unfolding of the national spirit.p6In Shweder's account, Western parents put children to sleep in separate rooms early not so much to foster independence as because of a collective symbol of the married couple.
일찍 자녀들을 따로 재우려고 하는 서구인들의 양육방식은 이러한 부부의 집단적 표상에서 나오는 것…Western parenting that tries to put children to sleep separately as early as possible comes from this collective representation of the couple…p8독립적인 아동을 키운다는 서구 아동 개인주 의적 교육의 원칙은 부차적으로 구성된 것에 불과 한 것이다the Western individualist principle of raising independent children is merely a secondary constructionp8Korean cultural psychology also risks stopping at showing cultural uniqueness — "we are different."
특수성 ("우리는 다르다”)을 제시하는 데 그치는 위험이 있는 것이다…there is a risk of stopping at presenting cultural particularity ("we are different").p10한국인들의 심리적 과 정에 대한 연구의 전통이 축적되고 있음은that a research tradition on the psychological processes of Koreans is accumulatingp9There is no single unified cultural psychology — only a cultural-psychological dialogue among many indigenous psychologies.
문화심리학은 없으며 다양한 토착심리학들간의 문화심리학적 담론이 있을 뿐이다There is no cultural psychology; there is only cultural-psychological discourse among various indigenous psychologies.p11Where the West imagines two extremes colliding and rising to a new level (Hegel's dialectic), Korea has the image of jungyong (중용, 中庸), the middle way, which holds both extremes together.
한국의 경우 양극단이 충돌하여 올라간다는 표상 보디는 양극단이 함께 붙잡는In Korea's case, rather than the image of two extremes colliding and rising, [there is the image of] holding both extremes together…p13Hegel철학의 핵심 개념이 될 수 있는 것은 두 개의 반대되는 대립물은 반드시 충돌하여 새로운 현 상으로 전환된다는 유럽인들의 집단적 표상이 있기 에 가능한 것이다[it] could become a core concept of Hegel's philosophy because of Europeans' collective representation that two opposing contraries must collide and turn into a new phenomenonp13양극단이 함께 붙잡는 • 중용 (中庸)" 의 표상 이 존재한다there is the representation of 'jungyong' (the mean), holding both extremes togetherp13Authors’ interpretation
To the question “Is cultural psychology a science?” the authors answer, “Of course.” This answer presupposes a constructivist view of science.
“문화심리학 과학인가?” 라는 질문에 대한 대답은 “물론 그렇다" 이다The answer to the question "Is cultural psychology a science?" is "Of course."p15이 대답은 구성주 의적 과학관을 전제로 한다this answer presupposes a constructivist view of sciencep15Cultural psychology by no means rejects quantitative methods such as surveys and statistics; they are one meaningful way of interpreting the world.
기존의 심리학적 방법론, 즉 양적 방법론을 거부하는 것은 결코 아니다…it by no means rejects existing psychological methods, i.e., quantitative methods.p15오히려 양적 방법론에 근거한 심리학 이론 역시 세상을 해석하는 하나의 의미 있 는 방식 중에 하나이며rather, psychological theory based on quantitative methods is also one meaningful way of interpreting the worldp15The Korean practice of refusing to accept a thesis without statistics is itself, the authors note, an interesting topic for cultural psychology.
통계수치가 포함되지 않는 논문은 학위는문으로 인정하지 않는…not accepting papers without statistical figures as theses…p16학위는문으로 인정하지 않는 현재 의 “한국적 심리학하기" 의 관행은the current practice of 'doing psychology the Korean way,' which does not accept [such papers] as thesesp16매우 홍미로운 문화심리학적 연 구 주제라 할 수 있다can be called a very interesting cultural-psychological research topicp16Limits the authors note
Key terms
Defamiliarization (낯설게 하기) Making us perceive what we no longer notice because it is too familiar; a concept borrowed from Russian Formalist art theory.
너무 익숙하기 때문에 지각할 수 없는 것들을 지각하는 것, 즉 낯설게 하기…perceiving what cannot be perceived because it is too familiar, that is, defamiliarization…p12러시아 형식주의13,의 대표적 이론가인 Sklovskij는 예술의 목적과 관련해서 다음과 같이 주장한다Sklovskij, a leading theorist of Russian Formalism, argues as follows about the purpose of artp12Abduction (유추법) Unlike deduction or induction, a creative inference that starts from "may be" to discover something new (Peirce).
유추법은 “아마도 (may be)"에 기초하는 창의적 추론Abduction is creative inference based on "may be."p12Peirce는 귀납과 연역의 논리를 벗어나는 제 3의 “유추법 (abduction)' 이라는 논리를 제시하고 있다Peirce proposes a third logic, 'abduction,' that goes beyond the logic of induction and deductionp11Peirce에 따르면 새로운 것에 대한 인식을 가능케 하는 논리로서의 유추법은according to Peirce, abduction, as the logic that makes knowledge of new things possiblep12Methodological relativism (방법론적 상대주의) An attitude of doubting pseudo-universality imposed one-sidedly. It is distinct from relativism as 'epistemological anarchism.'
일방적 강요에 의해 구성된 사이비 보편성에 대한 의심하기로서의 방법론적 상대주의는 인식론적 아나키즘으로서의 상대주의와는 구별된다Methodological relativism, as doubting pseudo-universality constructed by one-sided imposition, is distinct from relativism as epistemological anarchism.p11