{"id":109675,"date":"2018-04-23T12:00:37","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T11:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=109675"},"modified":"2018-04-23T13:17:15","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T12:17:15","slug":"reflections-on-the-cultural-construction-of-reality-assumptions-issues-directions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2018\/04\/reflections-on-the-cultural-construction-of-reality-assumptions-issues-directions\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on the Cultural Construction of Reality: Assumptions, Issues, Directions"},"content":{"rendered":"

23 Apr 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. There is an inherent human impulse<\/em> in the human brain and body to describe, understand, and predict the world through the processing and ordering of stimuli;<\/li>\n
  2. The undamaged human brain and body not only responds to stimuli, but also organizes, connects, and symbolizes stimuli; there is an effort after meaning;<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. In the process and ordering of stimuli, the brain and body generate patterns of explicit and implicit \u201cmeanings,\u201d<\/em> facilitating and promoting survival, adaptation, and adjustment;<\/li>\n
  4. The process and product of these neural activities are, to a large extent, culturally contextualized, generated, and shaped <\/em>through sensory, linguistic, behavioral, and interpersonal practices, constituting the cultural socialization process and product;<\/li>\n
  5. The storage of stimuli as accumulated life experience, in both representational and symbolic forms in the in the brain, and in external forms (e.g., books),<\/em> generates a shared cognitive and affective process and product;<\/li>\n
  6. Cultural continuity occurs or is challenged across time<\/em> (i.e., past, present, and future) for both the person and the group;<\/li>\n
  7. Individual and collective \u201cidentities\u201d are forged<\/em> through this process of change and adaptation and adjustment.<\/li>\n
  8. There are dynamic (i.e., changing) variations within individual and collective identities<\/em> in a given cultural context, furthering the survival, adaptation and adjustment;<\/li>\n
  9. Through socialization, individual and group preferences and priorities are rewarded or punished<\/em>, thus promoting and\/or modifying the cultural constructions of reality (i.e., ontogenies, epistemologies, praxologies, cosmologies, ethosei, values, and behavior patterns);<\/li>\n
  10. \u201cReality\u201d is \u201cculturally constructed;\u201d <\/em><\/li>\n
  11. Different cultural contexts create different realities via cultural socialization processes;<\/em><\/li>\n
  12. Cultural diversity is as important for human survival, adaptation, and adjustment, as is biological diversity;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/li>\n
  13. Efforts and pressures after homogenization, conformity, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and denial of \u00a0diversity limit individual and collective potential and encourage risks oppression and domination.<\/li>\n
  14. Definition of Culture: <\/strong>\n