For example, the two-system thinking model applies equally to Japanese and German culture from a universalist perspective, but the resulting behaviours may be quite different. A German student may solve cognitive conflict using rational thinking, while a Japanese student may use more intuitive thinking to solve the same problem - the background theory is the same, but the resulting behaviour is different. Many cultural factors may shape such behavioural differences, including the ancient philosophical traditions shaping thinking styles in different cultures.

Another study on depression which took an emic approach is that of Manson et al. (1985). Their investigation focused on the American Indian Depression Scale. They found that the Hopi language did not include a word for depression, but rather the Hopi participants came up with 5 illness categories of their own. Some of these were in fact similar to Western symptoms of depression, whilst others were completely culture-specific to the Hopi culture.

Etic and emic concepts both define two different approaches to research in psychology. Etic approach aims to discover what all humans have in common and the behaviours that are exhibited universally. Theories developed in one culture, most usually the Western, are tested in other cultures to compare the behaviours cross-culturally. The etic approach was used in studying depression in the study by the World Health Organization (1983), where the aim was to investigate diagnosis and classification of symptoms of depression in Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and Iran. A standard diagnostic scheme was used to study symptoms of depression of 573 patients, and most of the symptoms experienced were found to be the same as 76% of patients reported feelings of sadness, joylessness, anxiety, and a sense of insufficiency. Although 40% of patients displayed symptoms such as somatic complaints and obsessions that were not part of the diagnostic scheme, this could be evidence for cultural variation between which symptoms are experienced. Another example of an etic approach is cross-cultural research by Berry (1967), whereby Temne people were found to exhibit greater rates of conformity due to the need of cooperation in growing crops to survive, while Innuits in Canada exhibit low rates of conformity as child-rearing focuses on self-sufficiency and survival of an individual. Emic approach on contrary focuses on behaviours exhibited only by a specific culture, which does not use any of techniques or theories developed in another culture. Another assumption is that the meaning of the behaviour can only be defined within the culture studied. This allows for a greater understanding and appreciation of a culture, and acknowledging its unique behavioural patterns.A study that uses emic approach is Manson et al (1985), where Native Americans were interviewed regarding symptoms of depression they were experiencing and then the researchers then derived five Hopi illness categories of depression: worry sickness, unhappiness, heartbroken, drunken-like craziness, and disappointment. Some of the characteristics, like unhappiness, were similar to Western ways of looking at depression, while the category of heartbroken contained a completely unique pattern of symptoms that does not fit into any of the Western diagnostic schemes. 

Whereas in emic perspectives: