issue 1 09 - APS Member Groups - Australian Psychological Society

States of Micronesia118succumbing to a dominant culture? Can aculture be strengthened to avoid the influenceof a dominant culture? Is culturaldisintegration inevitable? A greater knowledgeof how cultural imposition (even unintended)can lead to breakdown can be extremelyvaluable and necessary to prevent futureoccurrences.An abundance of literature exists onculture theory (for e.g., Cooper & Denner,1998; Kagitcibasi, 1996; Markus & Kitayama,1991; Shweder, 1990; Triandis & Bhawuk,1997), and perspectives can be drawn from anumber of disciplines including cross-culturalpsychology (e.g., Segall, Lonner, & Berry,1998), cultural psychology (e.g., Shweder,1995), social psychology (e.g., Kluckhohn,1954), cultural anthropology (e.g., Herskovits,1955), organizational studies (e.g., Hofstede,1980), and many others. Various models takenfrom this literature could be used as afoundation for the development of research andintervention. For example, Micronesian cultureappears to be highly collectivist, and a moredetailed understanding of its contact with anindividualistic Western culture can be furtherpursued. Models including those fromSchwartz (1992), who explicated theopposition between various cultural valuessuch as conservatism and autonomy, maycontribute to a better understanding of theparticular conflicts occurring within settingssuch as in FSM. Another relevant theory thatmight apply to FSM is Fiske’s (1990, 1992)forms of social behaviour that includescommunal sharing and market pricing. With acommon framework for understanding culturalissues, intervention efforts may be greatlyenhanced. Findings may also be extended toother Pacific Island or other societiesexperiencing difficulties as a result of culturalchange.The events unfolding in FSM appear tobear out what community psychology wouldpredict from a clash of divergent cultures.Likewise, if our frameworks offer an equallyeffective understanding of how to improveconditions in communities like FSM, it isnecessary to apply them forthwith. However, itis argued that cultural-theory based efforts incommunity psychology can be critical inaddressing needs not only in FSM, but in othernations experiencing similar challenges. Far toomany societies have experienced culturaldisintegration and the disturbing consequencesthat accompany it. The people of FSM andother parts of the world have been likewisesending a message of the distress occurring intheir region. It is one that communitypsychology is uniquely qualified to respond toand, as Toro (2005) urged, “we could ‘reachout’ much more.”ReferencesBanyard, V., & Miller, K. (1998). Thepowerful potential of qualitative researchfor community psychology. AmericanJournal of Community Psychology, 26,485-505.Bhawuk, D.P.S., & Mrazek, S. (2005, June).Where is culture in communitypsychology? A review, synthesis, andfuture directions. Symposium conducted atthe Society for Community Research andAction 10 th Biennial Conference, Urbana-Champaign, IL.Bishop, B.J., & D’Rosario, P. (2002).Reflections on community psychology inAustralia: An introduction. Journal ofCommunity Psychology, 30, 591-596.Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology ofhuman development: Experiments bynature and design. Cambridge: HarvardUniversity Press.Calvino, M. (1998). Reflections on communitystudies. Journal of CommunityPsychology, 26, 253-259.Cooper, C. R., & Denner, J. (1998). Theorieslinking culture and psychology: Universaland community-specific processes. AnnualReview of Psychology, 49, 559-584.Dale, P.W. (1981). Prevalence of schizophreniain the Pacific Island populations ofMicronesia. Journal of PsychiatricResearch, 16(2), 103-111.The Australian Community Psychologist Volume 21 No 1 June 2009