Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism, Good and Bad

Anthropologists say it is not unusual for members of human groups to identify their own cultures as the best in the world. It requires only a moment's reflection to understand how this might be true. Through enculturation, we acquire the patterns, paradigms, exemplars, and behavioral templates that have worked well for the group or groups with which we identify most closely. These are the patterns of thought, action, and belief that have worked well for “our own kind,” however we may interpret that phrase. Many people in the world have had little or no firsthand experience with other groups. For those who know no other culture or worldview, is it surprising that they think theirs may be the best one? Not at all. The idea that one's preferred way of living and valuing is the best (or among the best) is probably the foundation of ethnocentrism and an ethnocentric outlook. Paradoxically, it is also the foundation of a healthy concept of self.

Erik Erikson, in his book Childhood and Society, made the case that child development occurs in stages, proceeding from the simple to the more complex. While much has been learned about his stage theory of development since Erikson first proposed it, the schema is still accepted among psychologists and educators as a useful framework in understanding child development. Using this concept as base, we can gain insights on how cultural differences may be reflected in later life, even when the child has taken little notice of his or her induction into a particular cultural or value system. Erikson did not set out to explain enculturation with his theory. His purpose was to explain the stages of life that he believed were benchmarks leading to healthy adulthood. He argued that human development proceeds in stages beginning at birth. In total, Erikson reported eight stages that constitute the task of an individual's growth. At each stage, there is a tension or struggle between polar opposites, which operates to create a resultant “virtue” or coping ability. When the skill(s) associated with any stage are acquired, the individual is able to move on to meet the demands of the next level. Since enculturation is a developmental task, we can assume that the requirements of one's identity or ethnic group are deeply involved in the resolution of these tensions.

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