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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? 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? 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 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 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 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 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 Social or Cultural Animal? • Social – Work together – Learn from one another – Help kin – Resolve conflict with aggression Social or Cultural Animal? • Cultural – 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 Food for Thought - Virtuous Vegetarians • Vegetarian • – 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 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 Tradeoffs - Political 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 The Duplex Mind • Automatic system • – Outside of consciousness – Simple operations Conscious system – Complex operations 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 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) 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 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 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