Social Inheritance

Social Inheritance

Everyone is heir to a social inheritance.

Social inheritance is the set of beliefs and prejudices that you are taught as you grow up, by your parents, schools and the wider society, that explains to your growing brain, "How the world really works".

Your social inheritance will tell you what you should think about the various categories of people such as politicians, the police, the monarchy, immigrants, black people, white people, yellow people, rich people, poor people, Americans, Russians and anyone else on the planet who is not like you.

For example: If you were bought up in one household in a certain end of town, you may be taught that money is the root of all evil, that you should curtsy to the Queen; Americans are brash, the police are corrupt and that we should leave the EU.

On the other hand, if you were bought up in another household, at the other end of town, you may be taught that; money makes the world go around, that the Queen is a relic of an outmoded system of oppressive government, that Americans are terrific because they believe in "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", that you should respect the police and that we should stay in the EU.

Your social inheritance may have a profound effect on your life chances because you will only try to do what you think is possible.

And if you have been brought up to believe that certain things are impossible for "People like us", because "it is not what you know, but who you know" and that the "system is rigged", then your prospects are limited, to the degree to which you believe they are.

The first thing for each person to know, is that each of us inherits a set of beliefs that were handed down to us by our parents, schools, church leaders and the mass media. These beliefs form a MIND SET that is not questioned by the child and they are accepted on faith.

But as the child grows into adulthood, there is a possibility that he or she may not even notice the socially inherited mind set and will continue to run along its tracks like a train to its predetermined destination.

This is social determinism at its worst.

Social determinism is the idea that your whole life is governed by your social class. Karl Marx was the main advocate of social determinism: he taught a ludicrously simple notion that there are two classes, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, the haves and the have-nots, the bosses and the workers. Karl Marx taught that, if you were born into the have-nots, then there was nothing you can do, because the upper classes have rigged the system to keep you in your place. This social determinism is accepted as true by many people and forms the basis of the politics of millions. If you were brought up to believe in Karl Marx, and if you never challenged that social inheritance, then that will change your perception of the world. You would vote labour and you would fight to overthrow the capitalist elites.

But as the child grows, then they MAY decide to challenge their social inheritance. They may choose to NOT follow the politics they were brought up to believe. They may choose to NOT follow the religion they were brought up to believe; they may choose NOT to accept the expected route that was selected for them by their parents.

They may rebel against their social inheritance and make a move to formulate a new theory of "how the world really works".

Your mission is to succeed.

And you can only succeed if you have a pretty accurate idea about the way the world really works. And your social inheritance is probably not 100% correct on that issue.

SO, you need to do a couple of things:

1. Think about, what was your social inheritance. Ask yourself, "Is my social inheritance feeding me a set of prejudices that I don't need".

2. Root out and discard any prejudices that, on reflection, are negative influences.

3. Replace the negative prejudices and negative social programming by something newer, more progressive and more accurate.

4. Especially look out for beliefs that suggest that ALL members of a class of people are BAD people. For example: "All coppers are B******ds!"

5. Be aware that everyone thinks that their version of how the world really works, is the correct version.

6. Continually test and challenge your existing mind set and try to refine and improve it so that every year, you are wiser than the year before.

7. Never think you have the complete answer, because nobody really knows how the world really works.

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason" Francois Voltaire

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Definition: Social inheritance

Social inheritance is the bundle of ideas, attitudes and stories you pick up as a child from parents, teachers and the culture around you. It sets out who to trust, what is possible and how to judge other groups. Because you absorb it before you can question, it feels like fact and guides your choices until you stop, test it and choose new beliefs.

Article Summary

Your life begins with a bundle of ideas handed to you by family, school and the media. This social inheritance tells you what is possible, yet you stay free to test each rule, drop the false ones and choose better beliefs that open doors instead of closing them.

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About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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