A Perspective on Unifying Culture and Psychology: Some Philosophical and Scientific Issues

A perspective on unifying culture and psychology is presented. Following a brief discussion of universalist perspectives (especially Clark Wissler's), the current lack of unification is considered. Some necessary presuppositions are proposed for a unifying perspective, which are then pursued through the concepts and texts of the philosopher John Searle, particularly his concept of Background. Culture may be seen as a pattern of Background. How Background cultural patterns arise constitutes the major question challenging any unifying perspective. An example of how the question can be addressed is proposed, by an articulation of the four levels of causation, phylogenesis, ethnogenesis, ontogenesis, and microgenesis (following Vygotsky). Finally, an empirical study of cross-cultural differences understood within this unifying perspective is described.