A definition of culture is not straightforward. It has different meanings to different people, and it changes over time as well. It includes a wide range of concepts, including values, beliefs, traditions, rules, customs, socialization, language, art and objects. Psychologists have generally been interested in the ways that culture affects behavior and development, and this is a topic of ongoing study.
In the 19th century, scholars such as Ruth Benedict, Franz Boas and Charles Darwin formulated theories about evolution that included the concept of culture as an adaptive response to environmental and internal changes. They believed that cultures evolved from simple to complex and that they passed through distinct stages, such as savagery, barbarism, and civilization.
These theorists also believed that each culture was a system of patterns of behavior and thought embodied in traditions and rituals. They also emphasized that people are shaped by their culture from birth and throughout life, a process called enculturation. This influences their beliefs, attitudes, choices, and behaviors. Cross-cultural psychologists have typically studied this phenomenon by comparing the encultured responses of individuals across national groups.
The contributors to this spotlight series take the concept of culture a step further than those who have come before them. They investigate the ways that culture shows up in behavior and development in new substantive directions and show us that there are a lot of things to know about culture that we have not yet learned.
They identify some of the dimensions of culture that have been most important to understanding how it matters, such as its influence on sense of self and identity formation, family relationships, and health and illness. They also highlight some of the ways that culture is shaped by environment and that there are some aspects of culture that can be changed and some that can not.
Some of the cultural traits that can be changed include food, language, fashion and music. Other cultural traits that cannot be changed are traditions, beliefs, and values that are deeply rooted. Changing these elements requires a great deal of effort and oftentimes leads to conflict.
Another aspect of culture that can change is the pace of life. Technological changes may speed up some of the cultural processes that shape and guide it. Other parts of culture, such as the way a community organizes itself or the celebration of holidays, may change more slowly.
One of the most intriguing ideas about culture that emerges from these papers is that there is a strong connection between national and organizational cultures. While studies on this topic are limited, it is possible that the day-to-day work environment of an individual may reflect his or her national culture as much as family or community cultures. This may help explain why some individuals have difficulty adjusting to work environments that are very different from their own. This article is part of the Spotlight on Culture series from the journal Developmental Psychology. The six articles in the series go beyond showing that culture matters to investigating how it relates to behavior and development in new substantive ways.