Toward a working definition of culture

Evolving cultures, however construed, have an impact on the personalities of those who identify with them and are enmeshed in their expectations, directives, standards, political rituals, and values. This commonplace notion merits analysis. To what extent can culture shape personality and even override genetic trait variances in a population? Can humans become more fully integrated personalities by embracing the belief system of a society distinct from the one in which they were educated? Can members of one culture, thoroughly imbued with its values, enter into a meaningful dialogue with members of societies that propagate values incompatible with their own? These questions are of importance to the personality psychologist, and this chapter will attempt to address them.

A definition of culture

We define culture as the distinctive belief systems, patterns of behavior, and significant moral, artistic, familial, vocational, and political structures that are valued by a society, members of which usually speak the same language. It includes such aspects of life as members' preferred cuisine, religious practices, dominant sports, and recreational patterns.