Introduction
Enculturation entails transmission of various aspects of culture to individuals who are born into the same culture. The process includes acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable one to become an integrated and functioning member of the society. Language use, storytelling, and the ability to make daily choices on how to behave in various circumstances comprise these cultures.
Enculturation is the strongest force that determines how an individual is likely to behave in his entire life. Most scholars argue that most of this process occurs automatically and unconsciously (Auslander 336). However, there is evidence from the way I was brought up, which indicate some aspects of it are to be taught in one form or the other.
It is very important to note here that negative events in communication at childhood level may lead to damaged relationships. This would be between the child and people around him who mainly comprise of close family members and a domestic worker, such as a house help. The events may include among others deception, jealousy, relational aggression, and sexual coercion.
Enculturation
Childhood teachings were so many. Games for instance formed a major medium of teaching. There was a game we were taught and was played initially before meals. This was especially if the meals contained meat. It would have a soloist mostly older than us who would lead through .It was interactive.
He would lead, “meat! Meat! Meat! The rest of us would respond, “Meat” He would go on to enlist meat from various animals both edible and inedible. Our response at this particular time would be to say meat if the animal is edible and to keep quite if it is not. This particular game was meant to inculcate and single out the types of animals eaten by people from our culture. Remember, human beings eat animals of different types. Other people eat what others do not.
Growing up with a television was very difficult. We were nurtured to know specific times to sit and watch. It was mandatory for children in the house to clear any schoolwork brought home from school. Here, our parents required proof or any other adult left behind if parents were not in the house. This included the house help and members of the extended family. This instilled the culture of priority of events as it came to be a norm and it no longer called for supervision.
The programs to watch were also specific. This was very clear because the video literature materials available in the house dictated every of our action. They included a variety ranging from nature documentaries, religion, and historical sites among others. It did so well that I was brought up to date to watch I consider being positively palatable to the mind. This has become part of me. This action by our parents was to avoid development of deviant behavior by us.
Punishment in my childhood by our adults was second to nature. This in particular happened when one attempted to go against the social norms. Fights for example were never tolerated. Moreover, poor eating habits, show of disrespect to the adults, and failure to accomplish any chores assigned would attract punishment.
This attracted severe punishment instantly. Any aggressive friends were to be reported to elders. Punishment ranged from scolding, suspension from playing, and even physical caning. This was aimed at correcting behaviors and instilling respect among the children.
We learnt to understand the figure of authority at home when certain things required approval from our father. Our mother could tell us to wait for our father to approve some plans if we wanted to visit some of our relatives not close to our home. This meant that we would spend a day or more there. If that happened when our dad was not at home, we had to wait for him to come. Permission was to be sort a week in advance otherwise it would never be granted.
Allocation of duties by our parents prepared us for various duties based on gender. Whereas girls were given kitchen chores, such as cleaning utensils, helping in cooking and washing of clothes, boys were sent on the field s to look after the animals. The items of play bought home by our parents were different. Boys received building blocks and cowboy equipments yet girls were given dolls. This configured us for different roles in life (Watson 148).
While at school, various actions were taught. Response to the bell was very strict. Children loitering during lessons and those who did not follow the timetable were considered irresponsible and could easily be punished. Order and respect were the components of our everyday life in school. Respect to the nation was important. The national anthem and the loyalty pledge were to be recited in an attention.
The cultural framework
Understanding the cultural framework in China where I was born and brought up is very demanding. Parents take control of their children’s lives. Life is believed to have originated from ancestors. A child’s life therefore belongs to parents. The behavior of the child is also said to be the same as that of parents.
Parents want the child to reflect on the good side of culture. The family is given the responsibility of shaping the behavior of the child culturally and traditionally. Interpersonal skills are considered part of an individual. A group holds an individual in high esteem.
His demands, which include cultural knowledge, must be met. Similarly, his claims, now referred to as obligations, must be undertaken, which means service to society. Individual identity is attached to regular relations in the family. Behavior evaluation is done based on one’s interpersonal relations. Group harmony takes precedence over individual freedom and must therefore be upheld. This means that people must act according to behavioral codes of relationships (Mukai 309).
How culture affects communication
Culture and communication greatly influence each other. Culture teaches one how to behave in particular situations. It helps an individual in making analysis of the environment in order to decide on the best way to behave. Particular cultural backgrounds and specific communication environments influence how people talk and behave.
Communication is part of culture and cultural dynamism influences the pattern of communication. The way a person is nurtured, whether on the background of individualism or collectivism, defines the major dimensions of culture. They directly guide behavior through norms and proceed to affect personality, self-concept, self-esteem, and attitudes acquired by individuals.
Every culture allocates roles. This distribution is done based on gender, which conducted from the early stages of one’s life to old age. Men for example are to be trained and conditioned to be assertive, aggressive and success minded. Women on the other hand are nurtured to be responsible and sensitive. Acquisition of these values is structured in specific manners in the respective cultures. This is communicated well through society’s structural continuum.
Works Cited
Auslander, Bett. “Bulimia and the diffusion status of ego formation: Similarities of the empirical descriptors of self and parent.” Journal of Adolescence 193.1 (1996), 333-338. Print.
Mukai, Tukai. “Mothers, peers, and perceived pressure to diet among Japanese adolescent girls.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 6.2 (1998), 309-324. Print.
Watson, Tim. “Group Prevention of Eating Disorders with Fifth-Grade Females: Impact on Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness, And Media Influence.” Eating Disorders 14.2 (1996), 143-155. Print