Cultural transmission (CT) is the reproduction of a culture from one generation to another (Trommsdorff, 2008). Parents transmit values to their children that they deem important to survive and adapt to their Social Class (SC) (Hughes, et al., 2006). As parents are within a child’s microsystem, they are an important influence on children’s cultural development (Berry, et al., 2011), as their first experience of the world will come from their parent’s views and cultural norms; known as vertical transmission (Bisin & Verdier 2001).
SC is the division of groups of people based on their social/economic status, often linking to income, education and job (Sutton & Douglas 2013). Youniss (1994) argues to fully understand vertical CT it needs to be assessed societally; to explain how parents decide what is vital to preserving the culture within their SC and equip children with qualities and values required in their future. Mortimer, et al., (2017) looked at social reproduction of inequality, finding higher class cultures prioritise educational attainment and high grades as they secure the success of future SC position. Similarly, Calarco (2014) found differences in transmissions between middle and working-class parents about classroom behaviour; leading to the achievement gap issue. Higher social class has also been found to predict increased unethical behaviour. (Piff et al.,2012)
Parents partake in CT because of their ideals, norms, values and pride in keeping the culture alive. This can produce out-dated views and societal issues like, school bullying; due to ignorance and prejudice (for example if a child is seen as ‘stupid’). In later life this can progress to an ‘us and them culture’ within companies (Case, 2016) impacting company success.
References:
Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Breugelmans, S. M., Chasiotis, A., & Sam, D. (2011). Cross-cultural psychology: Theory and applications (3rd Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bisin, A., & Verdier, T. (2001). The Economics of Cultural Transmission and the Dynamics of Preferences. Journal Of Economic Theory, 97(2), 298-319. doi: 10.1006/jeth.2000.2678
Calarco, J. (2014). Coached for the Classroom Parents’ Cultural Transmission and Children’s Reproduction of Educational Inequalities. American Sociological Review, Vol 79(5). doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0003122414546931
Case, B. (2016). The Sad Legacy Of Us Vs. Them. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/fotschcase/2016/09/06/the-sad-legacy-of-us-vs-them/#1bdb2be4b355
Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E., Johnson, D., Stevenson, H., & Spicer, P. (2006). Parents’ ethnic-racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 747-770. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.747
Mortimer, J. T., Zhang, L., Wu, C.-Y., Hussemann, J., & Johnson, M. K. (2017). Familial transmission of educational plans and the academic self-concept: A three-generation longitudinal study. Social Psychology Quarterly, 80(1), 85–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272516670582
Piff, P., Stancato, D., Cote, S., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Keltner, D. (2012). Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 109(11), 4086-4091. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1118373109
Sutton, R., & Douglas, K. (2013). Social psychology. Palgrave MacMillian.
Trommsdorff, G. (2008). Intergenerational Relations and Cultural Transmission. Cultural Transmission, 126-160. doi: 10.1017/cbo9780511804670.008
Youniss, J. (1994). Rearing children for society. New Directions For Child And Adolescent Development, 1994(66), 37-50. doi: 10.1002/cd.23219946605
Reflections on Culture in Psychology 