People everywhere strive for an ideal view of the self, but the conception of “ideal” differs importantly across cultures. In Western societies, the ideal self entails the possession of high self-esteem, whereas in East Asian cultures the ideal self entails maintenance of “face,” or successful performance of social roles and obligations. Within each cultural context, aspirations for an ideal self are facilitated by a network of psychological processes. One such psychological process is approach and avoidance motivations: approach motivation is useful for Westerners’ pursuit of high self-esteem whereas avoidance motivation is useful for East Asians’ concerns for face maintenance. Review of prior research renders support to this theorizing. Because approach and avoidance motivations are fundamental psychological processes, cross-cultural research on this topic is a great venue for investigating the ways in which culture shapes psychological processes. This dissertation examines the implication of cultural differences in approach and avoidance motivations in two domains. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the motivational consequences of a fit between culturally encouraged motivation and focus of self-regulation that a task at hand calls for. In comparisons of Canadians and Japanese, these studies found that individuals’ motivation for a task is enhanced when culturally encouraged motivation matched with focus of self-regulation required for the task. The second set of studies (Study 3 and 4) examined cognitive consequences of approach-avoidance motivation cultural difference. These studies found that a type of information that people are attuned to differs as a function of cultural differences in approach-avoidance motivations. Implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.

People everywhere strive for an ideal view of the self, but the conception of “ideal” differs importantly across cultures. In Western societies, the ideal self entails the possession of high self-esteem, whereas in East Asian cultures the ideal self entails maintenance of “face,” or successful performance of social roles and obligations. Within each cultural context, aspirations for an ideal self are facilitated by a network of psychological processes. One such psychological process is approach and avoidance motivations: approach motivation is useful for Westerners’ pursuit of high self-esteem whereas avoidance motivation is useful for East Asians’ concerns for face maintenance. Review of prior research renders support to this theorizing. Because approach and avoidance motivations are fundamental psychological processes, cross-cultural research on this topic is a great venue for investigating the ways in which culture shapes psychological processes. This dissertation examines the implication of cultural differences in approach and avoidance motivations in two domains. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the motivational consequences of a fit between culturally encouraged motivation and focus of self-regulation that a task at hand calls for. In comparisons of Canadians and Japanese, these studies found that individuals’ motivation for a task is enhanced when culturally encouraged motivation matched with focus of self-regulation required for the task. The second set of studies (Study 3 and 4) examined cognitive consequences of approach-avoidance motivation cultural difference. These studies found that a type of information that people are attuned to differs as a function of cultural differences in approach-avoidance motivations. Implications of the findings and future directions are discussed.

People everywhere strive for an ideal view of the self, but the conception of “ideal” differs importantly across cultures. In Western societies, the ideal self entails the possession of high self-esteem, whereas in East Asian cultures the ideal self entails maintenance of “face,” or successful performance of social roles and obligations. Within each cultural context, aspirations for an ideal self are facilitated by a network of psychological processes. One such psychological process is approach and avoidance motivations: approach motivation is useful for Westerners’ pursuit of high self-esteem whereas avoidance motivation is useful for East Asians’ concerns for face maintenance. Review of prior research renders support to this theorizing. Because approach and avoidance motivations are fundamental psychological processes, cross-cultural research on this topic is a great venue for investigating the ways in which culture shapes psychological processes. This dissertation examines the implication of cultural differences in approach and avoidance motivations in two domains. Studies 1 and 2 investigated the motivational consequences of a fit between culturally encouraged motivation and focus of self-regulation that a task at hand calls for. In comparisons of Canadians and Japanese, these studies found that individuals’ motivation for a task is enhanced when culturally encouraged motivation matched with focus of self-regulation required for the task. The second set of studies (Study 3 and 4) examined cognitive consequences of approach-avoidance motivation cultural difference. These studies found that a type of information that people are attuned to differs as a function of cultural differences in approach-avoidance motivations. Implications of the findings and future directions are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

<p> Exploring a "call" to a place, this work uses the Alchemical Hermeneutic method developed by Robert Romanyshyn, along with elements of Rosemary Anderson's Intuitive Inquiry and Craig Chalquist's Terrapsychology to reflect on the "soul" of a part of Monterey, California, on a hill known to the Rumsen Ohlone people as "Hunukul." With a view of the Monterey Bay, which conceals a mile-deep canyon and provides the environment for the upwelling of a teeming marine life, a portal is found through which to enter the depths of Psyche, both historically and existentially. </p><p> Many groups have met in this place, from the time that the first buildings were erected by a group of Theosophists from Pasadena in 1918 to the current occupation by Saint James Episcopal Church. Young people with disabilities, addicts and alcoholics, people with psychiatric diagnoses seeking expression through art, Zen meditators, Korean evangelicals, and the Monterey Bay Friends of C. G. Jung have all found refuge in the place, and a way to dwell together. </p><p> Archetypal commonalities among these groups are herein explored, including the wounded image of <i>Christos Dionysos</i> (contrasted with the heroic image of <i>Christos Mithras</i>), strong manifestations of women's leadership and power, and an ongoing presence of the shadow of war. </p><p> Rather than postulate a quasi-material soul of this place, the relationship of human psyche and the psychic dimensions of place are seen as part of an ongoing process, the boundaries of which pulse in space and time through the life expressed in this place. Place may not "have" a soul. From one perspective, place may "be" soul.</p>

