In Beck’s usage, “culture” designates an external system of social expectations that are placed on an individual. One’s family, religion, and society at large are cited as the sources and contexts of these cultural systems. In The Way of Integrity, “culture” carries a negative connotation, as opposed to the more varied set of values it can imply in broader usage: “It is,” Beck writes, “a force that can tear [your nature] apart” (xvi).

Culture is thus used to denote an external system of social pressure exerted on the individual, with the effect of forcing one to repress one’s own desires and goals in order to conform to the culture’s expectations. As such, culture is a system from which one should seek liberation, so as to better express one’s own deepest values rather than simply conforming to the values expected by the culture.

“Hellgate” is a term Beck coins to describe the thoughts, events, or psychological issues that cause the strongest reactions of pain, fear, and avoidance in a person’s life. The term is inspired by Dante’s journey, as he enters hell’s inferno by means of a gate. The only way to ultimate healing and wholeness, Beck insists, is to go through that gate—that is, to face head-on the thoughts and issues we would rather avoid so that we can be liberated from the hold they have over us.