Enculturation
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2008-06-12T14:26:53Z
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'''Enculturation''' is the process whereby an established [[culture]] teaches an individual by repetition its accepted norms and values, so that the individual can become an accepted member of the society and find his or her suitable role. Most importantly, it establishes a context of boundaries and correctness that dictates what is and is not permissible within that society's framework.
It is the process of learning that takes the person and teaches him or her the ways of life of their people or country. It is a lifelong process, affecting not only the child, but the adult too. '''Enculturation''' is learned through communication in the form of speech, words, and gestures. We also learn through the unique images, objects, places and experiences that are characteristic of different cultures. The six aspects of culture that are learned are: technological, economic, political, interactive, ideological and world view.
[[Conrad Kottak|Conrad Phillip Kottak]] (in ''Window on Humanity'' ) writes:
<blockquote>
Enculturation is the process where the [[culture]] that is currently established teaches an individual the accepted norms and values of the culture or society in which the individual lives. The individual can become an accepted member and fulfill the needed functions and roles of the group. Most importantly the individual knows and establishes a context of boundaries and accepted behavior that dictates what is acceptable and not acceptable within the framework of that society. It teaches the individual their role within society as well as what is accepted behavior within that society and lifestyle"
<BR><BR>
Enculturation can be conscious or unconscious, therefore can support both the Marxist and the hegemonic arguments. There are three ways a person learns a culture. Direct teaching of a culture is done, this is what happens when you don't pay attention, mostly by the parents , when a person is told to do something because it is right and to not do something because it is bad. For example, when children ask for something, they are constantly asked "What do you say?" and the child is expected to remember to say "please." The second conscious way a person learns a culture is to watch others around them and to emulate their behavior. An example would be using different [[slang]] with different [[clique]]s in school. Enculturation also happens unconsciously, through events and behaviors that prevail in their culture. All three kinds of culturation happen simultaneously and all the time.
<BR><BR>
Enculturation helps mold a person into an acceptable member of society. [[Culture]] influences everything that a person does, whether they are aware of it or not. Enculturation is a lifelong process that helps unify people. Even as a culture changes, core beliefs, values, worldviews, and child-rearing practices stay the same. How many times has a parent said "If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?" when their child wanted to fit in with the crowd? Both are playing roles in the enculturation. The child wants to be included in the subculture of their peers, and the parent wants to instill individualism in the child, through direct teaching. Not only does one become encultured, but also makes someone else encultured.
</blockquote>
''Enculturation'' is sometimes referred to as ''[[acculturation]]'', a word which recently has been used to more distinctively refer only to exchanges of cultural features with '''foreign''' cultures. Note that this is a recent development, as ''[[acculturation]]'' in certain pre-Wikipedia literatures has the same meaning as ''enculturation''.
''[[Acclimation]]'' is adaption to the physical environment, such as to the local climate. When used less strictly, these terms are nearly synonymous: ''[[acclimation]]'', ''[[acculturation]]'', and ''enculturation''.
'''Socialization''' in the study of animal and human behavior is the process by which [[human beings]] or [[animal]]s learn to adopt the [[behavior]] patterns of the [[community]] in which they live.
'''Education''' is a [[social science]] that [[List of education topics|encompasses]] [[teaching]] and [[learning]] specific [[knowledge]], [[belief]]s, and [[skill]]s. Modern education is a part of enculturation, but with methods and goals that attempt to be more consciously chosen, objective and practical (as opposed to, say, transmission of non-rational tradition), with ideas more likely to be shared by a majority. It may evince [[Multiculturalism|multi-cultural]] goals.
== See also ==
*[[Acculturation]]
*[[Civil society]]
*[[Consensus reality]]
*[[Counterculture]]
*[[Education]]
*[[Intercultural competence]]
*[[Moral character]]
*[[Mores]]
*[[Norm (philosophy)]]
*[[Norm (sociology)]]
*[[Normative]]
*[[Peer pressure]]
*[[Socialization]]
*[[Taboo]]
== External links ==
* [http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/encultur.htm Enculturation and Acculturation]
* [http://www.scn.org/cmp/key/key-e.htm Community empowerment]
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-character/ Concepts of moral character, historical and contemporary] (Stanford Encyc. of Philosophy)
[[Category:Cultural studies]]
[[Category:Sociology]]
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