<p> This dissertation sets forth a typology of contemporary collectors of objects of material culture. This study characterizes four types of collectors, identified by separate and unique abilities of inner and outward perception, which resonates in their collections as praxis. </p><p> This typology also analyses the degree of both conscious and unconscious meaning in the collection, which, over time and place, becomes a self-referential composition. The meaning of objects as perceived and handled relates to the collector's level of consciousness of this epistemological function. The form or kind of the object, although significant, is not the basis for this ontological study as much as the method of each type of collector in the handling of their collections. </p><p> The latent or manifest drive towards degrees of coherence or completion lies in the collection, a visual, relational structure created by the collector. This structure may result in conscious enquiry, realization, and individuation, or may build a material bastion of self-protection, due to unconscious compensation or denial. </p><p> The handling of objects is the handling of a personal relationship, as collectors do not simply perceive objects, they perceive with objects, over time, in praxis. This dissertation allows for the great significance of home, within which a collector curates objects. </p><p> This dissertation employs a multi-disciplinary and hermeneutical approach as befits each type of collector's idiosyncratic and heterogeneous relationship to lucid materiality. Four types of collectors, the <b>acquirer,</b> the <b>connoisseur,</b> the <b>fetishizer</b> and the <b>hoarder </b> exhibit a neoteric aesthetic of material culture, analyzed individually as types through selected methodologies: the depth psychological perspective, process theory, the mythological approach, and through semiotic structuralism. </p><p> This typographical analysis results in the discovery of four unique ways in which collectors create meaning from our material world with approaches to the nature and concept of a "thing." </p><p> How a thing becomes visual image, which becomes the structure of a psychic reality fortuitously grasped by a mind and the hand, is a reflection of the importance of objects and of a collector's personal epistemology. </p><p> A Production Component, a book called <i>Generosity of Eye: A Seasoned Appraiser Answers Clients' Questions,</i> discusses the evaluation of objects from the perspective of a professional appraiser.</p>

The aim of this thesis is to study the social construction of `identities' and 'inter- group' experiences from the perspective of a group of second generation Bangladeshis adults from London and Sheffield. The thesis is divided into two sections. The first section summarises and critiques various models of the psychological subject, which have been influential in approaches to the understanding of `ethnic' and `cross-cultural psychology' and the psychology of `inter-group relations. Part 1 of the thesis is also concerned with methodological issues which arise when studying phenomena such as `identity' and `racism', particularly issues which consider how best to theorise subjectivity whilst still wanting to acknowledge political concerns. A new approach to studying such phenomena is developed, based on the `discursive' approaches advanced by authors such as Wetherell and Potter (1992) and Burman and Parker (1993). Part 2 of the thesis consists of three analyses which look at the social construction of identities and inter-group experiences of a group of second generation Bangladeshi adults. Chapter 5 focuses on how identities are constructed as, for example "successful" or "powerful". Chapter 6 is concerned with broad discourses which are used to construct racism and ways to deal with it. Finally, chapter 7 focuses on the intersections of `race' and gender in the construction of identities by a group of second generation Bangladeshi women. The analyses demonstrate the rhetorical nature of such constructions in everyday talk, and also the ideological consequences of certain discourses which are (re)produced. It also shows how social psychology in Britain has often perpetuated and legitimated such discourses. The thesis concludes with a summary and discussion of the findings of each study. It also draws attention to some wider tensions and debates which have arisen from carrying out this research.

<p> This descriptive phenomenological study investigated Anglo Saxon Americans' lived experience of self-identity. The focus was to determine if construction of their self-concepts was influenced by Ancestral connectedness, characterized by: (a) lived recognition of one's Ancestral origins and the experience of connection to one's larger constellation of familial lineage, (b) reverent encounter with one's Ancestors on a daily basis as expressed in Ancestor communion, and (c) felt responsibility to ensure the Ancestors' continued well-being and positive disposition toward the living through the practice of remembering the Ancestors in active storytelling, prayers to the Ancestors, and the making of libations and offerings to the Ancestors. Three Anglo Saxon Americans participated in the study. Each participant completed two half-hour, one-on-one, in-person interviews and also completed a demographic questionnaire about his or her background. Participants were asked to describe (a) their identities and how they understand themselves, (b) their understanding or definition of Ancestor, (c) how they think about their Ancestors, and (d) how their connectedness to their Ancestors influence their self-identities. Giorgi's (1985, 2009) four-step descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze the data and produce a psychological description of the phenomenon studied. Study results revealed a general structure for the Anglo Saxon American self-concept in relation to Ancestral connectedness consisting of eight constituents: (a) a lack of importance placed on the question of self-identity, (b) an emphasis on individuality and separation, (c) a negative approach to self-identity, (d) changes in self-identity independent of Ancestry, (e) awareness of the White race and its privileges, (f) socioeconomic status, (g) an unconscious Ancestral influence, and (h) no establishment of a positive Ancestral influence on self-identity. The results also revealed a limited amount of conscious understanding of one's Ancestral origins and personal connection to a larger constellation of familial lineage, suggesting partial fulfillment of the first criterion of Ancestral connectedness. However, this was the extent of the lived experience of Ancestral connectedness in relation to the Anglo Saxon American self-identity formation.</p>

