Question

How do ecological and cultural environments influence personality development? Provide concrete examples from hunting-gathering and agricultural societies to illustrate your answer.

Answer 1

1. The cultural approach attempts to understand personality through the characteristics of the natural and cultural environments.
2. People try to adjust to the ecological and cultural aspects of a group’s way of life or develop different personality (behavioural) features.
3. The habitat’s geography, food availability, climate, economic maintenance system, etc.
4. People’s personalities are refined in a culture through rituals, ceremonies, religious practices, the arts, leisure activities, games, plays, people's skills, abilities, behavioural patterns, value priorities, etc.

Examples:

1. Hunting and Gathering: Jharkhand’s Birhor people lead a nomadic lifestyle, travelling between forests to hunt and gather. From a young age, children are allowed a great deal of freedom to explore, learn how to hunt, and gather forest products. The main goals of socialisation techniques are to foster self-reliance, independence, and a willingness to take chances. This strategy encourages the independence and goal-oriented behaviours necessary for their subsistence way of life.
2. Agricultural Societies: Children raised in agricultural environments are taught to be respectful of elders, caring for younger siblings, and accountable for their responsibilities. The organised, community-focused nature of agricultural employment requires these qualities. As a result, in contrast to the independence and risk-taking valued in hunting-gathering societies, obedience, nurturing, and responsibility are emphasised.