The Bases of Human Behaviour

Activity . In order to place some confidence in conscious acceptance of change, we need to analyse them at the subjective level. John Berry is well-known for his studies on psychological acculturation. He argues that there are two important issues that all acculturating individuals and groups face in culture-contact situations.

One relates to the degree to which there is a desire to maintain one’s culture and identity. Another relates to the degree to which there is a desire to engage in daily interactions with members of other cultural group(s). Based on people’s positive or negative answer to these issues, the following four acculturative strategies have been derived: Integration : It refers to an attitude in which there is an interest in both, maintaining one’s original culture and identity, while staying in daily interaction with other cultural groups. In this case, there is some degree of cultural integrity maintained while interacting with other cultural groups.

Assimilation : It refers to an attitude, which people do not wish to maintain their cultural identity, and they move to become an integral part of the other culture. In this case, there is loss of one’s culture and identity. Separation : It refers to an attitude in which people seem to place a value on holding on to their original culture, and wish to avoid interaction with other cultural groups. In this case, people often tend to glorify their cultural identity.

Marginalisation : It refers to an attitude in which there is little possibility or interest in one’s cultural maintenance, and little interest in having relations with other cultural groups. In this case, people generally remain undecided about what they should do, and continue to stay with a great deal of stress. You have read in this chapter that human behaviour is not fully under the control of biological factors alone. Socio-cultural factors interact with biological dispositions of individuals to give a particular shape to their behaviour in a given society.

Since societies and cultures across the globe are not homogeneous, human behaviour is also not expressed in the same way everywhere. This Changes due to acculturation may be examined at subjective and objective levels. At the subjective level, changes are often reflected in people’s attitudes towards change. They are referred to as acculturation attitudes .

At the objective level, changes are reflected in people’s day-to-day behaviours and activities. These are referred to as acculturation strategies . In order to understand acculturation, it is necessary to examine it at both levels. At the objective level of acculturation, one can look at a variety of changes that might be evident in people’s life.

Language, dressing style, means of livelihood, housing and household goods, ornaments, furniture, means of entertainment, use of technology, travel experience, and exposure to movies, etc. can provide clear indications of change that individuals and groups might have accepted in their life. Based on these indicators, we can easily identify the degree to which acculturative change has entered into an individual’s or a group’s life. The only problem is that these indicators do not always indicate conscious acceptance of change by individuals or groups; they are held by people because they are easily available and economically affordable.

Thus, in some cases, these indicators appear somewhat deceptive. Acculturation, All-Or-None Property/Principle, Arousal, Axons, Brain stem, Central nervous system, Cerebellum, Cerebral cortex, Chromosomes, Cortex, Culture, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), Enculturation, Endocrine glands, Environment, Evolution, Genes, Hemispheres, Heredity, Homo sapiens, Homeostasis, Hypothalamus, Medulla, Memes, Nerve impulse, Neurons, Nucleus, Reticular Activating System (RAS), Skeletal muscles, Socialisation, Soma (Cell body), Somatic nervous system, Species, Synaptic vesicles