🧠 The Influence of Globalization on Individual Behaviour

📌 Key terms

TermDefinition
GlobalizationThe process of increased interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide through communication, trade, and culture.
Cultural globalizationThe spread of ideas, values, and behaviors across cultures, leading to cultural convergence or hybridization.
Identity confusionPsychological conflict arising when global and local cultural identities clash.
MarginalizationA feeling of exclusion resulting from being caught between two or more cultural identities.
Cultural hybridizationBlending of global and local cultural elements to form new, mixed cultural expressions.
Global cultureShared norms, practices, and lifestyles influenced by mass media, consumerism, and technology.

📌 Notes

Globalization affects individual behaviour by exposing people to diverse cultural influences, values, and social norms.
This interaction may lead to changes in identity, behavioural adaptation, or psychological stress.

Psychologists study how globalization shapes:

  • Cultural identity
  • Mental health
  • Consumption patterns
  • Body image and self-concept
  • Collectivism vs. individualism

Globalization can result in either acculturation (adaptation to global culture) or resistance (strengthened local identity).

📌Mechanisms of Globalization’s Influence

  • Media and Communication:
    Global media spreads Western ideals of beauty, success, and lifestyle.
    → Influences self-perception, aspirations, and social comparison.
  • Cultural Hybridization:
    Individuals blend global and local values (e.g., “glocal” identity).
    → Promotes creativity but may lead to identity confusion.
  • Migration and Exposure:
    Increased mobility exposes individuals to new cultural norms.
    → Can result in biculturalism or stress.
  • Consumerism:
    Global products (fashion, food, technology) create shared identity symbols.
    → Impacts self-expression and social belonging.
  • Digital Identity:
    Social media allows identity experimentation and transnational communities.
    → Reinforces global connectivity and cultural diffusion.

📌 Key Studies

Becker et al. (2002) – Television and Eating Behaviour in Fiji

Aim:
To investigate the impact of Western media on eating attitudes and body image in Fijian adolescent girls.

Method:

  • Naturalistic, quasi-experimental design.
  • Studied 63 girls before and after TV introduction (1995–1998).
  • Conducted interviews and administered eating attitude questionnaires.

Findings:

  • Post-TV introduction: 11.3% reported purging for weight control.
  • Increased body dissatisfaction and desire for thinness.
  • Shift from traditional robust body ideals to Western standards.

Conclusion:
Exposure to global media can alter cultural norms and increase body-image-related disorders.

Evaluation:
✅ Strong ecological validity.
✅ Longitudinal design.
⚠️ Correlational—cannot establish causality.
⚠️ Ethical considerations: discussing eating disorders with adolescents.

2️⃣ Norasakkunkit & Uchida (2014) – Marginalization and Identity in Globalizing Japan

Aim:
To study how globalization affects identity conflict in Japanese youth.

Method:

  • Surveys with university students measuring cultural identity, motivation, and social marginalization.
  • Compared those identifying strongly with Japanese culture vs. global culture.

Findings:

  • “Marginalized youth” (low connection to both local and global culture) reported low motivation and higher stress.
  • Identifying with global culture correlated with independence and self-expression, but alienation from traditional norms.

Conclusion:
Globalization may lead to identity conflict when individuals feel disconnected from both cultures.

Evaluation:
✅ Large sample; quantitative and qualitative mix.
✅ Relevant to modern youth culture.
⚠️ Self-report bias.
⚠️ Cultural specificity—results may not generalize outside Japan.

🔍Tok link

Knowledge Question:

To what extent does globalization create a shared human identity, or does it erode cultural diversity?

  • Relates to Areas of Knowledge: Human Sciences and Anthropology.
  • Raises issues of cultural relativism and universalism.
  • Encourages reflection: Can psychology be “global,” or is it always culturally biased?

 🌐 Real-World Connection

  • Explains how global media and social platforms influence self-esteem and cultural values.
  • Informs mental health interventions in multicultural societies.
  • Guides education systems addressing cultural identity in global classrooms.
  • Used in advertising and policy to understand cross-cultural consumer behavior.

❤️ CAS Link

  • Develop workshops exploring identity in a globalized world.
  • Collaborate on multicultural art or film projects.
  • Volunteer with NGOs working on youth empowerment in diverse settings.

🧠  IA Guidance

  • Investigate correlations between media exposure and body image or social identity.
  • Example IV: Hours of Western media consumed weekly.
  • Example DV: Self-reported identity orientation or body satisfaction.
  • Ethical caution: Sensitive psychological variables.

🧠 Examiner Tips

  • Define globalization clearly and relate it to behavioural or psychological changes.
  • Always anchor discussion in specific studies — Becker, Norasakkunkit & Uchida, Delafosse.
  • Address both positive and negative impacts: identity formation, marginalization, and adaptation.
  • Use precise terminology: acculturation, marginalization, hybridization, identity confusion.