CHAPTER 03
The Deep Structure of Culture:
Lessons from the Family
OVERVIEW
This chapter introduces students to the concept of deep structures and the role they play in the
development and perpetuation of culture. A lengthy discussion of the nature, forms, and
functions of family is provided, as well as cultural variants in family interaction. Specifically,
how cultural differences in gender roles, group orientation, aging, and social skills influence the
family.
OUTLINE
I. The deep structure of culture
A. Deep structure institutions carry culture’s most important messages
B. Deep structure institutions and their messages endure
C. Deep structure institutions and their messages are deeply felt
D. Deep structure institutions supply much of a person’s identity
II. Family
A. The importance of family
B. Definition of family
C. Forms of family
2. Extended families
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1. Mass media
1. Reproductive functions
3. Socialization functions
4. Identity functions
III. Communication, culture, and family
IV. Cultural variants in family interaction
A. Gender roles
2. Asian
4. Indian
6. Changing gender roles
B. Individualism and collectivism
2. Collectivism and the family
1. Aggression
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2. Decision making
IV. Summary
ACTIVITIES
Activity 3-1: Differences in cultural practices
This activity illustrates how world views, history, and family structures not only influence
cultural practices but also portray these practices as practical, rational, and/or “correct.” Before
coming to class the day of the exercise, students are to explore the Internet to find common
practices, beliefs, and values that are part of specific cultures but that might be considered
irrational by others.
For example, Westerners may feel that the practice of cow veneration in India is impractical,
irrational, and/or incorrect given that India has a rapidly growing population and an insecure
food supply. However, Indians may feel that the practice of raising large herds of domestic cattle
is impractical, irrational, and/or incorrect given that such animals require vast tracts of land that
could be used for more important purposes than grazing. Also, some non-Western cultures may
find the practice of keeping dogs and cats as pets ridiculous since they are potential food sources
and/or societal pests. As another example, Arabs may be offended by the freedom, status, and
apparel worn by many Western women. In some Arab countries, women and men do not work
alongside in the workplace and follow the traditional practice of covering their hair and bodies.
In contrast, European women may find America’s lack of parental leave for both women and
men appalling compared to the widespread adoption in many European countries of both
maternity and paternity leave once a couple has a child.
Using the Internet, have students find their own examples of common practices, beliefs, and/or
values that are part of at least one culture but that are oftentimes considered impractical,
irrational, and/or incorrect by at least one other culture. Students should then trace their examples
to the culture’s world view, religion, history, and/or family structure. For example, the Indian
notion of cow veneration can be traced to Hinduism. Hindus believe in many deities and find
divinity in people, nature, and places, as well as animals.
On the day of the exercise, have students share their examples with the class or in small groups
of four to six students. Each group might then select one or two examples to share with the rest
of the class.
Possible discussion questions following the exercise:
• From which deep structures do most of a culture’s practices, beliefs, and/or values
come?
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• Do these deep structures reflect the ones we read about in the textbook? Which
deep structures were we not able to find examples for? Which deep structures
might we need to add to the textbook?
• What reasons are commonly used to judge another culture’s practices, beliefs,
and/or values? Are these reasons based on a culture’s deep structures? Which
ones?
Activity 3-2: Mom and Dad, Guess what . . .
This activity offers insight into how familial attitudes toward nontraditional marriages have a
profound impact on the success of our romantic relationships and how those attitudes have
changed in the last three decades. The goals of this exercise are threefold. First, it allows students
to consider how their parents might react to news that they are about to marry someone with a
disability, of a different religion, or of a different race or ethnicity, or make a commitment to a
partner of the same sex. Second, this exercise allows students to think about how they might
react as a parent to their own child’s news of a nontraditional marriage. Finally, this exercise
offers valuable insight into students’ own attitudes with regard to intimate relationships and
family structures.
Divide the class into pairs with each student taking turns role playing two scenarios four times
each. In both scenarios, one student role plays the child who has come home to talk to his/her
parent/s, role played by the other student, about marrying someone the parent/s may or may not
approve of. In the first scenario, the student role playing the parent/s responds to the child’s news
as the student’s own parents might respond. In the second scenario, the student role playing the
parent/s responds the way the student might respond to his/her own child’s news.
Scenario #1
The child has come home to tell his/her parent/s that s/he is getting married or entering into a
committed relationship. The student role paying the child should think about how s/he would
present the news that s/he is marrying/entering a committed relationship with someone who 1)
has a disability, 2) practices a different religion, 3) is of a different race or ethnicity, and 4) is of
the same sex. The student role playing the parent/s should imagine about how his/her own
parent/s would respond to the news in each of the four cases. Students should then role play each
of the four situations, trading places now and then so that each student has a chance to represent
the attitudes of his/her parent/s.
