ELEMENTS/ COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

1. Symbols: Anything that carries a particular meaning or recognized by people who share
culture. Like whistle, flashing light, thumbs up are all symbols. Human beings have the capacity
to create symbols with different meanings associated with each. These symbols are used as
means of communication and thereby become part of our language.
Even the buildings, dress, the flag, and a type of color may be taken as symbols that indicate
some aspect of human behavior. Red, green, white, blue, pink, each of the colors stands for
something in the society. Blue jeans are quite commonly used in Pakistan.
2. Language: System of symbols that allows members of a society to communicate with one
another. Symbols may be oral and these could be written words. We have oral cultural traditions.
Human beings have developed different alphabet as part of written language. Language is the
major means of cultural transmission.
3. Norms: Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members.
Following are the Aspects of Norms.
 Cultural Norms are ideally expected manners of behavior. These are goals of society.
What we expect our elders and what our elders expect from us is cultural norms. These r
codes of behavior found in our books, in chest of our elders, in the ideas of parents and
expectations of society.
 Social Norms are socially approved ways of behavior. The ways which are accepted by
people, these norms guide us in our action. They distinguish us as man from animal.
Human beings are controlled and guided by such norms
Types of Norms
Folkways are Mores by W.G.Sumner; (both are customary ways of life and standards of right
and wrong)
 Folkways are norms that arise during the social interaction and handed down from
generation to generation. The basic form of social control ids folkways. Examples can
be: proper dress, appropriate greetings, and common courtesy. People usually ignore the
violation of folkways but frequent violation is not tolerated by the society. The people
punish the violator by laughing at, joking, advising and taunting

 Mores Society’s standards of proper moral conduct. Such standards have been
considered as essential to maintaining a way of life. These are the notions of right or
wrong developed by society. Violation of mores brings a strong reaction from others.
Mores are so important that their boundary sometimes touches the border of Law.

 Law is the formal social norm, it is written custom and part of law books. Law is product
of society according to social condition, and amendments in law are made according to
 social situation. Violation of law doesn’t go unpunished, the violation of criminal law is
called crime and violator is called criminal.
4. Values: are general standards and may be regarded as higher norms. Values differ from
culture to culture. For example faith in Islam and respect for elders is a great value for
Pakistani society, Confucius teachings for Chinese, industrialization for Americans. There
are 2 types of values
 Cultural values: These are hereditary and form core of culture. They shape our culture
and difficult to change as they are embedded in social institutions. They remain in
memory of elders and books. For example; styles of fashion, sacrifice, tolerance,
generosity, telling truth. If cultural values are ignored there will be gap between two
generations

 Social Values: These are current values of the social groups in society and adopted in
their daily life. They accept changes according to social requirements. It is popular
among youth and criticized by the old ones. For example: technical knowledge, computer
literacy, car house are our social values
5. Belief: is an act of sensitive part rather than rational part of our nature. It is related to irrational
part of brain where emotions are dominant. It has two sources one is a value itself and another is
experience in social life. Belief is part of religion and religious activities are based on beliefs,
thus without beliefs religious ceremonies and rituals cannot be performed. For example: In
Islam, the belief in One Allah, the Holy Prophet, the revealed Books, the Angels, the Doomsday,
fate and life after death are the basic beliefs. All the religious activities are based on such beliefs.

MISCELLANEOUS CONCEPTS OF CULTURE

1. Cultural Trait: Trait is the smallest unit of a culture. It exists and functions with the
organization of other related traits. The parts of the watch are traits and all the parts when
organized together they function as whole in watch.
2. Cultural Complex: A cluster of related traits is cultural complex, A number of traits when
organized together to make a cultural complex. A watch, football match, attitudes and actions,
prayer, Hajj, Eid, agricultural system, political party, market system, industrial unit and
examination system are examples of cultural complex.
An institution is a series of complexes, means a number of cultural complexes unite together to
make an institution. Marriage is an institution with betrothal, nikah, dowry, marriage party.
3. Counter-Culture: Cultural patterns that strongly oppose to widely accepted patterns within a
society. A counterculture is a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ from rest of
society and often in opposition to mainstream.

It’saboutthe culture and lifestyle of those people
(especially among the young) who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society.
A countercultural action communicates disagreement, opposition, disobedience or rebellion. A
counterculture rejects or challenges mainstream culture or particular elements of it. Example
could be of hippies, and drug users.

4. Popular Culture: the general culture of a society, including ideas, music, books, and the mass

media, as opposed to high culture. So, popular culture is the accumulation of cultural products
such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, cyber culture, television and radio that are
consumed by the majority of a society's population. Popular culture has mass accessibility. The
term "popular culture" was coined in the 19th century or earlier. Traditionally, it was associated
with lower classes as opposed to the "official culture" of the upper class.
5. High culture: on the other hand, isn't meant for mass consumption nor is it readily available
to everyone. It belongs to the social elite. The fine arts, theater, opera, and intellectual pursuits--
these are associated with the upper socioeconomic strata and require more a high brow approach.
As such, high culture is considered sophisticated while popular culture is often looked down
upon as being superficial. High culture identifies the culture of an upper class (an aristocracy)
or of a status class.
6. Ethnocentrism Sumner defined ethnocentrism “the view in which ones’ own group is the
centre of everything and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it. It means that every
culture considers itself superior to other cultures.
The American think of themselves as the “progressive” while the Eastern cultures call them
immoral. The Pakistani call themselves as brave, hard worker and faithful people. The Arabs call
themselves hospitable. Similarly, the people of every nation feel pride and claim superiority
upon other nations. This sense of pride or superiority upon others is called Ethnocentrism.
Even within a society different social groups are ethnocentric against one another. The
Agriculturalists claim to be superior to Laborers and Businessmen are proud upon the working
class. Similarly, high class officers think themselves higher upon other low class servants. This
feeling of superiority upon others is universal among nations, groups and individuals. This
cultural trait is called Ethnocentrism
Positive Effects of Ethnocentrism
It encourages social solidarity in groups or in society. Those members who are weak, poor,
hopeless and helpless are encouraged by joining hands of ethnocentrism with them
It promotes nationalism and patriotism among the members of society. Caste, Biradri and groups
are developed by ethnocentrism
Negative Effects of Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism creates the tight boundaries among the various groups. The process of social
relations among various groups get slower
The national development in general is slowed down in such cultures where ethnocentrism is
emphasized in books, newspaper, radio and television
Ethnocentrism limits an individual in a small social group to which he belongs. He remains
within the limits of that group and is not influenced by the general social changes happenings
around him in the society.