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? This is an overview of the topics of the chapter. Before beginning the chapter there is a slide based on the chapter introduction that can be used to stimulate classroom discussion.

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? Teaching Tip: Have students stand on one side of the room if they believe the child was successfully raised as a girl, and on the opposite side if they believe the opposite. (In large classes, use sitting versus standing.) Ask students from each side for their rationale. Technology Tip: Details on this case study, including an interview with “Little Brenda,” are available in an online article, “The True Story of Joan/John.” (http://www.infocirc.org/rollston.htm) Discussion Tip: Ask students to decide where on the spectrum of innate

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 Discussion Tip: Select some of the topics listed in the textbook and ask students where on the spectrum of biology versus socialization they believe each to fall. Have them explain their rationale.

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 Technology Tip: The University of California – Berkeley provides a wonderful site called “Understanding Evolution” (http://evolution.berkeley.edu).

Survival – living longer “Survival of the fittest” 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 Technology Tip: For more discussion and examples, see the website “DNA and Mutations” (http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/mutations_01) Technology Tip: An introduction to evolutionary psychology by pioneers in the field, Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, is available at the Center for Evolutionary Psychology. (http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/)

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 Discussion Tip: Ask students to name some of their own behaviors that are conditional on particular settings, surroundings, or who else is present or absent. Discussion Tip: Select distinctive subcultures within the United States and compare them to more mainstream U.S. culture. Subcultures might include individuals living on communes modeled after Walden Two or Amish or other traditional religions.

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 Discussion Tip: Ask students to generate examples of culture passed on to them from previous generations. Supplemental Lecture: See Roy Baumeister’s own PowerPoint© lecture on The Cultural Animal under the “supplemental lecture” menu on your Multimedia Manager Instructor’s Resource CD, or visit the Book Companion Website for a downloadable file.

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

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

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

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

Interplay of Nature and Culture Food and Sex Natural phenomena Influenced by culture Influence of ideas Teaching Tip: Besides religious views, cultures differ with regard to the types of animals deemed appropriate to eat. In the United States it would be unusual to consume the flesh of a horse, dog, or goat, but in other cultures these animals are routinely consumed for food.

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

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

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

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 Discussion Tip: To personalize the concept of bad is stronger than good, ask students to consider times when others have said not-so-nice things about them. How memorable and/or powerful are these moments compared to when someone said something nice about them? Discussion Tip: Ask students to think of something they got or achieved that they expected to bring great happiness. What was it? How long and how intense did the positive experience turn out to be? Technology Tip: The BBC maintains an extensive site, The Happiness Formula (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/), on positive psychology and happiness. Technology Tip: Martin Seligman maintains an extensive site on positive psychology called the Positive Psychology Center (http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/)

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

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 Discussion Tip: Many of your students are familiar with tradeoffs: which college to attend, which major to select, which fraternity or sorority to join. Have students articulate the various tradeoffs associated with each choice.

Figure 2. 1 Education pays off Figure 2.1 Education pays off! During the past 20 years, those with the most education have had the fastest growth in wages.

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

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

Important Features of Human Social Life

Outside of consciousness Simple operations Conscious system The Duplex Mind Automatic system Outside of consciousness Simple operations Conscious system Complex operations Teaching Tip: A quick in-class demonstration to illustrate the distinction between automatic and conscious processing is to ask students first to say the numbers from one to ten as quickly as possible and then to say them in alphabetical order (eight, five, four…)

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 Teaching Tip: The book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell provides a number of such examples of automatic decisions.

Table 2.1 The Duplex Mind: Conscious and Automatic Systems

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

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) Discussion Tip: Ask students to brainstorm examples of nature saying go and culture saying stop.

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

People get most of what they need from other people 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 Discussion Tip: Ask students to recall the first time they used the campus cafeteria. Did they look to others to see how to behave? What sequence to follow? How many glasses to take?

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