RT Article
T1 Introduction to the Special Issue: An Apologetic for Emic Research in Psychology
JF Journal of psychology and christianity
VO 41
IS 1
SP 3
OP 15
A1 DiFonzo, Nicholas ca. 20./21. Jh.
A1 Hall, M. Elizabeth Lewis
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1814957146
AB Emic Christian constructs are understandings of human psychology from within a Christian "insider" perspective, that is, the construct is formed within distinctively Christian contexts, including Christian Scripture, teaching, worldview, or lived experience. In this paper, we advocate for increased emic research in general, and emic Christian research in particular, with a focus on the creation of emic measures. We first clarify the uses of "emic" and "etic." We then articulate five benefits of emic research, including increased sensitivity to Christian worldview contexts, accuracy in research, and multicultural understanding, as well as a more robust indigenous Christian psychology and greater ethical sensitivity to Christian groups. We situate emic approaches within the diverse approaches to incorporating culture into psychology, aligning it with cultural psychology and indigenous approaches, and contrasting it with the cross-cultural psychology approach, which is etic in nature. We next discuss emic and etic approaches in the context of ongoing philosophical discussions of the insider/outsider perspective with respect to the study of religion. We conclude the paper by briefly presenting three examples of emic research and highlighting six practical considerations in undertaking emic research.
K1 CHRISTIAN attitudes
K1 Ethnopsychology
K1 Indigenous psychology
K1 Psychological research
K1 Psychology