Anthropology: Process of Enculturation
Describe the process of enculturation to a subculture with which you are familiar or have observed (such as a professional subculture in the workplace).
Sample Answer
Describe the process of enculturation to a subculture with which you are familiar or have observed (such as a professional subculture in the workplace).
Culture is a complex topic that includes beliefs, arts, knowledge, customs, laws, habits, morals, and other capabilities that an individual acquires as a member of the society they live in. Culture is transmitted through biological inheritances and by growing up in a specific society where the individual is exposed to specific traditions (Kottak, 2018 p. 19). In different cultures, there exist sub-cultures, which differ slightly from the mainstream cultures. Sub-cultures consist of specific modifications different from that of the main culture, making them unique; however, they are a deviation from a larger culture, therefore, cannot be categorized as a culture on their own. Similar to other cultures, individuals can learn about a sub-culture and assimilate. Enculturation is defined as the process through which a child learns his/her culture (Kottak, 2018 p.20-31). This paper will describe the process of enculturation to a sub-culture such as a workplace sub-culture.
The process of enculturation involves learning about the culture a person lives or works in, including acceptable behaviors, values, language, and morals. It can be through conscious or unconscious means that one gets to learn about their workplace culture. A workplace culture comprises different aspects such as the acceptable behavior, general organization of the equipment, furniture, and other structure, and how employees relate with others. The enculturation process in the workplaces occurs through various means, including observation of the general environment, symbols, and the behavior of people, and it can also be taught directly to the people who are new to the employees through the orientation phase and socialization with other people in the workplace (Kottak, 2018 pp.20-22).
Observation can be either conscious or unconscious. An employee can learn about the culture of the place they work in by intentionally and directly observing how other people in that place behave, interact with each other, and resolve their disagreements. Observation can also be unconscious where the person does not intentionally dedicate their efforts to learn about something; rather, it happens naturally due to exposure (Kottak, 2018 p.20). For example, in most workplaces, there are specific phrases that employees tend to use to respond to others, and for most new employees, they learn and start to use the phrases unconsciously. Symbolism is also necessary for the enculturation process; each sub-culture has specific symbols representing an important cultural attribute. Workplaces have logos, trophies, and other symbols representing who they are and their role in society. Such symbols can be used in the enculturation process to pass important information about the workplace culture (Evans, 2021).
Enculturation can also occur through socialization and active teaching/instruction sessions such as orientation sessions. Socialization is the process through which a person interacts with others within the society/their environment. A major characteristic of culture is that it is shared and transmitted through interaction between members (Kottak, 2018 pp.20-21). Therefore, through socialization, a person will get the opportunity to learn the shared beliefs, memories, experiences, and expectations they have for the future and the meaning and value they attach to each of them. By sharing, one continuously learns about the existing culture and becomes part of it with time (Kottak, 2018 p.21). The process can also be facilitated through direct teaching and instructions, for example, through orientation. Most workplaces have a set of instructions such as a code of conduct which determines how people behave in that environment and are commonly used for the enculturation process (Yoon et al., 2020).
Culture is an important part of any society as it provides identity to its members. The enculturation process involves teaching a person about their culture to assimilate them and make them acceptable society members. In workplaces, enculturation can occur through observations, which occur consciously or unconsciously. Socialization with other people in the organization can also assist in ensuring the enculturation process. In the workplace, direct education, including orientation and provision of instruction materials such as code of conduct, is also used to assist in exposing new employees to the organization’s culture. The enculturation process is essential in workplaces to ensure that new employees are assimilated into the work environment and feel like part of the organization for improved outcomes.
References
- Evans, K. (2021). Introduction: working to learn in clinical practice. In Work-based Learning in Clinical Settings (pp. 1-10). CRC Press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9780429350801-1/introduction-karen-evans
- Kottak C. P., (2018) Mirror for Humanity; A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. (11th ed. pp.15-67) McGraw-Hill
- Yoon, E., Cabirou, L., Galvin, S., Hill, L., Daskalova, P., Bhang, C., … & Baltazar, B. (2020). A meta-analysis of acculturation and enculturation: Bilinear, multidimensional, and context-dependent processes. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(3), 342-376. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011000019898583
