春原 桃佳

I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Cultural Psychology at Concordia University in Canada as an international student from Japan. Growing up in a culturally homogenous environment in the “Far East” and getting my education and research training in the U.S. (B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and Canada (M.Sc in Transcultural Psychiatry from McGill University) while traveling around the world, I have always been fascinated by the cultural diversity as well as the human universals. 

I am interested in studying to what extent our knowledge and theories about psychological functions are universal across cultural contexts, and they are relative to and uniquely shaped by a specific cultural context (e.g., Western vs. Japanese). I also adopt an interdisciplinary (i.e., drawing knowledge from anthropology, sociology, medicine), mixed-methods approaches (i.e., combining quantitative and qualitative methods) in an attempt to challenge the existing theories and methods in mainstream Psychology to better understand psychological phenomena. I have also been involved in various cross-cultural projects and EDI engagement to promote more inclusive psychological research and international research collaboration. Specifically, my research activities focus on two strands of inquiry: (1) a cross-cultural study of beliefs about mental illness (explanatory models) between Japan and Canada; and (2) a study on the relationship between immigration, acculturation, and psychosocial adaptation. I also conduct "experiments” in my kitchen trying to “replicate” authentic Japanese food with available ingredients in Canada (e.g., making unfiltered Sake!) and enjoy new recipes and cuisines from all over the world!