Is “culture” just another handle for group mentality?
The phrase “group mentality” connotes a kind of mindlessness. If by “group mentality,” you mean the abandonment of thinking for oneself, then NO. However, culture provides a set of shared understandings that make it possible for people within that culture to communicate more clearly, to communicate without giving unintended offense, and to get things accomplished without having to define what is meant by every word and gesture. “What is meant” is shared by that culture. (I’m not saying that the understanding is perfect or problem-free.) The usefulness of one’s own culture becomes very clear the first time a person tries to interact within a DIFFERENT culture and realizes that there are a whole set of assumptions operating that are very different from his own.
Related Questions
- Should Geographers regard culture & social customs as meaningful generalizations about a group of people, or should they concentrate instead on understanding how specific individuals interact with the enviornment ?
- According to a recent Barna group poll, 40% of 16-29 year old Americans identify as non-Christian, 85% of them consider Christianity hypocritical, and that 52% of Christians in the same age group agree. Does Christianity have an image problem?
- What does religion have to do with culture?
