Culture

Meanings

Definition: Culture is a shared system of meanings. This means that the members of a culture share a
common understanding of the world and how to behave in it. This understanding is transmitted through
a variety of ways, such as language, customs, and traditions.

Explanation: Culture is a shared system of meanings because it is created and maintained through social
interactions. When we interact with others, we share our beliefs, values, and experiences. This helps to
create a shared understanding of the world and how to behave in it.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture as a shared system of meanings:

The language that we speak is a shared system of meanings. When we speak to each other, we are using
words that have a shared meaning. This allows us to communicate with each other and to understand
each other's thoughts and feelings.

Beliefs

Definition: Culture is a shared system of beliefs. This means that the members of a culture share a
common understanding of what is true and what is false. These beliefs are transmitted through a variety
of ways, such as language, customs, and traditions.

Explanation: Culture is a shared system of beliefs because it is created and maintained through social
interactions. When we interact with others, we share our beliefs and values. This helps to create a
shared understanding of the world and how to behave in it.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture as a shared system of beliefs:

Religious beliefs: Religious beliefs are a common example of a shared system of beliefs. Members of a
religious group share a common understanding of the nature of God or gods, the meaning of life, and
the afterlife.

Values

Definition: Culture is a shared system of values. This means that the members of a culture share a
common understanding of what is important and what is not. These values are transmitted through a
variety of ways, such as language, customs, and traditions.

Explanation: Culture is a shared system of values because it is created and maintained through social
interactions. When we interact with others, we share our beliefs and values. This helps to create a
shared understanding of the world and how to behave in it.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture as a shared system of values:

The value of family: Many cultures place a high value on family. This may mean that family members are
expected to live close together and to support each other financially and emotionally.

Behaviours

Definition: Culture is a shared system of behaviors. This means that the members of a culture share a
common understanding of how to behave in certain situations. These behaviors are transmitted through
a variety of ways, such as language, customs, and traditions.

Explanation: Culture is a shared system of behaviors because it is created and maintained through social
interactions. When we interact with others, we learn how they behave in certain situations. This helps
us to develop our own understanding of how to behave in a culturally appropriate way.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture as a shared system of behaviors:

Greeting behaviors: Different cultures have different greeting behaviors. In some cultures, it is
customary to shake hands when you meet someone for the first time. In other cultures, it is customary
to bow or to kiss each other on the cheek.

Culture is...

Relative

Definition: Cultural relativism is the idea that a person's beliefs and practices should be understood
based on that person's own culture. This means that we should not judge other cultures based on our
own standards, but should try to understand them on their own terms.

Explanation: Cultural relativism is based on the idea that cultures are different and that there is no one
"right" way to live. What is considered right or wrong, good or bad, in one culture may not be the same
in another. For example, in some cultures, it is considered perfectly acceptable to eat dog meat, while in
other cultures, it is considered taboo.

Examples: Here are some examples of cultural relativism:

In some cultures, it is considered rude to make direct eye contact when speaking to someone, while in
other cultures, it is considered a sign of respect.

Learned

Definition: Culture is learned behavior. This means that we do not inherit our culture from our parents
or from our genes. Instead, we learn our culture through a process of socialization, which is the process
of learning the norms, values, and beliefs of our society.

Explanation: Socialization begins at a very early age. We learn our culture from our parents, our
teachers, our friends, and the media. We learn how to speak, how to dress, how to eat, how to behave,
and how to think. We also learn our culture's values, such as what is considered right and wrong, good
and bad, beautiful and ugly.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture being learned:

Children learn their culture's language by listening to their parents and other adults speak.

Children learn their culture's norms and values by observing the behavior of the adults around them.

Collective

Definition: Culture is collective because it is shared by a group of people. This means that the norms,
values, and beliefs of a culture are not unique to any one individual, but are shared by the members of
the group

Explanation: Culture is collective because it is created and maintained through social interactions. When
we interact with others, we share our beliefs, values, and experiences. This helps to create a shared
understanding of the world and how to behave in it.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture being collective:

The language that we speak is a collective creation. It is passed down from generation to generation and
is constantly evolving.

Changes over time

Definition: Culture changes over time because it is constantly being influenced by a variety of factors,
such as technology, economics, politics, and social movements.

Explanation: Culture is not static. It is constantly evolving and changing in response to the forces of the
world around it. For example, the invention of the printing press led to the spread of literacy and the
rise of new ideas. The Industrial Revolution led to the growth of cities and the decline of rural areas. The
Civil Rights Movement led to changes in the way that people of color were treated in the United States.

Examples: Here are some examples of how culture has changed over time:

The way we communicate has changed dramatically over the past few decades. We now communicate
with each other through email, text messaging, social media, and video chat.

Complex responsive process

Definition: Culture is a complex responsive process because it is created and maintained through the
interactions of individuals. These interactions are not always predictable, and they can lead to the
emergence of new patterns of behavior and meaning.

Explanation: Complex responsive processes theory (CRPS) is a social theory that emphasizes the
importance of interactions between individuals in the creation and maintenance of culture. CRPS argues
that culture is not a static thing, but is constantly being created and recreated through these
interactions.

Examples: Here are some examples of culture being a complex responsive process:
The way that we talk to each other is a complex responsive process. When we talk to each other, we are
constantly responding to each other's words and actions. This can lead to the emergence of new
patterns of conversation and meaning.