Comparative Human Development

The workshop builds upon the reemergence of cultural psychology as the comparative study of the way culture and psyche are constitutive of one another. It is specifically concerned with the ways in which people and their mental well-being are defined and developed in diverse environmental and sociocultural contexts. Presentations by students, faculty, and outside speakers from anthropology, psychology, and allied fields will focus on diverse topics in mental health behavioral research, including the cultural constitution of disease, the temporal patterning of health-related processes within a life-span perspective, and optimal experience. They also may address positive psychological processes such as enjoyment, creativity, and wisdom. The workshop encourages participants from all fields.