ABSTRACT
To common sense, the value of a psychological education seems obvious. In the humanities we are never far from debating what makes people tick, whether our inquiry concerns the artist, their readers or the characters they together create. In science, as soon as one starts to speak of the troublesome interrelations between theory and observation, fact and preconception, one steps into a psychological domain. And day to day, whether under the stars or at home, in the office or on TV, in novel or nursery rhyme, the whys and wherefores of our own and others’ doings are staple diet for private reflection, gossip and friendly deliberation. What better, one would think, than study a subject which bids fair to unravel the mysteries of the human heart? But the connections between psychology, culture and values runs deeper than these obvious and perhaps superficial connections might suggest.
