BED 101: Childhood and Growing Up

4.3. Cultural Dimensions: Social Values, Customs, Traditions, Cultural Institutions

4.3 saaMskRitk pOlaU : saamaaijak maUlyao¸ $ZI¸ prMpra¸saaMskRitk saMsqaa

 Definition of Values
 Young and Mack write, “Values are assumption, largely unconscious, of what is right and
important”.

 Social Values saamaaijak maUlyao :

 Social values form an important part of the culture of the society.
 samaajaacyaa saMskRtIcaa ek mah<vapUNa- Baaga saamaaijak maUlyao GaDvat Asatat.
 Values account for the stability of social order. They provide the general guidelines for
social conduct.
 samaajaasa isqarta doNyaamaQyao maUlyao karNaIBaUt zrtat. maUlyao saamaaijak vat-naasaazI sava-saamaanya maaga-dSa-k t<vao p`dana krtat.
 Values such as fundamental rights, patriotism, respect for human dignity, rationality,
sacrifice, individuality, equality, democracy etc. guide our behaviour in many ways.
 maUlaBaUt h@k¸ raYT/Ba@tI¸ maanavaI p`itYzocaa sanmaana¸ tk-Sa@tI¸ %yaaga¸ vya@tI svaatMHya¸ samaanata¸ laaokSaahI [. maUlyao AapNaasa
Anaok maagaa-naI yaaogya vat-naasaazI maaga-dSa-na krtat.

 Meaning of Social Values saamaaijak maUlyaaMcaa Aqa- :

 Values are the criteria people use in assessing their daily lives; arrange their priorities and
choosing between alternative course of action.
 maanava Aaplyaa dOnaMidna jaIvanaacao maUlyamaapna krNyaasaazI¸ p`aQaanyaaMcao vyavasqaapna krNyaasaazI va kaoNatI hI iËyaa krNyaapUvaI-
]plabQa pyaa-yaaMpOkI inavaD krNyaasaazI jao inakYa vaaprtao tI mhNajao maUlyao.
 They provide the general guidelines for social conduct.
 saamaaijak AacaarasaazI maUlyao maaga-dSa-k saUcanaa p`dana krtat.
 Values provide goals or ends for the members to aim for.
 maUlyao ]d\idYT dSa-vatat.

 Customs $ZI :
 Practices that are followed by many people in a society or culture are termed as customs.
 samaajaamaQyao ikMvaa saMskRtImaQyao Anaok laaokaMkDUna paLlyaa jaaNaa-yaa pQdtIMnaa $ZI Asao saMbaaoQalao jaato.
 Customs are social practices that are common and are followed by most people in a society.
 $ZI yaa saamaaijak pQdtI Aahot jyaa sava-saamaanya Aahot va AiQakaMSa laaokaMkDUna paLlyaa jaatat.
 There are customs that are individual and family based.
 vaOyai@tk va kuTuMbaaQaairt $ZI Aahot.
 Once a practice that a father indulges in is practiced by his son, it qualifies to become a
custom.
 ASaI ek pQdt jaI vaDIlaaMnaI paLNyaasa sau$vaat kolao va itca %yaaMcyaa maulaanao doKIla sau$ zovalaI¸ tr ASaa pQdtIsa $ZI
mhNaUna maanyata imaLto.
 Then there are also local customs that are followed over a particular area only.
 tsaoca kahI sqaainak $ZI Aahot jyaa f@t %yaa xao~apur%yaa mayaa-idt Asatat¸ %yaa ivaiSaYT xao~atca paLlyaa jaatat.
 The most common and universal custom is that of shaking hands with people when a
person is meeting them for the first time.
 savaa-Mt sava-saamaanya va vaOiSvak $ZI mhNajao vya@tIsa p`qamaca BaoTNaa-yaa laaokaMbaraobar hstaMdaolana krNao.

