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The Deep Structure of Culture: Roots of Reality 杨婷 Culture and Family The American author William Thayer once wrote,” As are families, so is society. Swedish proverb tells us, ”Children act in the village as they have learned at home.” The family is where children are first introduced to culture. Culture and Family Gender Roles Perhaps one of the most important of all family patterns ,and one that is found in all cultures, is the teaching of appropriate gender roles. Early in life, children learn to differentiate between masculine activities and feminine one. Culture and Family Individualism-Collectivism Cultures that foster individualism offer less support to the child ,and he or she must quickly learn to be self-reliant. In collective families, such as in India, people “share property, all material possessions, food, work and love, perform religious rituals together, and often live under the same roof.” Individualism-Collectivism Individualism and collectivism are learned through the family, which teaches children whom they must obey and who the dominant figures are in their life. Directly linked with this concept of obedience is the notion of dominance—who controls the child and who or what the child may control. Individualism-Collectivism Age The family is also the first institution to introduce the child to the notion of age-grading, an important perceptual attribute that greatly influences the way individuals perceive youth as well as old age. Children are often instructed to kiss the hands of older people when they are introduced to them , to be polite in the presence of elders, and to stand up and offer them their elders. Only from the older people who have lived in the past can one learn anything of value, they are told. Social Skill Families teach how to use the verbal and nonverbal codes necessary for survival. While children are very young and primarily under the influence of their immediate family, they acquire an understanding of basic socia