Cultural Process

Acculturation is a process of social, psychological, and cultural change that stems from the
balancing of two cultures while adapting to the prevailing culture of the society. Acculturation is a
process in which an individual adopts, acquires and adjusts to a new cultural environment [1].
Individuals of a differing culture try to incorporate themselves into the new more prevalent culture by
participating in aspects of the more prevalent culture, such as their traditions, but still hold onto their
original cultural values and traditions. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in
both the devotee of the prevailing culture and those who are assimilating into the culture.[2]
At this group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, religious practices, health care,
and other social institutions. There are also significant ramifications on the food, clothing, and
language of those becoming introduced to the overarching culture.

Enculturation is the process by which people learn the dynamics of their surrounding culture and
acquire values and norms appropriate or necessary in that culture and worldviews.[1] As part of this
process, the influences that limit, direct, or shape the individual (whether deliberately or not) include
parents, other adults, and peers. If successful, enculturation results in competence in the language,
values, and rituals of the culture.[1]
Enculturation is related to socialization. In some academic fields, socialization refers to the
deliberate shaping of the individual. In others, the word may cover both deliberate and informal
enculturation.[1]
Conrad Phillip Kottak (in Window on Humanity) writes:
Enculturation is the process where the culture that is currently established teaches an individual the
accepted norms and values of the culture or society where the individual lives. The individual can
become an accepted member and fulfill the needed functions and roles of the group. Most
importantly the individual knows and establishes a context of boundaries and accepted behavior that
dictates what is acceptable and not acceptable within the framework of that society. It teaches the
individual their role within society as well as what is accepted behavior within that society and
lifestyle.

Indoctrination is the process of inculcating a person with ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or
professional methodologies (see doctrine).[1] Humans are a social animal inescapably shaped
by cultural context, and thus some degree of indoctrination is implicit in the parent–child relationship,
and has an essential function in forming stable communities of shared values.
The precise boundary between education and indoctrination often lies in the eye of the beholder.
Some distinguish indoctrination from education on the basis that the indoctrinated person is
expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned.[2] As such the term may
be used pejoratively or as a buzz word, often in the context of political opinions, theology,
religious dogma or anti-religious convictions. Even so, the word itself, which came about in its first
form in the 1620s as endoctrinate, meaning to teach or to instruct, modeled from French or
Latin.[3] The word only gained the meaning of imbueing with an idea or opinion in the 1832.

Observational learning is learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others. It is a form
of social learning which takes various forms, based on various processes. In humans, this form of
learning seems to not need reinforcement to occur, but instead, requires a social model such as
a parent, sibling, friend, or teacher with surroundings. Particularly in childhood, a model is someone
of authority or higher status in an environment. In animals, observational learning is often based on
classical conditioning, in which an instinctive behavior is elicited by observing the behavior of
another (e.g. mobbing in birds), but other processes may be involved as well.[1]

Many behaviors that a learner observes, remembers, and imitates are actions that models display
and display modeling, even though the model may not intentionally try to instill a particular behavior.
A child may learn to swear, smack, smoke, and deem other inappropriate behavior acceptable
through poor modeling. Albert Bandura claims that children continually learn desirable and
undesirable behavior through observational learning. Observational learning suggests that an
individual's environment, cognition, and behavior all incorporate and ultimately determine how the
individual functions and models.[2]
Through observational learning, individual behaviors can spread across a culture through a process
called diffusion chain. This basically occurs when an individual first learns a behavior by observing
another individual and that individual serves as a model through whom other individuals learn the
behavior, and so on.[3]