Group Identity and Attitudes in Guatemala: The Role of Ethnic Interculturality

Abstract

For most of its history, the field of psychology has been tied to the cultures of the countries in which it originated—the United States and the nations of Western Europe.1 As a result, psychology is culture-bound (limited to the findings, evidence, and assumptions of the United States and Europe) and culture-blind (overlooking and disregarding the influence of culture on human behavior).2 A psychology that is intercultural in nature is necessary to overcome both of those shortcomings. The fields of cross-cultural psychology, indigenous psychology, and intercultural psychology can further a science of psychology that is global and at the same time acknowledges local differences in human psychology.