Contributions of Mexican Ethnopsychology to the Resolution of the Etic-Emic Dilemma in Personality

Abstract

The controversy over the existence of etic (universal) and emic (idiosyncratic) psychological concepts and principles can be best resolved empirically. Data and theory pertinent to the generalizability or specificity of theory and measurements in the area of personality are presented. The study of personality traits involves at least two fundamental aspects: (a) the conceptualization of the construct and its characteristics, and (b) the operationalization of constructs, usually through objective psychological tests. From the cultural perspective, it is indispensable to assess the validity of the universalistic (etic) or the particularistic (emic) approach to the various psychological concepts and phenomena. In an effort to clarify this problem, Mexican findings that support the need for the development of "ethnopsychologies" to explain the interaction of psychological phenomena and social and cultural contexts are presented.