Summary of chapter 2 (Culture and nature) of Social psychology and human nature by Baumeister and Bushman. The order of the book is followed, and the summary is based on the key words of the book. Some useful tables are included. There is a table of contents, which may prove useful when searching f...
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Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TUE)
Psychology and Technology
Social Psychology (0HV30)
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Chapter 2 – Culture and nature page 29
Contents
Psyche................................................................................................................................................3
Explaining the psyche............................................................................................................................4
Nature/culture-debate......................................................................................................................4
Nature defned...................................................................................................................................4
Evolution, and doing ,hat’s natural..................................................................................................4
Theory of evolution........................................................................................................................4
Mating and ofspring......................................................................................................................4
Culture defned..................................................................................................................................5
Shared ideas..................................................................................................................................5
Culture as a system........................................................................................................................5
Culture as a praxis..........................................................................................................................5
Culture, information, meaning.......................................................................................................5
Summary of culture.......................................................................................................................5
Cultural influence, meaning, and the po,er of ideas........................................................................5
Are people the same every,here?....................................................................................................6
Social animal of cultural animal?.......................................................................................................6
Diferences bet,een social and cultural animals...........................................................................6
The individual and society.....................................................................................................................7
Social brain theory.............................................................................................................................7
Evolved for culture?...........................................................................................................................7
Language........................................................................................................................................7
Progress.........................................................................................................................................7
Division of labour...........................................................................................................................7
Exchanging goods and services......................................................................................................8
Summary........................................................................................................................................8
Facts of life............................................................................................................................................9
Food and sex......................................................................................................................................9
Bad is stronger than good..................................................................................................................9
Tradeofss ,hen you can’t have it all.................................................................................................9
Important features of human social life..............................................................................................10
The duplex mind..............................................................................................................................10
Diferences bet,een the conscious and automatic system.........................................................10
Ho, they ,ork together..............................................................................................................10
, Conscious override......................................................................................................................11
The long road to social acceptance..................................................................................................11
Built to relate...................................................................................................................................11
Nature says go, culture says stop.....................................................................................................11
Selfsh impulse versus social conscience..........................................................................................11
Putting people frst..........................................................................................................................11
Brenda’s case:
, - Brenda was born as one of two twin boys, in Canada (1960s).
- Circumcision went wrong, and after consulting with experts, the family and hospital
staff decided to entirely remove Brenda’s penis and raise him as a girl.
- Due to feminist movements, people believed gender/personality was depending on
culture instead of nature, and therefore raising Brenda as a girl would be possible.
- In addition, medicals would inject female hormones to Brenda when she would reach
puberty.
- Brenda was not told that she was born a boy.
- Along childhood, parents reported to the scientists that everything worked out, while it
was not true at all. Brenda never fit in and always liked boys’ stuff to do, instead of girls’
stuff. Also, she felt confused about her sexuality when she reached puberty.
- Her behaviour was rebellious, and she refused to take any injections; the hormone
injections. Therefore, her parents, who had been feeling guilty and regretful of their
decision through the years, told her the truth.
- Brenda changed back to being a boy, as good as possible, both in looks and behaviour.
He seemed to fit in better now. However, he committed suicide at the age of 38.
The failure of the ‘experiment’ of Brenda shows that culture contributes to personality, but only
up to a certain extent. Personality is party formed by innate characteristics, depending on
nature.
To reach the goal of social psychologists of understanding how people think, feel, and act is to
try to understand what the human psyche is designed for.
Psyche
- Defnitions a broader term for mind, encompassing emotions, desires, perceptions, and all
other psychological processes.
- Nature and culture designed the psyche for a purpose. Understanding that purpose makes it
easier to understand people/ human behaviour.
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