3 rd International Conference on the Teaching of Psychology St. Petersburg, Russia

1. 3rd International Conference on the Teaching of PsychologySt. Petersburg, Russia Symposium “Culture“ in introductory psychology texts: A 20-year follow-up The German Example PradeepChakkarath University of Bochum, Germany

2. Evaluating the structure and content of introductory psychology textbooks is an important and necessary step towards an appropriate scientific description of the image that psychology aims to convey, e.g., • of the self (i.e., the human psyche) • of the relationship between self and culture • of itself (i.e., psychology‘s psyche)

3. Against this background, I will reflect upon the role that „culture“ plays in German introductory psychology textbooks. The following four questions will guide my thoughts:

4. Didtheemphasisthat German psychologistsandothersocialscientistsput on „culture“ (in the 19th andearly 20th century) have an effect on thewaythetopiciscovered in currentintroductorypsychologytexts? • WhatinfluencedidtheAmericanizationofpsychologyhave on theselectionofthesetextbooksat German universitiestoday? • Are there differences in the ways the topic of culture is discussed in the German and North American authored textbooks used in psychology departments in Germany? • What impacts do the answers to such questions have for further considerations (e.g., on the questions of indigenization vs. internationalization of psychology)

5. Textbooks in the 19th century Textbooks had a pedagogical function in training teachers (!) and in providing students and readers with knowledge about topics and methodology of psychology. The textbooks reflected two different “cultures” within 19th century’s psychology: • a natural-scientific vision for psychology (e.g., textbooks by Herbart, Beneke, and Waitz) • a philosophically and hermeneutically oriented tradition (e.g., textbooks by Reinhold, Mußmann, George, and Schilling).

6. Changes in the 20th century Interestingly, the psychological role of culture was of interest in the earlier textbooks of both traditions, especially in the philosophical tradition (see for example Wundt). That did not change before the early 20th century, when the natural-scientific tradition found its well-expressed identity in behaviorism. This new identity of the discipline had at least three effects:

7. Within the natural-scientific program (that from now on defined “mainstream psychology”), the interest for “culture” as a psychologically relevant phenomenon decreased and almost disappeared. • The psychological interest in “culture” shifted to neighboring disciplines (e.g., cultural and psychological anthropology) • The philosophically and hermeneutically oriented tradition seized playing a role in mainstream psychology and fostered the development of other disciplines (e.g., cultural philosophy, cultural sociology, cultural anthropology, cultural psychology).

8. German textbooks today Preliminary remark: At German universities, there is no equivalent to the “Psychology 101” course generally offered at US universities. However, there are introductory textbooks to specific psychological sub-disciplines (namely social, developmental, abnormal, and organizational&workpsychology) that in many cases put more emphasis on culture than general introductory textbooks do. Moreover, these textbooks are frequently considered mandatory reading for the examinations in the specific field. This should not be ignored when it comes to a proper assessment of the role “culture” plays in psychological textbooks and psychological teaching.

9. Introductory psychological textbooks most frequently used at German departments of psychology • Einführung in die Psychologie (by Lyle E. Bourne, Bruce R. Ekstrand, Christoph Trunk, & Susanne Niedernhuber) • Einführung in die Psychologie (by Gerhard Kieffer, Heinz Jürgen Kaiser, & Angelika Hilke) • Einführung in die Psychologie. (Grundriß der Psychologie) by Dieter Ulich • Einführung in die Psychologie (by Wolfgang Schönpflug) • Geschichte und Systematik der Psychologie. Ein Lehrbuch für das Grundstudium (by Wolfgang Schönpflug) • Grundriss der Psychologie: Geschichte der Psychologie. Strömungen, Schulen, Entwicklungen (Vol. 1; by Helmut E. Lück) • Grundriss der Psychologie: Einführung in die Psychologie (Vol. 2; by Dieter Ulich & Rainer M. Bösel)

