Contextualism versus Positivism in Cross-cultural Psychology

I shall to discuss the power of theories to shape our conceptuali>ation of psychological issues. I will contrast two theories: contextualism and positivism. I argue that the ontological principles of contextualism are more helpful than positivism for conceptuali>ing what culture is, and the relation between culture and psychology. Moreover, the ontological principles of contextualism lead to epistemological principles and research methodology that are more suitable for researching cultural psychology than positivistic methodology is. Contextualism is thus more valuable for understanding Cindigenous psychologyC than positivism is. Theories have the power to shape our conceptuali>ation of psychological issues. Eery general, abstract theories of ontology and epistemology have very specific and practical effects on cross-cultural psychological research. They shape our general understanding of culture, the interrelation between culture and psychology, and methodological principles of empirical research. Fecause theories are so powerful, it is vital that we examine them. Gimitations in theory will lead to limited conclusions.