HOW CULTURE IS LEARNED?

• CULTURE IS A LEARNED PROCESS. CONSUMERS LEARN CULTURE THROUGH ONE OF THE TWO
SOCIALIZATION PROCESS.

SOCIALIZATION
> IS LEARNING THROUGH OBSERVATION AND THE ACTIVE PROCESSING
OF INFORMATION ABOUT LIVED, EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE.
 PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION

SOCIAL
MODELING REINFORCEMENT
INTERACTION

• AS CONSUMERS INTERACT THEY BEGIN TO MODEL( MEANING ENACT) BEHAVIORS LEARNED OR

SEEN. REINFORCEMENT OCCURS THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REWARDING REACTIONS OR
SANCTIONS.
 2 TYPES OF SOCIALIZATION PROCESS

• ENCULTURATION
 REPRESENTS THE WAY A PERSON LEARN HIS OR HER NATIVE CULTURE.
 REPRESENTS THE WAY IN WHICH A CONSUMER LEARNS AND DEVELOPS SHARED
UNDERSTANDING WITH HIS OR HER FAMILY.
 2 TYPES OF SOCIALIZATION PROCESS

• ACCULTURATION
 IS A PROCESS BY WHICH CONSUMER COME TO LEARN A CULTURE OTHER THAN THEIR NATURAL,
NATIVE CULTURE
 A NEW CULTURE ONE MAY ADAPT
 FACTORS THAT CAN INHIBIT ACCULTURATION

• STRONG ETHNIC IDENTIFICATION

• THE DEGREE TO WHICH CONSUMERS FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING TO THE CULTURE OF THEIR
ETHNIC ORIGIN
• CAN MAKE CONSUMERS FEEL CLOSE-MINDED ABOUT ADOPTING PRODUCTS FROM NEW CULTURE.

• CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM
• IS A BELIEF AMONG CONSUMERS THAT THEIR ETHNIC GROUP IS SUPERIOR TO THE OTHERS AND
THAT PRODUCTS THAT COME FROM THEIR NATIVE LAND ARE SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER PRODUCTS.
• CONSUMERS WHO ARE HIGHLY ETHNOCENTRIC BELIEVE THAT IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO SUPPORT
WORKERS IN THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY BY BUYING PRODUCTS FROM THAT COUNTRY.
• ETHNOCENTRISM IS HIGHLY RELATED TO THE CONCEPT OF UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE .
• THE INHIBITIONS THAT CONSUMERS HAVE ABOUT "FOREIGN " PRODUCTS DISTRACT FROM THE
VALUE OF THE PRODUCTS OFFER BECAUSE THEIR VERY MEANING IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE
CONSUMER'S CURRENT BELIEF STRUCTURE.
 QUARTET OF INSTITUTIONS

• ARE THE FOUR GROUPS OF INSTITUTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATING THE CSV
THROUGH BOTH FORMAL AND INFORMAL PROCESSES FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER.
• CONSUMERS LEARN PRIMARY THROUGH THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.
• FAMILY
• SCHOOL
• CHRUCH
• MEDIA
• FAMILY, SCHOOL, AND CHURCH
• HAVE LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS PRIMARY AGENTS FOR ACCULTURATION AND ENCULTURATION.
• EACH OF THESE IS RECOGNIZED AS A VEHICLE FOR TEACHING VALUES TO CHILDREN; THEREFORE,
THEY ARE AGENTS OF ENCULTURATION.
• MEDIA
• RECENTLY, THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON CULTURE IS RECOGNIZED. FOR INSTANCE, MANY NATIONS
ACTIVELY LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF AMERICAN MEDIA THAT IS ALLOWED IN THE BELIEF THAT THIS WILL
PROTECT THEIR CULTURE FROM BECOMING OVERLY AMERICANIZED OR WESTERNIZED. AN INFLUX
OF NONNATIVE MEDIA CAN INDEED INFLUENCE THE RATE OF ACCULTURATION.