This book seeks to deepen our understanding of the cultural aspects of
human psychology. These are aspects of psychology that originate in, are
formed by, reflect, perpetuate, and modify social processes and factors
outside the individual mind. My motivation in pursuing cultural psychol-
ogy is both scientific and political. I believe that construing
psychology as a cultural phenomenon is the scientifically correct way to
understand psychology; a cultural analysis of psychology can also
provide crucial insights for political action to improve human life. The
scientific and political aspects of cultural psychology are inter-
dependent and reciprocally reinforcing. The scientific identification
and explanation of cultural aspects of psychology can identify societal
changes that will enhance human psychology-to help people become more
intel- ligent, far-sighted, logical, harmonious, helpful, moral, and
secure, and less stressful, disturbed, prejudiced, competitive,
aggressive, lonely, insecure, depressed, mystified, and irrational.
Conversely, the political orientation of cultural psychology to enhance
psychological functioning through comprehending and improving the social
fabric advances the scientific understanding of psychology as a cultural
phenomenon. Social goals direct cultural psychology to devise special
theories and methods that investigate cultural origins, formation,
characteristics, and functions of psychology. Traditional theories and
methods are not necessarily appli- cable because they are informed by a
vision of psychology as individual, biological, or universal. The
scientific study of cultural psychology is a check on political
analyses.
