Biology, Self and Culture
From Different Perspectives
Culture is defined as “the
values, beliefs, behaviour and
material objects that
constitute a people’s way of
life”….
Biological determinism
Biological determinism, also
called genetic determinism, is
the hypothesis that:
Biological factors such as
individual genes determine
how a system behaves or
changes over time.
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
CULTURE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN GENDERS, RACES,
ETHNICITIES and CLASSES …
ARE…NATURAL (INEVITABLE)
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
SEES BIOLOGY AS DESTINY…
Appeals to Nature
ESSENTIALISM
THREE POINTS:BIOLOGY AS
DESTINY…
1. GENES
2. DIFFERENCES
3. CONVERTS TO STATUSES
Biological accounts
1. -Essentialism
Accepts genetic differencesessentialism -an ‘is’
perspective
A Genetic Misconception
Copyright © 2010 by Nelson Education Limited
8
EARLY PSYCHOLOGY 19C
SOCIO-BIOLOGY
RACIST
REDUCTIONIST
TWO `IS’ or Nature based
theories
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM and
PSYCHOANALTIC THEORY
Accepts biology as destiny’
SEE T. PARSONS ON THE NUCLEAR
FAMILY
Freud’s Theory biological
Proposed the first social-scientific
interpretation of emergence of the self:
Id - the part of the self that demands
immediate gratification
Superego - personal conscience
Ego - balances the conflicting needs
of the id and the superego
Criticisms of Freud’s Theory
1.Relies on conjecture, socialization is
more complex than Freud assumed.
2.Freud shows gender bias in his
analysis of male and female sexuality.
3.Freud neglects socialization after
childhood.
CONFLICT THEORY
MARX AND ENGELS
ENGELS ARGUED THE NUCLEAR FAMILY
IS A SOCIETY CONSTRUCTION OF THE
BOURGEOISIE
WOMEN BECOME “SLAVES OF THE
HOUSEHOLD”
Essay:“Origins of Family, Private
Property and the State” …(Tucker,
1971)
FREDRICK ENGELS’
ENGELS MAKES FOUR KEY
POINTS REGARDING
PATRIARCHY AND PRIVATE
PROPERTY
FREDRICK ENGELS
PATRIARCHY AND CAPITALISM
ENGELS AN EARLY FEMINIST
BIOLOGY AS IDEOLOGY: See
R.C. LEWOTIN (1991)
“Biology is at the foundation of
SOCIETY & cultural patterns:
…but, race and ethnic
stratification are societal
constructions
DIFFERENCES ACCORDING
TO LEWONTIN
85 % is RANDOM VARIATION
8% is RACE
7% is Ethnicity
A CONTEMPORARY FEMINIST
Naomi Wolf/ Marxist Feminist
The Beauty Myth (1991)
Two key stages in women’s history:
1.. SURGICAL AGE –19thc
2.COSMETIC Age =20thc
Self and Culture: SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM
To G.H. Mead, without
society…
“ there could be no
consciousness of self and
no communication.”
SI VIEW OF CULTURE
1.SELF
2.SOCIETY
3.INDIVIDUAL are linked by
signs, symbols and language
Symbolic Interactionism Key
Concepts
:
1.Looking Glass Self-C.H. Cooley
2.Social Self-G. H. Mead
3.Self as actor Goffman
4.Emergent self…. Blumer.
What is culture?
How do we know that
culture is not derived from
innate differences between
groups?
SIX CULTURAL Elements
:
I. Symbols-anything the
carries a particular meaning
recognized by people who
share the culture
2. Language
The key to the world of
cultureSystems of symbols that
allows members of the
society to communicate
with one another
3. Values
Culturally defined
standards by which
people assess
desirability, goodness,
beauty….
Beliefsspecific statements that people
hold to be true…
1.General we believe that children should
behave…(I.e people should practice safe
sex….)
2. Situation specific- ie. an audience should
clap when a musician is finished..
5. Socialization
The process by which people learn
their culture by:
entering and disengaging from a
succession of roles.
becoming aware of themselves as
they interact with others.
6. Role
The behavior (or set of
behaviors) expected of a
person occupying a
particular position in society.
SUMMARY
BIOLOGY, SELF AND CULTURE ARE
OBSERVED IN ALL THREE PARADIGMS
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM places
more emphasis on biology in
determining self and culture
CONFLICT AND SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONISM ARE MORE CRITICAL