Today We Will Discuss

Culture
Development of culture
 Definition and characteristics of Culture
Types of Culture
Material and non-material culture
Ideal and real culture
Elements of culture
i. Beliefs ii. Values iii. Norms
 Development of culture
The development of culture is a continuous process. The
sequence of changes in physical, cognitive, and social changes
that human organisms undergo from the moment of conception
through adulthood and old age.
Innovation: Process of introducing new idea or object to a
culture.
Discovery: making known or sharing existence of an aspect
of reality.
Invention: when existing cultural items are combined into a
form that did not exist before.
Diffusion: process by which a cultural item spreads from
group to group or society to society.
McDonalization: process through which the principles of
the fast-food industry have come to dominate certain sectors of
society. Technology: information about how to use the material
resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires
 Development of Culture
The Development of Culture is more than a glove going on the
hand, it plays a role in all aspects of development
The intimate connections between culture and
development begin before birth and continue throughout
life. Culture is the specific medium of human life,
through which the interactions between biology
and the child’s experiences with the environment are
mediated. The overall process of development is an emergent
process which requires the interweaving of several different
threads: biological changes, social changes, and psychological
changes, which can take place only in the medium of culture.
 What is Culture?
 The word culture has been
taken from the Latin word
colo, -ere, with its root
meaning "to cultivate". Which
means to grow or to adopt:
 Culture has been called
"the way of life for an
entire society." As such, it
includes codes of manners,
dress, language, religion,
rituals, norms of behaviors
and systems of belief.
 What is Culture?
 Culture refers to the total
lifestyle of a people,
including all of their
ideas, values, knowledge,
behaviors, and material
objects that they share
 Culture shapes and
guides people’s
perception of reality
 Definition of Culture:
Taylor's definition of culture:
Culture is that Complex whole in
which includes our knowledge,
belief, arts, morals, law, custom,
and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a
member of society.

Lassiter’s definition of culture:

A shared and negotiated system of
meaning informed by knowledge that
people learn and put into practice by
interpreting experience and generating
behavior.
 Culture determines

 Food we eat
 Clothing
 Music
 Games we play
 How to express
emotions
 What is good or bad
 What is high or low
culture (if any)
 Characteristics of Culture:
i.Culture is learned:
Cultural learning is unique to humans.
Cultural learning is the accumulation of
knowledge about experiences and information
not perceived directly by the organism, but
transmitted to it through symbols.
Culture is learned through both direct
instruction and observation (both conscious
and unconscious).
Culture is shared:
Culture is located and transmitted in groups.
The social transmission of culture tends to
unify people by providing us with a common experience.
The commonalty of experience in turn tends to generate a common
understanding of future events.
Characteristics of Culture:

Culture Is Symbolic:
The human ability to use symbols is
the basis of culture .A symbol is anything
that is used to represent any other thing,
when the relationship between the two
is arbitrary (e.g., a flag).
Only humans have elaborated cultural abilities
to learn, to communicate, to store, to process,
and to use symbols.
Culture is Integrated:
A culture is a system: changes in one aspect
will likely generate changes in other aspects.
Core values are sets of ideas, attitudes, and beliefs
that are basic in that they provide an organizational
logic for the rest of the culture.
Types of Culture:

Material Culture:
Material culture refers to the physical
objects, resources, and spaces that people
use to define their culture. These include
homes, cities, schools, churches,
synagogues, temples, mosques,
offices, factories and plants, tools,
means of production, goods and products,
stores, and so forth. All of these physical
aspects of a culture help to define
its members' behaviors and perceptions.
Material culture includes the objects
associated with cultural group, such as tools,
machines, buildings, and artwork.
Non-Material Culture:
Non-material culture refers to the nonphysical
ideas that people have about their culture,
including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals,
language, organizations, and institutions.
For instance, the non-material cultural concept
of religion consists of a set of ideas and
beliefs about God, worship, morals, and ethics.
These beliefs, then, determine how the culture
responds to its religious topics, issues, and
events. When considering non-material culture,
sociologists refer to several processes that a
culture uses to shape its members' thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors. Four of the most important of these are
symbols, language, values, and norms.
 Elements of Culture
Culture includes within itself elements that
make up the essence of a society or a
social group. The major ones include:
 Symbols
Values
Norms (Mores & Folkways)
Language.
Sanction
Government/Laws
 Elements of Culture