Scenario #2
As before, the child has come home to tell his/her parent/s that s/he is getting married to/entering
into a committed relationship with someone who (1) has a disability, (2) practices a different
religion, (3) is of a different race or ethnicity, and (4) is of the same sex. This time, however, the
student role playing the parent/s should respond to the child’s news using the value and belief
systems that reflect the student’s own thinking. As before, students should role play each of the
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four situation, trading places now and then so that each student has a chance to articulate his/her
attitudes.
Possible discussion questions following the exercise:
• What differences do you see between the imagined responses of your parent/s and
your own responses?
• What is acceptable today that was not acceptable in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s?
What attitudes have changed very little?
• How might a family be affected by such nontraditional and intercultural
marriages?
• Have you or a member of your family ever entered into a relationship with
someone who was culturally different or different from what was “expected”? If
so, how did people react to this new family member?
Activity 3-3: Family Rituals Versus Cultural Rituals
As noted in the chapter, even while the nature of the family is evolving, the role it plays in
personal and cultural identity remains powerful. This activity is designed to provoke thinking
about the interrelationship between family and culture by examining the commonalities and
idiosyncracies of family rituals and cultural rituals.
• Begin the activity by asking students to identify rituals in their family. As students
introduce rituals, keep a list on your computer/projector or write them on a dry-
erase board or chalkboard.
• You may need to prime students by differentiating between types of rituals:
– Daily rituals – like what you did before school when growing up, at dinner
time, etc.
– Weekly rituals – visits to Grandparents, church, etc.
– Seasonal rituals – holidays, end of school year, etc.
– Major event rituals – marriages, births, deaths, graduations, etc.
• As patterns emerge, note commonalities and differences
Ask students to identify which of the family rituals they described reflect cultural rituals.
Through this interaction, you should elicit the idea that there is a close interrelationship between
family rituals and cultural rituals. Cultural rituals typically reflect family rituals common to a
particular culture.
• Family rituals are often idiosyncratic, though many reflect cultural rituals
• Students with different cultural backgrounds can help to demonstrate the
idiosyncratic nature of cultural rituals as well
Activity 3-4: Intergenerational Family Values
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For this activity, students must come prepared so be sure to introduce it at least one class period
prior to discussion. The chapter emphasizes the role of family in establishing values. This
activity is designed to highlight the role that family (both past and present) have on the
development of individual and cultural values.
• Prior to the activity, students should be given the assignment of talking to older
siblings, parents, grandparents, etc., about what they considered to be the most
important values they were taught when they were growing up.
– Students should ask them to identify the top three most important values
– Students should ask them whether the values taught by their family were
shared by the larger culture of the time
– Students should ask how the values of the culture have changed, and what
the top three values would be today
• Students should answer the same questions for themselves
– What are the top three values they learned growing up
– How did they relate to the values of the culture at the time
– What are their top three values today
– How do they relate to the cultural values today
With these materials in hand, break students into small groups to discuss the similarities and
differences they identified. Each group should create a list of values that were similar across
generations as well as across students. These would reflect “sustained” cultural values. In
addition, students should create a list of values that have changed across generations.
After the students have had a chance to discuss their own values as well as the values identified
by parent, grandparent, older sibling, etc., create a “Master list” of past and present
commonalities. Encourage students to think about why these values are sustained while others
were discarded. For those values that changed, what happened in the families and cultures that
might have influenced that change?
SUPPLEMENTAL FILMS AND VIDEOS
Café au Lait (1994, 94 minutes)
This film is a high-spirited, frank comedy about race, romance, and family in Paris. Lola, an 18-
year-old West Indian woman announces her pregnancy to her two lovers: Felix, who is a white,
Jewish bike messenger enamored by African American hip-hop; and Jamal, who is a black law
student from a wealthy diplomatic family. Beyond an unsanitized view of race relations, the film
presents a unique family situation and nicely points out that in confrontation begins the discovery
of a common humanity.
Choosing Children (1984, 45 minutes)
This film explores the issues confronting lesbian mothers. Through interviews with mothers and
their children, the film speaks about possibilities for parenting and about the importance of
understanding different ways of living together.
Family and Household (1994, 30 minutes)
This instructional video examines the functions of family and household from a cross-cultural
perspective as well as their varied forms including monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry.
Family and Work in Revolutionary America (2007, 19 minutes)
This video depicts the relationship of husbands, wives, and children as well as the roles and
expectations of each in colonial America. Although the modern family is not addressed, it’s a
great way of comparing and contrasting modern family roles and values.
Out In South Africa (1995, 51 min.)
