Enculturation (SL IB Psychology)

What is enculturation?

• Enculturation is a type of socialisation: it is the process by which an individual absorbs and learns the norms, traditions, rituals, attitudes and practices of the culture into which they are born and raised (i.e. as opposed to acculturation)
• Enculturation happens almost at an unconscious level i.e. we are not fully aware that we are being enculturated, it is simply part and parcel of growing up within a specific culture
• People may begin to question or challenge aspects of their enculturation as they grow up, but the effects of enculturation are usually embedded in our psyche and are not easily shifted i.e. they may be an intrinsic part of who we are
• Enculturation is transmitted vertically e.g. by parents (the most significant figures in enculturation)
• Enculturation is also transmitted horizontally e.g. by siblings, friends
• Enculturation may also occur via oblique transmission e.g. by other adults, celebrities, media and social organisations
• Enculturation is adaptive as it helps people to survive and thrive within their culture, preserving cultural practices from one generation to the next

Enculturation can be seen in the attitudes and behaviours involved in parenting.

How does enculturation affect parenting?

• As enculturation is a socialisation process it affects and influences all aspects of a person’s life, for example the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours involved in parenting
• Parents generally try to raise their children using the best practices and traditions that they themselves have experienced and these are largely dependent on the culture in which they have been raised
• One aspect of parenting that is affected by enculturation is the attitude of parents towards gender roles i.e. the ways in which girls and boys should each behave; what is ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ depending on whether the child is a boy or a girl
• Research tends to suggest that parents from collectivist cultures are more rigid and inflexible in their attitudes towards gendered behaviour, upholding traditional views of gender roles as compared to more the progressive, liberal attitudes of individualistic cultures

Which research studies investigate enculturation and parenting?

• Basu et al. (2017) – an investigation of enculturation and gender roles in two collectivist cultures

Basu et al. (2017) is available as a separate Key Study – just navigate the Cultural Influences on Individual Behaviour section of this topic to find it (Two Key Studies of Enculturation & Acculturation)