Symbols
Symbols are the central components of culture.
Symbols refer to anything to which people attach
meaning and which they use to communicate with
others. More specifically, symbols are words, objects, \
gestures, sounds or images that represent something
else rather than themselves. Symbolic thought is unique
and Crucial to humans and to culture. It is the human
ability to give a thing or event an arbitrary meaning and grasp
and appreciate that meaning. There is no obvious natural or
necessary connection between a symbol and what it
symbolizes.
 Elements of Culture
Values

Values are essential elements of non-material culture. They may be

defined as general, abstract guidelines for our lives, decisions, goals,
choices, and actions. They are shared ideas of a groups or a society as
to what is right or wrong, correct or incorrect, desirable or
undesirable, acceptable or unacceptable, ethical or unethical, etc.,
regarding something. They are general road maps for our lives. Values
are shared and are learned in group. They can be positive or negative.
For example, honesty, truth – telling, respect for others, hospitality,
helping those in need, etc. are positive values. Examples of negative
values include theft, indecency, disrespect, dishonesty, falsehood,
frugality, etc. Values are dynamic, meaning they change over time.
They are also static, meaning they tend to persist without any
significant modification. Values are also diversified, meaning they vary
from place to place and culture to culture.
 Elements of Culture
Norms (Mores & Folkways)
Norms are also essential elements of culture. They are
implicit principles for social life, relationship and
interaction. Norms are detailed and specific rules for
specific situations. They tell us how to do something,
what to do, what not to do, when to do it, why to do it,
etc. Norms are derived from values. That means, for
every specific norm, there is a general value that
determines its content. Individuals may not act according
to the defined values and norms of the group. Therefore,
violation of values and norms and deviating from the standard
values and norms are often common. Social norms may be
divided into two categories ,such as Mores & Folkways
 Elements of Culture

Norms (Mores & Folkways)

Mores:
Mores are important and stronger social norms for
existence, safety, well-being and continuity of the
society or the group or society. Violation of, and
deviation from these kinds of norms, may result in
serious reactions form the groups. The strongest norms
are regarded as the formal laws of a society or a group.
Formal laws are written and codified social norms. The
other kinds of mores are called conventions.
Conventions are established rules governing behavior;
they are generally accepted ideals by the society.
Conventions may also be regarded as written and
signed agreements between nations to govern the
behaviors of individuals, groups and nations.
 Elements of Culture
Norms (Mores & Folkways)
Folkways
“Folkways are simply the customary, normal habitual ways a group
does things .” Shaking hands on contract, eating with right hands,
wearing caps, putting on bangles and ear rings by women are few of
our Pakistani folkways .The ways of life developed by a group of
people. They are detailed and minor instructions, traditions or rules for
day-to-day life that help us function effectively and smoothly as
members of a group. Here, violating such kinds of norms may not
result in a serious punishment unlike violating mores. They are less
morally binding. In other words, folkways are appropriate ways of
behaving and doing things. Examples may include table etiquette,
dressing rules, walking, talking, Etc. Conformity to folkways usually
occurs automatically without any national analysis and is based upon
custom passed from generation to generation..
 Elements of Culture
Language :
language, a system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures,
and written symbols, is probably the most significant component of
culture because it allows us to communicate.
Language is so important that many have argued that it shapes not
only our communication but our perceptions of how we see things as
well.
Government/Laws:
rules made and enforced by the government of a country
Sanctions:
Sanctions are penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a
social norm Conformity to a norm can lead to positive sanctions
such as pay raise, a medal, a word of gratitude, or a pat on a
back .Sanctions help to establish social control, the formal and
informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and
norms and thus increase social cohesion.