 Traditions prMpra :
 The word tradition comes from a Latin word „tradere’ that means to „deliver‟.
 prMpra mhNajaoca tradition ha Sabd „tradere’ yaa la^TIna SabdapasaUna Aalaa AsaUna %yaacaa Aqa- Aaho „deliver‟ mhNajaoca
‘ivatrNa’.
 It is a custom that is handed over by a generation to the coming generation and one that has
 been passed down over successive generations.
 eka ipZIkDUna dusa-yaa ipZIkDo va yaSasvaI ir%yaa Anaok ipZyaaMpya-Mt $javat paLlyaa jaatat %yaasaca prMpra Asao mhNatat.
 A religious or social custom that has been passed down over generations becomes a
tradition.
 Qaaima-k ikMvaa saamaaijak $ZI jaovha Anaok ipZyaaMpya-Mt $javaUna jatna kolaI jaato¸ tI kalaaMtranao prMpra banato.
 It seems that customs slowly and gradually take the shape of traditions as they continue to
be handed down the generations.
 mhNajaoca $ZI yaa kalaaMtranao va hLUhLU prMprocaa $p Gaotat karNa ipZyaa na\ ipZyaa ekmaokaMkDUna %yaa hstaMtrIt haotat.
 For e.g. the rituals in a marriage ceremony, religious ceremonies.
 ]da. lagnaamaQyao haoNaaro ivaQaI¸ Qaaima-k kaya-Ëma.
 Cultural Institutions: saaMskRitk saMsqaa:
 A cultural institution or cultural organization is an organization within a
culture/sub-culture that works for the preservation or promotion of culture.
 saaMskRitk saMsqaa ikMvaa saaMskRitk saMGaTnaa ho saMskRtI ikMvaa ]psaMskRtImaQaIla ek saMGaTna Aaho jao saMskRtIcao jatna ikMvaa saMvaQa-na
krNyaasaazI kaya- krto.
 The term is especially used of public and charitable organizations, but its range of meaning
can be very broad.
 saava-jainak va Qama-daya saMGaTnaaMsaazI ivaSaoYat: Sabd vaaprlaa jaatao¸ maa~ %yaacyaa Aqaa-caI vyaaPaI maaozI Aaho.
 Examples of cultural institutions in modern society are museums, libraries and archives,
churches, art galleries.
 saMga`halayao¸ ga`M̀qaalayao va saMga`h¸ cacao-sa\¸ klaa dalanao hI AaQauinak samaajaatIla saaMskRitk saMsqaaMcaI ]dahrNao haot.
 Impact of Cultural Dimension on Development: ivakasaavar saaMskRitk pOlaUcaa pirNaama :
 Values provide for stabilities and uniformities in group interaction.
 They hold the society together because they are shared in common.
 Some sociologists argue that shared values form the basis for social unity.
 They will therefore, have a sense of belonging to a social group.
 They will feel a part of the wider society.
 maUlyao samaUhasa isqar%va tsaoca AMt-iËyaomaQyao eksaarKopNaa p`dana krtat.
 to samaajaasa ek~ baaMQaUna zovatat karNa saamaa[-kpNao sava-jaNa to paLlao jaatat.
 kahI samaajatj&aMcaa tk- Aaho kI saamaa[-k maUlyao saamaaijak eO@yaacaa payaa baaMQatat.
 %yaamauLoca %yaaMcyaamaQyao AapNa eka samaaijak gaTaSaI saMbaMQaIt AsalyaacaI Baavanaa Asaola.
 %yaaMnaa AapNa eka vyaapk samaajaacaa Baaga AsalyaacaI jaaNaIva hao[-la.
 maUlyao samaUhasa isqar%va tsaoca AMt-iËyaomaQyao eksaarKopNaa p`dana krtat.
 to samaajaasa ek~ baaMQaUna zovatat karNa saamaa[-kpNao sava-jaNa to paLlao jaatat.
 kahI samaajatj&aMcaa tk- Aaho kI saamaa[-k maUlyao saamaaijak eO@yaacaa payaa baaMQatat.
 %yaamauLoca %yaaMcyaamaQyao AapNa eka samaaijak gaTaSaI saMbaMQaIt AsalyaacaI Baavanaa Asaola.
 %yaaMnaa AapNa eka vyaapk samaajaacaa Baaga AsalyaacaI jaaNaIva hao[-la.

 Impact of Cultural Dimension on childhood and growing up:

 Having a strong cultural identity enhances children’s self-concept and promotes a sense of
connectedness and belonging.
 Children’s cultural identity is nurtured when they learn about their own cultural traditions
and when those around them show respect for their cultural values.
 Teaching children to respect and appreciate variations and differences between cultures is
very important for all children’s social development.
 Children from minority cultural groups can encounter differences between the rules and
expectations required at school and those they are used to at home.
 When the differences are not acknowledged, or when the cultural traditions children
identify with are ignored or minimised, it can negatively affect children‟s cultural identity
development and sense of belonging.
 Children from minority cultures may be subjected to stereotyping and discrimination on the
 basis of their ethnicity, religion, gender, appearance, social class or sexuality.
 Discrimination and bullying can have serious effects on children‟s mental health and
wellbeing as well as their social development.
 By contrast, overcoming discrimination has been found to have positive effects on
self-concept.
 It is very important for parents, carers and school staff to encourage and support children to
take positive action against discrimination and bullying by speaking up and reporting
incidents.

 Conclusion:
 The society and culture in which one grows up influence everything from
developmental milestones and parenting styles to what kinds of hardship one is more
likely to face.
 While biological milestones such as puberty tend to be universal across cultures, social
milestones, such as the age at which children begin formal schooling or individuate
from their parents, can differ greatly from one culture to the next.
 Effective parenting styles also vary as a function of culture.

 References:
Mondal, P. (2015). The Meaning and Functions of Social Values | Sociology. Retrieved 29
March, 2016 from
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/the-meaning-and-functions-of-social-va
lues-sociology/8522/
Kids Matter. (2013). About Social Development. Retrieved 29, March 2016 from
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/sites/default/files/public/KMP_C3_CSD_AboutSocialDevel
opment.pdf

Difference between customs and traditions. (2012). Retrieved 3 April, 2016 from
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-customs-and-vs-traditions/

Ms. Gauri Ratnakar Varade,

Assistant Professor,
Adarsha Comprehensive College of Education and Research, Pune 04