enculturation
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The process of learning and adopting the behavior patterns, values, and norms of one's own culture: "Enculturation" refers to the lifelong process by which individuals learn and internalize the culture they are born into, starting from childhood.
- Cultural transmission: It is the mechanism through which a culture is passed on from one generation to the next, ensuring cultural continuity.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The enculturation of children begins within the family unit.
- Anthropologists study the process of enculturation to understand how societies maintain their cultural identity.
- Language acquisition is a fundamental part of a child's enculturation.
Advanced Usage
"Process of enculturation": Emphasizes the ongoing, dynamic nature of learning cultural norms.
- The process of enculturation continues throughout one's life, though it is most intense in early childhood.
"Agents of enculturation": Refers to the people or institutions (e.g., family, schools, media) that facilitate cultural learning.
- Parents and teachers are primary agents of enculturation.
Variants and Related Words
- Acculturation (n): The process of cultural change and psychological change that results from meeting between cultures. (Note: This often involves adopting elements of a culture, whereas enculturation is about one's culture).
- Socialization (n): The process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society. This term is very closely related and often used interchangeably with "enculturation," though socialization can have a broader sociological focus.
- Enculturate (v): To cause to adapt to a culture. (Less commonly used than the noun form).
- Schools help to enculturate students into societal norms.
Synonyms
- Cultural learning
- Cultural transmission
- Indoctrination (into a culture) (Note: This can have a more forceful or systematic connotation).
Related Phrases
- Cultural assimilation: Often used in contexts where a minority group adopts the culture of a dominant group. This is distinct from enculturation, which is about one's primary, native culture.
- Norms internalization: A key outcome of the enculturation process.
Noun
- the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture
- the socialization of children to the norms of their culture