Cross-Cultural Organizational Psychology: Challenges and Limitations

Socialization is the process by which an individual develops his actual behaviour, influenced by what is customary and acceptable according to the standards of his group (Child, 1954). Within the total set of social stimuli a great number have an accidental and unsystematic nature. A subset however is shared by the reference group, is persistent over generations and is adaptive to changes in the physical world and social environment. One can speak of “behaviour patterns acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups” (Brislin et al., 1973) or, somewhat more restricted, of “patterns of roles and norms embedded in certain paramount values” (Kroeber & Parsons, 1958). It will be understood that in these specifications we refer to the concept of “culture.” The social environment, therefore, plays a predominant role in the shaping of human behaviour, and important persons and institutions act as social agents in the socialization process, by making use of their reinforcement power.