Ecology, Culture, and Behavior: Role in Societal Development.

The article focuses on the potential contributions of cross-cultural psychology to achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by emphasizing culturally sensitive development. It presents an ecocultural framework grounded in functionalism and universalism, which views human behaviors as both adaptive to local ecological and sociopolitical contexts and rooted in universal psychological processes shared across cultures. The article outlines four key steps for development programs—understanding the present psychological state of populations, clarifying locally valued end states, examining processes of change, and designing and evaluating culturally appropriate interventions—illustrated through research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It also addresses critiques of the concept of development, highlighting the need for culturally informed approaches that respect indigenous perspectives and avoid imposing Western models. Overall, the article argues that cross-cultural psychology can support sustainable development by integrating universal human capacities with local cultural meanings and adaptations.