Cultural Discrepancies in Interaction: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men Encounter Popular Psychology

Abstract Drawing on Goffman’s frame analysis, we utilize the encounter between two relatively foreign cultural worlds, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish (haredi) perspective and Western popular psychology, to examine how actors manage cultural discrepancies in situ. Based on an ethnographic study of an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) training course for haredi men in Israel, we highlight the interactive dimension of framing processes in cultural diffusion, showing how participants actively and collectively reject, negotiate, and adapt new cultural elements. We exemplify this process through three framing strategies: confrontation, negotiation, and make-believe. Confrontation involves rejecting new ideas by positioning participants as cultural gatekeepers. Negotiation enables the creation of hybrid solutions through Yeshiva-style discussions. Make-believe entails accepting the new worldview “as if” and playing along with its logic while stating that it is “not real.” These frames demonstrate that cultural adaptation is not always a neat process of “fitting” into local culture but can involve rejection, partial absorption, and even relegation to an imaginary realm. The study illuminates how groups can maintain cultural boundaries while engaging with new ideas and how cultural adaptation is an ongoing process that is frequently local, partial, and incomplete.