UMD student, Daniela Adler Mzhen, observes behavior and its relation to culture as she studies human development during her study abroad experience in Perugia, Italyhttp://go.umd.edu/perugiaitaly
PERUGIA, Italy — “There is no one right way to do things,” said UMD Psychology Major, Daniela Adler Mzhen, as she shared her thoughts on her most recent courses in Human Development and Psychology. Daniela is currently studying abroad in Perugia, Italy through the Maryland-in-Perugia program hosted at the Umbra Institute, an American study abroad program whose courses focus on introducing students to intercultural interpretations of international realities.
During her time at Umbra, Daniela has been enrolled in PYHD 430: Human Development in Culture, a course led by Professor Christian Tarchi. In this course, Tarchi teaches the ecology of human development, or the complex interaction of a constantly changing organism and its constantly evolving environment. He emphasizes the idea that even though individuals and groups of individuals differ from each other, some ideas, values, and behaviors may be universal and shared by all humans in all cultures, ultimately making us more alike than we may realize. “I want to do therapy at some point so being able to put myself in other people’s shoes to understand where they are coming from is very important,” explained Daniela as she discussed the importance of taking a multicultural approach to the study of Psychology. “You are not them”, she added before emphasizing that it is important to realize that people come from different places and therefore have different values that dictate their actions and reactions. To read more about Daniela's Maryland In Peruglia, Italy abroad experience click HERE
