Macro Cultural Psychology

This book articulates a bold new systematic theory of psychology culture and their interrelation. It explains how macro cultural factors -- social institutions cultural artifacts and cultural concepts -- are the cornerstones of society and how they form the origins and characteristics of psychological phenomena. This theory is used to explain the diversity of psychological phenomena such as emotions self intelligence sexuality memory reasoning perception developmental processes and mental illness. Ratner draws upon Lev Vygotsky''s sociocultural psychology Bronfenbrenner''s ecological psychology as well as work in sociology anthropology history and geography to explore the political implications and assumptions of psychological theories regarding social policy and reform. The theory outlined here addresses current theoretical and political issues such as agency realism objectivity subjectivism structuralism postmodernism and multiculturalism. In this sense the book articulates a systematic political philosophy of mind to examine numerous approaches to psychology including indigenous psychology cross-cultural psychology activity theory discourse analysis mainstream psychology and evolutionary psychology.