STUDYING DIVERSITY AND SHARING IN CULTURE - AN EXAMPLE OF LIFE-STYLE IN BRAZIL

The structure and distribution of cultural models within social groups have been studied in a variety of domains using a variety of methods. In this article we examine cultural models of lifestyle in Brazil; he re, lifestyle is defined as the accumulation of consumer goods and the adoption of behaviors that help to define one's social identity. Thre e issues are examined: (1) the structure and distribution of models of culturally appropriate lifestyles; (2) the association of these cultu ral models with actual behaviors, along with those factors that promot e or inhibit adhering to the cultural ideal; and (3) the utility of us ing the Romney-Weller-Batchelder cultural consensus model for studying lifestyles. Results indicate that cultural models of lifestyle are hi ghly structured and widely shared across socioeconomic groups. Further more, a variety of economic, social, and psychological variables influ ence the individual's approximation to the cultural ideal. These resul ts indicate that the extent to which cultural meaning systems are shar ed must be determined empirically and that both group-level and indivi dual-level variability must be taken into account. The methods used he re may prove useful in the investigation of a variety of cultural doma ins.