Culture: The Big External Influence 59
The shock of a new culture
Culture is a way of connecting with our fellow chimps, and
identifying the differences between us and them, when we run into
a new breed of chimp. We have been conditioned from birth to
behave in certain ways in response to stimulus, and our microcul-
tures regulate that response, even from infancy. An alpha, parent
or other, dominates that microculture.
Every time we react to stimulus and adopt new behaviors pre-
sented by a parent, we are adopting the culture of our family. This
goes on with limited incursions from other bands of chimps. Then,
one day, the inevitable happens. We come face to face with new
chimps—similar to a baby sitter—and new cultural norms. In the
case of a sitter, the new alpha is akin to a captor: things will return
to normal when she leaves. We learn this quickly.
The most profound culture shock in a child’s life is more likely
daycare or the first day of school. Now this child must deal with a
new person who is solidly alpha. He must adopt the ways of this
alpha while in her presence. The food, the lighting, the blankets—
suddenly the child’s perception of his place in the hierarchy goes
into a blender. To make it equally difficult, the child must retain an
understanding of what the alpha in the nest wants. This is profound
culture shock. Most people cannot remember it, but they certainly
recognize it in their own children.