Chapter 2 - Culture and Nature

1. Chapter 2 - Culture and Nature • Explaining the Psyche • The Individual and Society • Facts of Life • Important Features of Human Social Life • What Makes Us Human?

2. Culture and Nature • What does the case of “Little Brenda” suggest about culture and nature? • On the spectrum of innate versus socialized; where do you believe sex differences to be?

3. Explaining the Psyche • Psyche – broad term for mind, encompassing emotions, desires, perceptions, and all other psychological processes. • Nature – Genes, hormones, brain structure and other innate processes dictate how you will choose and act • Culture – Learned experiences; from parents, society and any experiences

4. Nature • Theory of evolution – Focus on how change occurs in nature • Natural selection – Process of selection of traits that will endure; while others disappear • Survival until reproduction • Reproduction

5. Evolution • Survival – living longer • “Survival of the fittest” • Competition within species • Mutation – a new gene or combination of genes • Reproduction – producing babies that survive long enough to also reproduce

6. Culture • Culture – an information-based system includes shared ideas and common ways of doing things • Ideas – mental representations that are abstract and that can be expressed in language • In research, need to consider cultural differences and underlying similarities

7. Social Animal or Cultural Animal? • Social Animal – seek connections to others • Includes humans, but also many other animals • Cultural Animal – evolution shaped human psyche to enable humans to create and take part in culture • Defining trait of what makes us human

8. Social or Cultural Animal? • Social • Work together • Learn from one another • Help kin • Resolve conflict with aggression

9. Social or Cultural Animal? • Cultural • Division of labor • Deliberately share knowledge • Help strangers • Resolve conflict with many alternatives

10. The Individual and Society • Social Brain Theory • Why only human brain evolved • Larger brain is linked to complex social systems (Dunbar, 1993, 1996)

11. Advantages of Culture • Human brain evolved to capitalize on culture • Language • Progress - to build on experience of others • Division of Labor • Exchange of Goods and Services • Humans have evolved to participate in culture

12. Interplay of Nature and Culture • Food and Sex • Natural phenomena • Influenced by culture • Influence of ideas

13. Food for Thought - Virtuous Vegetarians • Vegetarian • Moral principles – cultural ideas • Ecological reasons • Animal rights • Religious beliefs • Power of ideas to change human behavior

14. Social Side of Sex - Sex and Culture • Is sex rooted in nature - evolution or culture? • Features rooted in nature • Men desire more sexual partners • Sex is main way to procreate • Basic sex practices are present in most cultures

15. Social Side of Sex - Sex and Culture • Influences found in most cultures • Rules about sex • Efforts to prevent pregnancy • Prostitution • Cultural differences and within cultures • Virgin at marriage • Age of first sexual experience

16. Bad Is Stronger Than Good • Bad has stronger psychological impact • Trauma versus joyful event • Subjective well-being • First impressions • May be rooted in nature • Positive found in cultural ideas • Positive psychology

17. Is Bad Stronger Than Good?Bad, Good, and Positive Psychology • Since bad things are stronger than good – need more good than bad experiences • People flourish in life when they have three times as many positive emotions as negative emotions

18. When You Can’t Have It All • Tradeoffs – no choice that is clearly the best in every respect • Time – Now versus Tomorrow • Performance-enhancing drugs • Sacrifice now – Payoff in the future • Future Orientation • Important aspect of cultural animal

20. Tradeoffs - Political Tradeoffs • Political tradeoffs • Laws address current problems, but may create new ones • Energy to environmental issues • Taxes to government services

21. Tradeoffs - Political Tradeoffs • Politicians and tradeoffs • During campaign – make promises and ignore tradeoffs • When in office – acknowledge tradeoffs • Demonstrate a tradeoff of politics • To win elections, you need to oversimplify the issues and ignore the complications

22. Important Features of Human Social Life

23. The Duplex Mind • Automatic system • Outside of consciousness • Simple operations • Conscious system • Complex operations

24. Changing Role of Consciousness • Increased focus on role of automatic system • Can learn, think, choose and respond • Has idea and emotions • Knows “self” and other people • Consciousness focus on complex thinking and logic

26. Living in a Culture • Working to gain social acceptance • Inner states help humans connect to others • Intelligent brain evolved to improve interpersonal relations

27. Nature Says Go, Culture Says No • Nature – impulses, wishes, automatic responses • Culture – teaches self-control and restraint • Exceptions • Nature’s disgust reactions (No) • Cultural timetable for meals (Go)

28. Selfish Impulse Versus Social Conscience • Nature makes us selfish • Preservation of self • Culture helps us resist selfish impulses • Consideration of what is best for society • Moral Code • Laws

29. Putting People First • People get most of what they need from other people • Culture as a “general store” of information • People look to each other first • Asch’s research on conformity

30. What Makes Us Human? • Human behavior results from mix of nature and culture • Human life is enmeshed in culture • Diverse but share common themes • Creates unique problems • Is shared from generation to generation • Humans think with language and meaning