10. Introductory psychological textbooks most frequently used at German departments of psychology • Hilgards Einführung in die Psychologie (by Rita L. Atkinson, Richard C. Atkinson, & Edward E. Smith) • Psychologie. Eine Einführung (by Gillian Butler, & Freda MacManus) • Psychologie. Eine Einführung in ihre Grundlagen und Anwendungsfelder (by Astrid Schütz, Herbert Selg, & Stefan Lautenbacher) • Psychologie. Eine Einführung. Grundlagen, Methoden, Perspektiven (by Jürgen Straub, Wilhelm Kempf, & Hans Werbik) • Psychologie (by Wolfgang Schönpflug & Ute Schönpflug) • Psychologie. Eine Einführung (by Philip G. Zimbardo & Richard J. Gerrig)

11. Similarities and differences Here is a short summary of some interesting aspects with regard to the contents of the books and similarities as well as differences between them: • Five out of these 13 books are German translations of the original American textbooks. • Only a few books make culture an important topic (i.e., devote a whole chapter to culture, cross-cultural, or cultural psychology). In most cases, the role of culture is presented in a box or some kind of footnote within a chapter about another topical category.

12. Similarities and differences • As a consequence, results from cross-cultural and cultural psychology seem rarely integrated into mainstream theories, i.e. they seem not to effectively change the landscape of psychological theory building. • With regard to culture-related topics and emphases, in most books there is almost no difference to the results presented by Walt Lonner and Elke Rumpel. However, of course, there are differences, too. The most visible differences are

13. a clearly higher emphasis on minorities and counseling issues in the American textbooks • a more detailed consideration of • (a) German contributions in the beginning of psychology in German textbooks • (b) qualitative methods, again in German textbooks • (c) muchfeweruseofphotographies, illustrations, andgraphics in German textbooks

14. Similarities and differences • Two German textbooks (the one by Lück and the other one by Straub, Kempf, & Werbik) include separate chapters on the psychological role of “culture”, the role of “culture” in the history of psychology, and even on psychological sub-disciplines like cross-cultural and cultural psychology as well as differences in their conception of “culture” and their respective methodologies. • Thus, only two books (and both are of German origin) clearly reflect the two traditions of culture-informed research that once were inherent in the beginnings of modern German psychology.

15. Similarities and differences • Theories presented in all the textbooks – no matter if American or German – are mainly of “Western” origin and put forward by “Western” authors. • Only one of the textbooks (Schönpflug) mentions the importance of integrating non-Western and indigenous traditions of psychological theorizing and practice into introductory psychological textbooks.

16. Some final Considerations • Is there an effectof 19th century‘s German psychologyanditsemphasis on „culture“ on thewaythetopiciscovered in currentintroductorypsychologytexts? • WhatinfluencedidtheAmericanizationofpsychologyhave on theselectionoftextbooksat German universitiestoday? • Are there differences in the ways the topic of culture is discussed in the German and North American authored textbooks used in psychology departments in Germany? • What impacts do the answers to such questions have for further considerations (e.g., on the questions of indigenization vs. internationalization of psychology)

17. Some final considerations About 40% of the textbooks used at German universities are of American origin and there are more similarities than differences between most American and German textbooks. This shows that the Americanization of German psychology indeed had an effect on the way the discipline is portrayed at German psychology departments today. At the same time, there are (though a very few) departments that also convey the richer and therefore more complex and more intellectual potential of psychology as its founding fathers had conceived of it.

18. Some final considerations It is especially the differences that reflect the history and perspectives of the genuine or indigenous “German” development of psychology. These differences are discussed in only a few German textbooks but there they are expressions of alternative theoretical and methodological approaches that trace psychology back to its roots and to its interdisciplinary beginnings. Thus, this minority of books conveys a much more complex and (in my opinion) more adequate picture of cross-cultural and cultural psychology and the intellectual and explanatory potential that psychology as a scientific discipline can have and should have.