Cultural Conditioning

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Cultural Conditioning
An Impact on Critical Thinking
By Scot Williams READING 142 Professor Angela
Henderson
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What is Cultural Conditioning?

• The process by which an individual learns
  behaviors, values, and beliefs that are
  considered right or wrong within their society.
• Cultural Conditioning is an important part of a
  persons sociological development.
• Critical thinking can be impacted by Cultural
  Conditioning.

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How Does One Become Culturally Conditioned?

• The process begins at infancy, when babies and
  young children observe the behaviors of their
  parents and others around them.

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How Does One Become Culturally Conditioned?

• As the children develop, they mimic those
  behaviors.

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How Does One Become Culturally Conditioned?

• Positive and negative reinforcement tells the
  children which behaviors, beliefs, and values are
  socially acceptable.

Click the following link to view a classic
example Promoting Good Behavior
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How Does One Become Culturally Conditioned?

• By the time the children reach adulthood, those
  behaviors, beliefs, and values are so
  indoctrinated in their lives that they dominate
  their way of thinking.

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How Does Cultural Conditioning Impact Critical
Thinking

• After years of conditioning, a My Way is the
  Right Way attitude develops.
• This attitude limits objectivity.
• A lack of objectivity blocks the ability to think
  critically.

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Examples of Cultural Conditioning
Bad Table Manners?
Click image to view Western societys idea of
good table manners
Which is correct?
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Examples of Cultural Conditioning
What is your idea of Beautiful?
OR
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Examples of Cultural Conditioning
What are your religious practices?
Or is this?
Is this how you atone for your sins?
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Analysis of Cultural Conditioning
The previous three examples illustrate behaviors,
beliefs, and ideals that may or may not be
considered acceptable in your society.
Did your beliefs, ideals, or behaviors affect the
way you thought about any of the examples?
REMEMBER What is acceptable in your culture may
not be acceptable in someone elses.
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Who or What Influences Our Cultural Conditioning?
Parents
Teachers
Religion
Media
Friends
Government
Roll Models
Society
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Problems Associated With Cultural Conditioning
A lack of objectivity can lead to the
following
Ethnocentrism
Bias
Discrimination
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In order to think critically despite our cultural
conditioning, we must do the following
Be understanding and respectful of the beliefs
and values of others.
Avoid allowing preconceived notions to dictate
what decisions you make.
Always gather as much information as is available
before you form an opinion.
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Everyone thinks it is our nature to do so. But
much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased,
distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right
prejudiced. Yet the quality of our life and that
of what we produce, make, or build depends
precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy
thinking is costly, both in money and in quality
of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be
systematically cultivated. -Richard Paul
Linda Elder