ETHNOCENTRISM

D E B AT E S S E C B G 5 4 4

WHAT IS ETHNOCENTRISM?

• The original meaning of ethnocentrism is a belief in the superiority of one’s own group (ethnic group or culture).

• However, it is nowadays normally taken to mean not a belief in the superiority of one's own group but the inability to think outside one’s own cultural experience and a tendency to assume that what happens in our own culture is common to other cultures.

• In research terms this means the psychologists sometimes draw conclusions from the experience of their own culture or group and mistakenly assume it can be generalised to other groups or cultures.

DESCRIBE TWO PIECES OF EVIDENCE THAT ARE ETHNOCENTRIC (8 MARKS)

10 MINUTES

Kohlberg, Gudjohnnson, Rosenhan, Milgram

IN PAIRS

COMPLETE THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES SLIDES

20 MINUTES

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH?

• Point: Even though findings are mainly Western based, findings have been useful to a range of people.

• Comment: This is a strength because

• Evidence:

• Comment:

WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH?

• Point: Ethnocentric research allows one to test a particular group in more detail and find out why they may behave the way they do.

• Comment: This is a strength because

• Evidence:

• Comment:

WHAT ARE THE WEAKNESSES OF ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH?

• Point: Ethnocentric research does not consider that there may be individual differences within the group itself and not everyone will behave in the same way.

• Comment: This is a weakness because

• Evidence:

• Comment:

WHAT ARE THE WEAKNESSES OF ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH?

• Point: Involves inappropriately generalising the values & research findings of one culture to another without bothering to test other cultures.

• Comment: This is a weakness because

• Evidence:

• Comment:

IS ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH USEFUL?

• Point: Useful because it still generates useful information and can be used as a starting point for one culture and then investigated at a later stage to different cultures.

• Evidence:

• Comment:

• However:

IS ETHNOCENTRIC RESEARCH USEFUL?

• Point: It is not useful as not all people are the same and does not include the diversity of human experience across different cultures.

• Evidence:

• Comment:

• However:

• You have 10 mins (12 w/AT)

Discuss how ethnocentrism may be a problem within the social approach. (8)