Psychology is the scientific study of human mind and human behavior. It is studied across different countries in similar ways. However, often the human mind and human behaviors are influenced by culture. I study Psychology and research the behavior of people by looking at sports.
I hypothesize that based on cultural upbringing, an individual may act differently and think about their role in sports differently because of the culture they are raised within. I study sports in the United States and Japan. Historically the United States is a country with a strong emphasis on individualism, which means that people make decisions for themselves before the group. On the other end of the spectrum, Japan is a country based on collectivism, where the unity of the group is seen as extremely important and the success of the group is more important than the success of the individual. How does individualism compare to collectivism when we are talking about sports?
Please look at the two pictures to the right, one is a poster I searched online of the Cleveland Cavaliers. I picked the first picture in which the whole team was shown. Who is in the middle, and who is the largest player in the picture? Next, please look at the picture of the most popular sport in Japan: baseball.
