Costa Rica as a Culture Based on Parametric Models of Psychological Identity
Costa Rica's Ticos are known as a conflict-averse nation of cheerful and agreeable people who are famous for their laid-back approach to life. The essential idea of their lifestyle is expressed in the phrase “Pura Vida” (Pure Life). Ticos say it to each other basically every day, and it can mean “hello”, “how are you”, “everything's great”, “goodbye” etc. But this phrase is not only the way for local people to establish communication, it is more of a state of mind that is defined by love and appreciation for life as it is. It is not by chance that Costa Rica is ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. Illustrations of psychological identity parameters
Having described the historical background of Costa Rica as a culture, I now would like to analyze it by the parameters of psychological identity. Starting with the first parameter, Costa Rica is obviously a collectivistic culture that attaches great importance to a collective. Interpersonal relationships, family, and one's loyalty to a group are valued here. Ticos base their decisions and plan their life around the needs of families and loved ones. There is even a special term for that — Familismo, which is defined as dedication towards your family and the assumption that it is more important to do what is best for the family, rather than for you as an individual. The sacredness of the family is what creates the ties that bind a Tico to his native home. That is the reason why many children live with their parents up until getting married, and even after that they usually either build a house on their parents' property or buy a house nearby. Even if children move away from home to study or work in another city or a country abroad, they keep in touch with their families on a daily basis. And it is not unusual for some of them to come back home after all because they miss their native land.
Because of their peace-loving nature, Ticos tend to avoid conflicts which helps them maintain harmony in their collective. It can be illustrated through the way they communicate. For example, if disclosure and honesty mean disrupting harmony, people will more likely keep their opinions to themselves or even lie in order to stay friendly and amiable. It may also explain why they like to gossip a lot. Some North Americans notice that Ticos can say “yes” because they don't want to disappoint you, even if in reality they feel like “no”. Therefore, their communicative strategy is closedness which is defined by their main communicative goal — to keep peace and harmony in communication and relationships. However, the fact that Costa Ricans try to avoid direct confrontation does not necessarily mean that they are a reserved culture. On the contrary, if you decide to come to this country, you will be met by truly friendly and welcoming people who will try to do their best to help you in any situation and make you feel at home.
While being a collectivistic culture, Ticos also tend to cooperate rather than to compete. Their love for peace, nature, and life unites them and gives them a sense of shared responsibility which is perfectly reflected in the way they treat nature around them (that was described above). Costa Ricans perceive their country as a big family and thus are used to helping each other and doing what is best for everyone. For instance, Costa Rica has been tackling poverty which is a real scourge in many Latin American countries. There is a nonprofit organization, Techo, that mobilizes youth volunteers to fight extreme poverty in Costa Rica, by constructing transitional housing and implementing social inclusion programs. Sueño de Navidad — is another social program that encourages people to help build houses for the poorest families in the country. In addition to these volunteer organizations, there are charity programs, such as Telethon, which collected funds are used in order to create and maintain children's rehabilitation centers. And without the assistance and support of the population of Costa Rica, such initiatives would not have taken place.
There is one interesting ambiguity about Costa Rican culture that can be described in terms of non-agentivity and emotionality. Although Ticos are considered to be happy with their life because of that whole “Pura Vida” approach, at the same time it does not prevent them from whining or complaining about things. However, it must be pointed out that it has nothing to do with pessimism: they still love their life, and they know how to enjoy it better than anyone. Presumably, this cultural trait has emerged historically as being a small and inconspicuous country, Costa Rica was now and then ignored by bigger states that had some influence on it. For instance, during a colonial period, the country often suffered from poverty since Spain was not interested in its natural assets.
Later on, when Costa Rica joined the Federal Republic, it again faced some injustice towards itself, as all the resources were distributed mostly among the bigger states, while Costa Rica was the smallest and the southernmost of all, and sometimes it was not sufficiently resourced. Even though a lot of things have changed since then, people still feel the need to complain. There is even a TV program called Complain Here where random people on the streets are lamenting every tiny problem they have, which often seems comical indeed. But because Ticos love to complain, does not mean they want to change or improve something. They are more likely to adopt a being-strategy and stay where they are, rather than to act. Moreover, Costa Rica is considered to be a conservative culture which means that they avoid accepting new ideas and taking risks in problem-solving. And in this regard, the most suitable cultural parameter to describe this country would be non-agentivity.
Based on everything that has already been mentioned about Ticos, one can easily guess that they are quite emotional. Just like the need to complain, their other emotions can be unreasonable. As a matter of fact, in some situations, Costa Ricans would most certainly overreact. They call it “hacer escándalo” (make scandal) and refer to it as part of an enthusiasm for life which sometimes is portrayed as overly theatrical behavior (in slang people call it “to act like drama queen”). One young Costa Rican woman, who took part in a social survey on this very theme, described this cultural trait as making everything more important than it really is. It can be illustrated by several examples. For instance, some Ticos get extremely worried about their health every time they get sick, even if it is just a little cough. They may immediately run to the pharmacy and after that decide that they are dying. Another example is how people here will always create “escándalo” if their loved one does not pick up the phone.
Despite the cultural traits described above, Costa Rica is a more optimistic rather than pessimistic culture. According to Gallup 2019 Global Emotions Report that provides the statistics of people's positive and negative daily experiences in many different countries, at least seven out of 10 people in Costa Rica said they experienced a great deal of enjoyment (71%), felt well-rested (72%), smiled or laughed a lot (74%) and felt treated with respect (87%). These are not just numbers, people here indeed choose an optimistic approach towards life. They decide to take things slow and enjoy every day, instead of being sad, stressed, or worried about the uncertain future. Costa Ricans do not expect real life to start someday, as people in Russia or The United States often do; they are already living this life right now. Of course, it does not mean that Costa Rica is a paradise where people can be nothing but happy; they do have challenges, and they can get sometimes frustrated, but it does not affect their overall state of mind. Ticos deliberately do not let some bad situations influence their psychological well-being and choose not to worry if some problems are beyond their control. Some foreign people who had an experience of living in Costa Rica, not as tourists noticed that Ticos are not only laid-back and peaceful but also active and hard-working. They tend not to care about material goods and status, because their communities and the relationships with each other are more valuable. They also spend a lot of time surrounded by nature and working in it, which can also contribute to their optimistic view on life. Finally, the fact that this country does not have an army plays an important role in terms of optimism as well. Surprisingly, it has been noted that in cultures where there is no military or other types of inter-state conflicts the psychology of people changes — they become more peaceful in general, and thus, more positive about life. All in all, one must agree that this very approach towards life and future is beneficial in every way, as reflected in the life expectancy rate in Costa Rica which is approximately 80 years. Besides being quite an emotional and optimistic nation, Costa Ricans are also rightly considered to be tolerant. The predominance of tolerance rather than patience as a cultural trait in Costa Rica lies in the fact that democracy has been a long tradition in this country. It is often said that Costa Rica is a nation with a passion for freedom and a desire for equality. No wonder, Ticos are famous for their good human rights record. With such characteristics as integrity, dignity, and loyalty, they are used to treating each other with respect and accepting all kinds of differences in people.
However, this tolerance is true mostly within the Costa Rican culture, and prejudice to some foreigners (for example, North Americans or Nicaraguans) can still be noticed here. But that does not play a key role in the Costa Ricans' identity, as there is no country in the world where people would be one hundred percent tolerant to everyone.
Hopefully, this essay would provide a complete picture of the historical background and psychological identity of such an amazing and charming culture that Costa Rica truly is.