This interdisciplinary research project investigated the process of healing utilized by Açorean Portuguese traditional healers. The purpose was to facilitate an understanding of this process for multicultural counselling practices in North America. The theoretical framework is informed by medical anthropology and the work of Arthur Kleinman (1980, 1987). Kleinman has been called an ethnographer of illness because of his belief that suffering is social and, as such, culturally constructed. He contends that without consideration of the experience of suffering and the social aspects of suffering, health care practitioners face poorer outcomes in treatments (Kleinman, 2005). The current ethnographic study was carried out in the Açorean Islands of Portugal and asked the following research question: How do traditional healers in the Açorean Islands facilitate wellness in people suffering from illness? Illness was defined as the personal experience of physiological and/or psychological disease or distress (Kleinman, 1980). This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge dealing with multicultural counselling as follows: a) it adds knowledge by contributing an in-depth description of Portuguese Açorean traditional healers, which was previously absent from the counselling psychology literature: b) it expands on existing research to further explicate the significance of suffering in the world for Portuguese Açoreans and the role traditional healers play in witnessing this suffering; and c) it highlights the multifaceted impact of language when English speaking counsellors work with second language English speaking clients.

<p> Increased immigration finds children in a quandary to develop an identity consolidating their multiple locales and cultures. Additionally, the internet is highly integrated into children's lives and plays a consequential role in their identity formation processes. "Local culture," as referred to by scholars (e.g. Elias &amp; Lemish 2008, 2009; De Block &amp; Buckingham 2007), is a major influence on diaspora children's identity formation. Unfortunately, "local culture" is not clearly defined in literature thus far; it can refer to any combination of at-home and outside-the-home cultures with which children in a new country interact. This paper delineates parts of local culture in a way prior literature has not and introduces the notion of "new national identity" (NNID) as a component of local culture that immigrant children acquire. NNID is derived from new national culture. It is the culture of the immigrant-receiving nation as commonly available to all immigrants regardless of their ethnic background. The case studies presented here examine NNID acquired through internet usage specifically by Iranian-American and Iranian-Canadian youth. The case studies bring to light the importance of birthplace in how children of the diaspora perceive new national identity. Their perceptions and conceptions of this development can be mitigated by many factors including, but not exclusive to, place of birth, age at which emigration occurs, parental familiarity with new national culture, local social demographics, and local co-ethnic support, to name a few.</p>

<p> This is an ethnographic and depth psychological study of Post-Cool Kids, people born into the 1960s American counterculture between 1964 and 1978. This population has been predominantly overlooked by the academy apart from the Family Lifestyles Study completed at UCLA twenty years ago. In this, the first study of its kind, I explore the ethnological specificity of this set of people, Post-Cool Kids. </p><p> I have integrated the methodologies of Michel Foucault and the theories of archetypal psychology developed by James Hillman with work done by Victor Turner as well as other work from the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, literary criticism, feminist theory, cultural studies and histories of the sixties era. I use this interdisciplinary data to inform a qualitative study of eighteen subjects raised by countercultural parents. I asked my subjects about their lives as children, teenagers, young adults, and currently approaching midlife. Through an analysis of these interviews I identified six cultural complexes specific to the counterculture that I then deconstructed and discussed as systems of knowing within the American culture of the last forty years: freedom, anti-authority, intense experience, cool, being real, and utopia. These complexes together provide a unique way of experiencing the world that informs the ethnological and psychological perspective of Post-Cool Kids, and provides them with a multi-schematic, process-based way of engaging with the world around them. I also discuss such topics as alternative education, communal experiences, drug addiction, creative thinking, embodied trauma, parental entwinement, and personal activism. My objective was to identify the transmission of culture from counterculture parents to their Post-Cool Kids. In the process I developed several unique methodological approaches. Merging postmodern theory, archetypal psychology and methods from religious studies and anthropology, I evaluate the nature of belief within a secular cultural context. Ultimately, I place American historical concepts of utopia side by side with the experience and multi-schematic perspective of Post-Cool Kids to suggest that they represent an emergent pattern in culture, and show how they can inform new theories of utopia.</p>