Term paper 2 Social Sciences Term Paper Research Paper

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Enculturation
It can be argued that a child is born without a culture. However, they are born with senses through which they take in the culture that surrounds them. The process through which people learn the dynamics of the surrounding culture and acquire the norms and values that are deemed acceptable in that culture is known as enculturation (PsycholoGenie). The culture that one acquires is shaped and directed by the people within the surrounding such as parents and peers. Therefore, it is safe to say that, the people we are today is as a result of the enculturation process that we have undergone throughout our lives. Enculturation is a dynamic rather than a static process. As we grow up and join school or work, we are introduced to entirely new cultures. Knowingly or unknowingly, we soak in various aspects of these cultures in order to fit into the new surroundings. This is enculturation in progress. Different cultures characterize different people, countries, and cities. While this often serves as a source of division among people, it is a factor that is entirely beyond anyone’s control. People are who they are as a result of enculturation (Pruskus 130).
Contrary to some mainstream views, enculturation is not entirely as a result of deliberate learning. It can occur through seeing and observing. Think about this, are there things that people in a particular culture do without necessarily knowing the details behind it? The answer is a resounding yes. The explanation is that the younger members of that culture observe the elders carry out such practices and emulate them. This way, the culture is propagated through generations. However, one might get to learn the reasons for the different practices later in life. Apart from observing parents and elders, enculturation can also occur through formal learning in schools. Anthropology asserts that enculturation makes people civilized members of a certain culture, teaches them what is acceptable or unacceptable as well as how to react to various situations.
In anthropology, culture broadly refers to all the human behavior patterns that are learned. It includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs as well as the capabilities and habits that a person acquires from his or her surroundings. In the modern world, culture can be divided into three layers. The first layer is the traditions that define a certain society. For instance, when the Japanese culture is mentioned, their language, food, and customs come to mind. As the world shrinks due to globalization, people from different cultures are forced to live together. They let go some aspects of their culture and learn some new aspects of the culture in their new environment. This leads to the emergence of a subculture, which is the second layer of cultures. As the cultural lines between the members of the society blur and their values become homogenous, the subcultures are lost, and a new culture is born. This is the third layer of culture. It is the epitome of enculturation. It is the pedestal on which the behaviors and values of a society are built. Having looked at the process of enculturation in depth, I will now use my life to show how enculturation forms and molds us.
The Ame...