This film chronicles lesbian/gay life in South Africa. Using interviews conducted by and about
South Africa’s gays and lesbians, the film shows a people’s optimism and challenges in a
country emerging from a legacy of racial and sexual apartheid.
Wind Grass Song: The Voice of Our Grandmothers (1989, 20 minutes)
This film presents a unique vision of U. S. regional culture through an invaluable oral history,
memory, and the spirit of mid-westerners who conquered the challenges of this century. In this
documentary, venerable faces and voices of these elderwomen—Black, Native American, and
white—are interwoven.
TEST ITEMS: CHAPTER 03
Multiple-Choice
1. A culture’s unconscious assumptions about how the world operates is referred to as its’:
(A) subculture; (B) foundation; (C) deep structure; (D) matrix; (E) protoculture
2. The three most enduring and influential organizations in cultures are: (A) family, state,
religion; (B) family, community, nation; (C) community, nation, religion; (D) family,
community, religion; (E) state, nation, religion
3. Which of the following is not true about deep structure institutions? (A) carry culture’s
most important messages; (B) the institutions and their messages endure; (C) the
institutions and their messages are deeply felt; (D) have a superficial impact on a person’s
identity; (E) A and C
4. The oldest and most fundamental of human institutions is ____. (A) religion; (B) family;
(C) community; (D) rule of law; (E) rite of passage
5. The definition of a family includes ____. (A) people who form an economic unit and care
for any young; (B) people who consider their identity to be significantly attached to the
group; (C) people who commit to maintaining that group over time; (D) any sexually
expressive, parent-child, or kin relationship; (E) A, B, C, and D.
6. Extended families ____. (A) are the most typical found in most Western societies; (B) are
also known as “two-generation families; (C) include other relations and generations in
addition to the nuclear family; (D) A and B; (E) A and C
7. According to the text, changes in the definition of family in the U.S. have resulted from
____. (A) economic changes; (B) technological advances; (C) gender roles; (D) A and B;
(E) A, B, and C
8. Which of the following is true about contemporary migration patterns? (A) the number of
people living outside their country of birth is larger than at any other time in history;
(B) migrants account for approximately 12% of the world population; (C) affects
primarily the social lives of the migrants rather than the families left behind; (D) A and
B; (E) A and C
9. The most important function of families in any culture is ____. (A) economic;
(B) reproductive; (C) socialization; (D) indoctrination; (E) internalization.
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10. Values and morals develop due to this function of family: (A) indoctrination;
(B) internalization; (C) economic; (D) socialization; (E) identity
11. The following caveats regarding cultural interaction patterns are true except for ____.
(A) all of the major institutions of culture are linked; (B) families within a culture rarely
display differences; (C) families within a given culture are internally homogenous; (D) A
and C; (E) B and C
12. In the United States, which of the following is not true about gender roles? (A) children
learn to differentiate between masculine and feminine activities as infants; (B) around
four years old, children recognize that labels such as boy and girl apply to classes of
people; (C) males are socialized to be aggressive and self-reliant whereas females are
socialized to be nurturing and sensitive; (D) A and B; (E) none
13. Which of the following is not typically true of gender roles in Asian cultures? (A) fathers
tend to get perks which demonstrate status such as being served first at meals, having the
first bath, etc.; (B) women are given more freedom than men; (C) males are responsible
for task functions; (D) females are responsible for social and cultural functions; (E) males
have more “power” than females.
