The direction of a developing
mind into certain
channels of thinking or acting, by direct or
inadvertant means, when the
mind is still at the beginning phases of
learning, and defenseless against the
concepts thrust upon it. Canalization occurs in every culture, although some
cultures or
groups attempt to actively
influence the thinking of their
children more than others.
Canalization is one of the things that shapes your basic views early in
life, and persists as you grow older. Overcoming
preconceptions and and reconsidering
fundamental ideas imposed by canalization can be challenging
indeed, in that it's difficult to pick out small
discrepancies in a cultural make-up of which you are a part, like trying to examine a pair of
binoculars through the eyepieces.
Ethnologists also face the problems posed by canalization when they study a different culture, because they must attempt to view that culture with purely
objective eyes, untainted by their own canalized
viewpoint, suppressing or recognizing lines of thought which may be so deeply
ingrained as to occur entirely in the
subconscious.