Culture and Personality
Personality is the key factor in defining individual uniqueness and shaping an individual's course through life. Psychological anthropology focuses on enculturation, the process by which culture is passed from one generation to the next. The study of culture and personality, enables us to learn about cross-cultural similarities and differences in human development, as well as their consequences for characteristic styles of psychological adaptation. Through the study of child-rearing practices, anthropologists are better able to understand the relationship between culture and personality. "The first agents of enculturation in all societies are the members of the household into which a person is born" (Haviland 2002: 120). This enculturation process primarily begins with the mother and father. Depending on the society, siblings, grandparents and family members may be brought into the enculturation process, as well as other individuals as the child matures. In the United States professionals are brought in to provide children with form instruction for enculturation, while other societies allow children to learn at their own speed through observation and participation. A child's environment and e
Margaret Mead, a well known pioneer in the field of Psychological Anthropology, studied cross-cultural patterns of child rearing. Mead's most famous study took place in 1925 in Samoa. Mead studied Samoan adolescents and determined that they were not marked by tension and rebellion as were adolescents in the United States. Mead asserted "that adolescents experience a less traumatic transition from childhood to adulthood because Samoan culture is more open about the facts of birth, life and death" (Abrams & Bishop 1994: "Psychological Anthropology"). During her study, Samoan children were found to have more casual relationships with their parents and they also learn about sexuality naturally in the course of their daily lives. It was Mead's determination "that American teenagers find adolescence stressful, because they learn about sexuality at the same time they must break strong bonds with their parents." (Abrams & Bishop 1994: "Psychological Anthropology"). Mead also studied gender roles in three New Guinea groups and "concluded that gender roles are not entirely biologically determined, but are learned during the process of enculturation." (Abrams & Bishop 1994: "Psychological Anthropology"). In contrast, children of the Ju/'hoansi "receive lengthy and intensive care from their mother" as well as the father. (Haviland 2002: 130). The community also plays an important role in the care of Ju/'hoansi children. "Dominance and aggressiveness are not to
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Approximate Word count = 992
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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