14. For Latino cultures, which of the following is true: (A) the authority of the mother is
seldom questioned or disputed; (B) the father is expected to be the breadwinner and
protector; (C) in the absence of a mother, the power position reverts to the oldest
daughter; (D) behaviors associated with marianismo and machismo are to be avoided;
(E) A, B, C, and D
15. Indian culture is characterized by men ___. (A) as primary wage earners; (B) primary
decision makers; (C) primary decision makers; (D) A and B; (E) A, B, and C
16. For most Muslim communities, which of the following would not be true? (A) Islamic
teachings spell out the roles, rights, and duties of women; (B) fathers and brothers are
expected to assume protection over girls and women; (C) women typically take their
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husband’s name when they marry; (D) men are considered to stronger than women
physically, mentally, and emotionally; (E) none
17. Individualistic cultures ____. (A) encourage people to be unique and independent;
(B) the individual is less important than group; (C) the goals of the group are more
important than self-oriented goals; (D) B and C; (E) A, B, and C
18. Collectivistic cultures: (A) tend to be Western cultures; (B) prefer competition to
cooperation; (C) perceive the individual as a sovereign, stand-alone entity; (D) people
view themselves more as members of groups rather than individuals; (E) B and D
19. According to the text, individualism in the American family is linked to ____. (A) beliefs
regarding the afterlife; (B) the history of the United States; (C) World War I; (D) World
War II; (E) B and C
20. Which of the following practices reflect a collectivist culture? (A) an individual can no
more be separated from family than a finger from a hand; (B) extended family members
help take care of the children; (C) everyone in the family contributes to the common
good; (D) A and C; (E) A, B, and C
21. Collectivist cultures tend to include all of the following except ____. (A) the U.S.;
(B) Asian cultures; (C) Arab cultures; (D) Latino cultures; (E) A and D
22. The Chinese perception of collectivism is deeply rooted in ____. (A) Taoism; (B) Tai
Chi; (C) Confucianism; (D) Bushido; (E) Marxism
23. Of the following, which is true about the elderly? (A) in the U.S., the dominant culture
has a positive view of aging; (B) in Latino culture, the elderly have no authority in the
family; (C) for Arab cultures, prestige and power are associated with age; (D) in Asian
cultures, the elderly are rarely sought for advice; (E) A, B, C, and D
24. Of the following, which is true about aggression? (A) in the U.S., children are typically
encouraged to “stand up for themselves”; (B) in many Asian cultures, the word “no” is
considered aggressive and belligerent; (C) Mexican families discourage aggression
among family members; (D) Native American Indian families seek harmony; (E) A, B,
C, and D
25. Decision-making methods and techniques ____. (A) are learned later in life; (B) tend to
be “person–oriented” in the dominant U.S. culture; (C) tend to be parent-centered in
Asian cultures; (D) B and C; (E) A, B, and C
True/False
1. Deep structures of culture are sources of insight for significant universal questions..
2. Family, community, and religion are the three institutions that make up the deep structure
of culture.
3. Deep structure institutions have little to do with the development of a person’s identity.
4. Community is the principal transmitter of knowledge, values, attitudes, roles, and habits
from one generation to the next.
5. In one form or another, families are found in every culture.
6. Nuclear families are also known as “one generational” families.
7. The definition of family in the U.S. has been stable since the colonial era.
8. Globalization of has had little effect on how family is conceived.
9. Globalized media sources have created an alternative set of values for families
throughout the world.
10. The most important function of family in any culture is reproduction.
11. A society’s economic system and family structures are usually independent of one
another.
12. By observation, imitation, and practice, each family introduces young children to many
of the values and behaviors that are important to a culture.
13. Family is a product of communication as well as a context of communication.
14. The primary influence on gender identity is the mass media.
15. Socially constructed gender expectations for girls and boys frequently translate into
different experiences throughout the life course.
16. In Korea, the legacy of Confucianism made men alone the structurally relevant members
of society and relegated women to social dependence.
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17. Machismo, in Latino culture, is characterized by true valor, courage, generosity, and
concern for others.
18. Marianismo in Latino culture is equivalent to the values of radical feminism expressed in
Western cultures.
19. The preference for a son when a child is born is as old as Indian society.
20. Islam takes it as axiomatic that men are stronger than women, not only physically, but
mentally and morally.
21. Most cultures include a mixture of individualistic and collectivistic elements.
22. Arab culture emphasizes the needs of the group over the needs of an individual.
23. The Chinese perception of collectivism is heavily influenced by Confucianism, and the
interests of society and other groups are more important than family interests.
24. Unlike many other societies, the dominant U.S. culture does not revere the elderly.
25. Historically, the African-American grandmother has played important roles within the
extended family network.
26. “Person–oriented” decision making is less common in the U.S. and other Western cultures
than in Asian cultures.
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Answer: False Content: pg. 88
Short Answer/Essay
1. Explain the notion of “deep structure” in culture. Provide examples of deep structure
institutions.
2. List and explain two of the four reasons that family, community, and religion are so
influential in all cultures.
3. Define family. Why is it important to culture?
4. Compare and contrast the concepts of extended and nuclear families. Provide examples
of cultural differences.
5. How has the concept of family changed in the U.S. over the years?
6. What effect has globalization had on families? Include examples from at least two
cultures.
7. List and explain the functions of family.
8. What is the role of family in socialization and the development of individual identity?
9. What influence does family have in developing cultural gender role?
10. Compare gender roles in the dominant U.S. culture to the roles assigned in two other
cultures presented in chapter 3.
11. How are gender roles changing in the U.S. and elsewhere?
12. Describe the nature of the family in individualistic cultures. How does the family
promote the orientation?
13. Explain the role of family in collectivistic cultures. Provide an example from at least two
other cultures.
14. How are the elderly perceived and treated in different cultures? Compare the dominant
U.S. culture’s attitudes with that of at least two other cultures.
15. What is the role of family in teaching social skills?
16. What are some of the general social skills the family “teaches?”