Research shows that between birth and early adulthood the brain
requires sensory stimulation to develop physically. The nature of
the stimulation shapes the connections among neurons that create
the neuronal networks necessary for thought and behavior. By
changing the cultural environment, each generation shapes the
brains of the next. By early adulthood, the neuroplasticity of the
brain is greatly reduced, and this leads to a fundamental shift in
the relationship between the individual and the environment: during
the first part of life, the brain and mind shape themselves to the
major recurring features of their environment; by early adulthood,
the individual attempts to make the environment conform to the
established internal structures of the brain and mind. In Brain and
Culture, Bruce Wexler explores the social implications of the close
and changing neurobiological relationship between the individual
and the environment, with particular attention to the difficulties
individuals face in adulthood when the environment changes beyond
their ability to maintain the fit between existing internal
structure and external reality. These difficulties are evident in
bereavement, the meeting of different cultures, the experience of
immigrants (in which children of immigrant families are more
successful than their parents at the necessary internal
transformations), and the phenomenon of interethnic violence.
Integrating recent neurobiological research with major experimental
findings in cognitive and developmental psychology--with
illuminating references to psychoanalysis, literature,
anthropology, history, and politics--Wexler presents a wealth of
detail to support his arguments. The groundbreaking connections he
makes allow for reconceptualization of the effect of cultural
change on the brain and provide a new biological base from which to
consider such social issues as "culture wars" and ethnic
violence.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!