Culture as a stressor: A revised model of biocultural interaction

Abstract

Contemporary urban societies display in high relief the action of social stratification on human biology. Recent studies of biological responses to urban environments and of socioeconomically disadvantaged people indicate that culture allocates risks disproportionately to some individuals and groups within society through its constituent values and related patterns of behavior. Although risk allocation is present in all societies, it is very clear in urban environments within stratified societies where high exposure to harmful materials is many times more likely for some segments of society. In urban environments, culture may be seen as adding stressors to the environment by concentrating naturally occurring materials to levels that are toxic to humans and through the creation of new toxic materials. In stratified societies the risk of exposure to these new stressors is focused on the socioeconomically disadvantaged. This exposure has consequences that increase the likelihood of more exposure and more socioeconomic disadvantage, thereby increasing social stratification. This suggests that models of biocultural interaction include a feedback relationship in which biological factors influence the sociocultural system in addition to the usual action of the sociocultural system on biological features and responses. This model strongly reinforces the view that stressors can originate from cultural arrangements.

Coping and the biosocial consequences of food insecurity in the 21st century

“…Another important area of research that overlaps with biological anthropologists' interests in health lies in the link between food insecurity and chronic disease. Anthropologists are asking important questions about persistent challenges to population health and the pathways through which environmental context shapes biological outcomes, producing health disparities (Schell, 1997;Worthman and Kohrt, 2005;Kuzawa and Sweet, 2008;Hruschka, 2009). Chronic and infectious diseases are areas of interest for biological anthropologists, particularly the relationship between food insecurity and the incidence, prevalence, and progression of illness.…”

Analysis and Influence of Demographic and Risk Factors on Difficult Child Behaviors

“…Risk vulnerability represents the extent to which a given risk factor differentially relates to a particular outcome such as difficult child behavior. Several researchers have found that risk factors are associated with the most vulnerable members of society (Schell 1997). …”

“…Thus, a concentration of physical and social risks is often focused on the most vulnerable population strata in many cultures (Evans 2001; Evans and Kantrowitz 2002; Schell 1997). Although there is a need to determine some invariant predictors that are usable in large scale research and intervention studies, it is equally vital to understand the context-specific aspects of risk factors.…”

Examining Childhood Development in Contaminated Urban Settings

“…Exposure to stimuli can increase intelligence quotient scores (32). Parental educational and stress levels, exposure to chronic noise, and the parent's daily living practices, such as the amount and type of attention given to the child, all contribute to learning and behavior patterns (34,35). Therefore, it is necessary for researchers to control for the differences in parental stimulation and social learning and the circumstances that can potentially modify intellect and developmental skills.…”