Abstract
Cultural attachment (CA) refers to processes that allow culture and its symbols to provide psychological security when facing threat. Epistemologically, whereas we currently have an adequate predictivist model of CA, it is necessary to prepare for a mechanistic approach that will not only predict, but also explain CA phenomena. Toward that direction, we here first examine the concepts and mechanisms that are the building blocks of both the prototypical maternal attachment as well as CA. Based on existing robust neuroscience models we associate these concepts and mechanisms with bona fide neurobiological functions to advance an integrative neurobiological model of CA. We further discuss the unresolved relationship of CA to other similar socio-cognitive concepts such as familiarity. Overall aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of integrating CA theory to computational approaches to culture and evolution (such as predictive processing computations explaining niche construction), as this will allow a dynamic interpretation of cultural processes.
Highlights
Cultural attachment (CA) refers to processes that allow culture and its symbols to provide psychological security when facing threat
We take a functional perspective by analyzing cultural experiences through the lens of “cultural attachment” (CA), addressing an individual’s bond with culture, and suggesting how that bond is mediated by biological mechanisms
What is the relationship of CA with attachment as well as other similar concepts? Secondly, what are the neuro-computational mechanisms that could contribute to the development of CA?
Summary
Given the complexity of attachment, dedicated neural circuits of attachment have not been isolated and are posited to be inexistent (Coan, 2008, 2016). Several experiments using an affective priming paradigm, where participants are first threatened and exposed to their secure base, have shown that symbolic representations (such as a painting of a mother holding a child or a wellknown cultural landmark) are effective at mitigating responses to threatening stimuli (Banse, 1999, 2001; Mikulincer and Shaver, 2001; Mikulincer et al, 2001b, 2002b; Beckes et al, 2010; Eisenberg et al, 2011; Hong et al, 2013) This is an important finding because it introduces a way to systematically test the efficacy of attachment in adults and aids the extension of attachment to other domains, as cognitive representations introduce a meaningful way to discuss attachment to in-tangible aspects. Culture can be interpreted to act as a secure base to individuals
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