enculturation

learning process

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June 26, 2026

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Enculturation is the process by which individuals learn the values, practices, and traditions of their culture, becoming members of a society. Unlike many other species, humans are born without instincts and must learn extensively to function effectively within their specific sociocultural system. This learning process, often referred to as socialization or enculturation, transforms an infant into a social being.12

Education, both formal and informal, is the primary means by which culture is transmitted. Informal education involves adapting behavior to others and becoming part of a group, while formal education is a more systematic effort to impart knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, ideals, and values. This continuous process ensures the continuity of culture across generations.2

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education
Prehistoric and primitive cultures
…only in the sense of enculturation, which is the process of cultural transmission. A primitive person, whose culture is the totality of his universe, has a relatively fixed sense of cultural continuity and timelessness. The model of life is relatively static and absolute, and it is transmitted from one generation…
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…only in the sense of enculturation, which is the process of cultural transmission. A primitive person, whose culture is the totality of his universe, has a relatively fixed sense of cultural continuity and timelessness. The model of life is relatively static and absolute, and it is transmitted from one generation…
Read More

myth
Relationships of transformation
…logic of the system is revealed only at initiation, at which point the initiant, as an adult, becomes responsible for the proper observance of all the boundaries required by his society (e.g., among the Senufo of Africa, 58 figurines are presented to the initiant in a carefully prescribed order that…
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…logic of the system is revealed only at initiation, at which point the initiant, as an adult, becomes responsible for the proper observance of all the boundaries required by his society (e.g., among the Senufo of Africa, 58 figurines are presented to the initiant in a carefully prescribed order that…
Read More