Cultural Consensus Theory as a Method for Evaluating Culturally Shared Beliefs

A central endeavor in the study of culture and psychology is to understand how substantively meaningful cultural variables impact human behavior (e.g., cultural belief systems). Yet, the majority of studies within the field of cultural psychology neglect to do so, instead focusing primarily on group comparisons. One reason for this over-reliance on group comparisons may be the paucity of methods with which to adequately measure cultural variables. In the present paper, I describe a method for evaluating culturally shared phenomena, such as beliefs, based on Cultural Consensus Theory (CCT), and consider the utility of this approach as applied to the study of culture and psychology. Examples as to how this methodology can and has been applied are provided, as are comparisons it to other methods. In doing so, I demonstrate the potential for CCT methods to advance our understanding of cultural beliefs, while acknowledging the limitations inherent in the paradigm.

Lay Explanation of Poverty During the Pandemic in Hungary

The paper analyzes perceived causes of poverty in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary, one of the most disadvantaged areas of the country. Data collection was carried out in the second half of 2020 using consensus theory and the methods of systematic data collection. The aim of the research is to discover whether support for explanations which blame structural conditions is dominant in the public perception of poverty during the pandemic. From the research discussed it is clear that structural conditions are not dominant and that the poor are often seen as being themselves responsible for their unfavourable situation. The COVID-19 pandemic is not associated with a high support for the social type of lay explanations.