Culture as a subject of psychology: time requirements

Abstract

The article substantiates the necessity of theoretical development and implementation of the scientific concept of «culture» into the home academic psychology. Problems of economic and cultural globalization in the world have forced scientists to pay special attention to the factor of culture. Many scien­ tists ­ psychologists worry that globalization can lead to a blurring of cultural differences and the loss of cultural identity of indigenous people. The desire of people to preserve their uniqueness is understood by humanitarian­oriented scientists. As noted by historians of science, at some point of the history begin to dominate the ideas, values and directions that are consistent with the spirit of time (Zeitgeist). Now almost everywhere people have been interested in their ethnic and cultural roots. The role that culture plays in the understanding of human behavior does not cause psychologists doubt. The account of cultural factors have led to the revision of many traditional psychological theories in psychology. But the theoretical understanding of the concept of «culture» in psychology still not justified. For many years, general psychology ignored the culture in theory and practice. This was due to scientific methodological dif­ ficulties the introduction of the term «culture» into the thesaurus of psychology. The article analyzes the history of attempts of introduction into the psychol­ ogy the phenomenon of culture or cultural component. It includes reviews those areas of psychology which studied culture. The mass of data that produced the traditional academic psychology for the residents of the West, the objects of re­ search were mainly university students of the United States and Europe. Over psy­ chology is danger of losing the status of a universal science of the human psyche. Recently, culture has become an integral part of all research related to the study of human behavior. The study of culture from the point of view of psychol­ ogy raises the question of the theoretical development of the category of cul­ ture in relation to psychology. The article argues in favor of culture centrist and axiological approaches in psychology. The trend of global language and cultural homogenization and unification requires researchers of psychology rediscover the concept of culture and to include it in their theoretical and empirical research.