L7 10/26/17 Culture and Psychology

Culture and Psychology

Psychology has a huge impact on how we learn. There are many things that can help or harm our psychological state, which in turn, will help our hurt our ability to learn. One proof of this is the affective filter. When a student is stressed out and feels uncomfortable, their affective filter is high and learning is significantly more difficult. However, when students feel at ease and comfortable, their affective filter is low and they are able to learn more easily.

Self-esteem can directly effect how well we are able to learn and perform. The culture we come from definitely has a long and lasting impact on our self-esteem. In some cultures, women are not allowed to go to school or read, and are viewed as second class citizens. This can create a pre-determined destiny of being someone who is "not smart."

There are other psychological disorders that only exist in first world countries. For example, anorexia, which is not eating from a fear of gaining weight, does not exit in third world countries. Depression is also a lot more prominent in first world countries.

Depending on your cultural identity and background, you can have a number of different psychological barriers that can interfere with the ability to learn and grow. As an educator, it is important to understand what our students are or could be dealing with psychologically than will have an affect on their ability to learn and be successful.