Difference between Enculturation and Acculturation

Enculturation is the process through which a person learns the norms, practices, abilities, and values of a community. The term "acculturation," which describes how a person or group's culture is altered as a result of interactions with different cultures, is frequently used in contrast to the term "enculturation."

We are all aware that the reason we speak, act, celebrate, and express ourselves in certain ways is a result of our culture. The term "culture" refers to a broad range of intangible characteristics, customs, and knowledge that characterize a particular group of people within a community. These characteristics include language, opinions, belief system, social heritage, clothing style, personal hygiene practices, music, and cuisine.

Through socialization or enculturation, a person acquires cultural norms and values. Socialization is the process of assimilating societal standards and values into one's own life. We'll discuss the distinctions between enculturation and acculturation in this article.

Enculturation

Enculturation is the method of learning that enables a person to understand the customs, values, and regulations of a specific culture or society that they are a member of. It represents what we choose from our outside environment to grow and integrate into it, to blend in seamlessly.

Put another way, it refers to the passing down from generation to generation of traits, behaviors, languages, customs, values, and patterns that define the culture we live in. In this context, learning entails absorbing and gaining knowledge about the customs and traditions of the community by observation of other members of the community'parents, siblings, instructors, friends, acquaintances, and so on'as well as through receiving guidance from elders and firsthand experience.

Enculturation is the process by which an established or dominant culture instills cultural norms, beliefs, and behaviors in an individual or group by influencing and teaching them about their environment to that extent. In addition, he or she is recognized as an effective member of the community who carries out their assigned responsibilities and obligations.

To be more precise, the target will become an adult member of society who is responsible and fully aware of what is and is not acceptable in society.

Acculturation

Acculturation is the process of acclimating oneself to a new culture, typically an authoritative or powerful one. It describes the process through which a person or group transforms their culture in order to adapt to a different one. More precisely defined, acculturation is the process of cultural interaction and interchange during which an individual accepts, learns, and adjusts to some or all of the norms, values, customs, and patterns of a new or dominant culture in a society that is not their home culture.

The individuals who migrate from other nations and attempt to integrate the new culture into their lives are the ones who are most likely to experience acculturation. It occurs when individuals from various cultural backgrounds interact with one another, either by participating in or adopting characteristics of the other culture.

However, there is a lot of cultural borrowing going on between the subordinate and superordinate cultures. Although there might be reciprocal borrowing, more often than not, the weaker culture appropriates characteristics from the stronger one.

Moreover, assimilation occurs when acculturation lasts a very long time and the original as well as native culture of the individual or group is abandoned in favor of the new culture. Apart from assimilation, acculturation can also lead to marginalization, transmutation, integration, or separation.

Significant differences between acculturation and enculturation

There are several reasons why enculturation and acculturation differ from one another, they are:

• A person learns about the norms, values, and behavioral patterns of their own native culture through the process of enculturation. Acculturation, on the other hand, is the process of cultural learning by which individuals within one cultural group are exposed to and ultimately absorb elements of another culture.
• The process of enculturation, which begins shortly after birth, is a person's primary introduction to their culture. The ensuing familiarization with many cultures is known as acculturation, on the other hand.
• A human being learns or obtains their own culture through enculturation, to which they are now a member. Acculturation, on the other hand, is the process by which one's culture gets absorbed by another.
• Acculturation involves two or more cultures, whereas enculturation just includes one.
• Enculturation, which happens naturally, is a necessary condition for a human being to survive in a society. In contrast, acculturation is not necessary for existence; yet, it is possible to learn about other people's cultures when needed.
• The current culture does not change as a result of enculturation. On the other hand, acculturation results in a change in one's culture or the blending of more than one culture.
• There is no chance of assimilation while enculturation occurs, but assimilation occurs when acculturation persists for an extended length of time.

Conclusion

In summary, enculturation is the initial stage of cultural learning, during which an individual comprehends and assimilates their original culture. Acculturation, on the flip side, is the second process of learning a culture in which a person absorbs the cultures of others and adapts their own culture. An individual becomes conscious of his place, roles, and responsibilities in society through enculturation. On the other hand, acculturation is crucial for quickly adjusting to a new environment. Acculturation is seen among those who have relocated far from their home countries as a result.