Defining

Culture
What is CULTURE?
• Refers to the set of beliefs,
ideas, values, practices,
knowledge, history and
shared experiences,
attitudes, as well as
material objects and
possessions accumulated
over time and shared by the
members of the society.
 What is CULTURE?
• According to Edward Tylor,
“Culture refers to that
complex whole which
includes knowledge,
beliefs, art, morals, law,
customs, and any other
capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a
member of society”.
• According to Robert
Redfield, “Culture is an
organized body of
conventional
understanding manifest
in art and artifacts,
which, persisting through
tradition, characterizes a
human group”.
 Types of CULTURE
• Material culture refers to the concrete and
tangible things that man creates and uses. They
range from the prehistoric stone tools of
primitive man to the most advanced computer
of the modern man

• Non-material culture consists of words people

use; the habits they follow; the ideas, customs
and behavior that any society professes and
to which they strive to conform. Laws,
techniques, lifestyle, and knowledge are
included, too.
Characteristics of Culture
1. Culture is
learned.
2. Culture is
shared.
3. Culture is dynamic.
4. Culture is
diverse
5. Culture iscumulative.
Elements of Culture
 Elements of Culture
1. Norms- these are guides or models of behavior
which tell us what is appropriate or inappropriate, what
is right or wrong
Formal Norms – are established, written rules
Informal Norms – casual behaviors that are generally and widely conformed to

a. Folkways- are norms that may be violated without

serious consequences
b. Mores- norms with moral connotations and insist
conformity
 Elements of Culture
1. Norms-
c. Laws – norms that are legally enacted or
reinforced
d. Taboo-A taboo is an activity or behavior that is
forbidden, prohibited or otherwise outside of what is
considered acceptable in society. Taboos are grounded
in morality, and can also be linked to a culture or
religion
Sanctions
- refersto the reactionspeopleget for folowing or breakingthe norms
- Negativesanctionand positivesanction
 Elements of Culture
1. Norms-
c. Laws – norms that are legally enacted or
reinforced

d. Taboo-A taboo is an activity or behavior that is

forbidden, prohibited or otherwise outside of what is
considered acceptable in society. Taboos are
grounded in morality, and can also be linked to a
culture or religion
 Elements of Culture
2.Values- values represent the standards we
use to evaluatethe desirability of things pertain
to what is right or wrong

a. Achievement and Success

b. Activity and work
c. Moral orientation
d. Humanitarian
e. Efficiency and practicality
3.Language
- it refers to a set/ssystem of symbols that have
specific and arbitrary meaning in a given society
and communicate verbally or non-verbally
4. Fashion, fads, and craze- these are other elements of
culture that are short-lived social norms with which
people are expected to comply with
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%20etc.&text=Fads%20are%20mainstream%20objects%2C%20ideas%20or%20beliefs.
4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
1.Culture defines situations.
– Each culture has many
subtle cues which define
each situation
– One does not know what to do
in a situation until he has
defined the situation
2.Culture defines attitudes,
values, and goals.
– Each person learns from his/her
culture what is good, true, and
beautiful
 4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
3.Culture defines myths,
legends, and the
supernatural
– Myths and legends are
important parts of every
culture
– Culture also provides the
individual with a ready-made
view of the universe
– The nature of the divine
power and the important
moral issues are defined by
4 FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
3.Culture provides behaviour
patterns.

If people use culture to advance

their purposes, it is clear that a
culture imposes limits on human and
their activities
Modes of Acquiring Culture

1. Imitation
 Modes of Acquiring Culture

2. Indoctrination
 Modes of Acquiring Culture

3. Conditioning
 Modes of Acquiring Culture

4. Acculturation
 Modes of Acquiring Culture

5. Amalgamation
 DIFFERENT
VIEWPOINTS/
PERSPECTIVE ON
CULTURE
Culture relativism
-cultures differ, so that a
cultural trait, act, or idea
has no meaning but its
meaning only within its
cultural setting.

Culture Shock
It refers to the feelings of
disbelief, disorganization and
frustration one experiences
when he encounters cultural
patterns or practices which are
different from his.
 Ethnocentrism
It refers to the tendency to see the
behaviors, beliefs, values, and norms
of one's own group as the only right
way of living and to judge others by
those standards.

Xenocentrism
It refers to the idea that
what is foreign is best
and that one's lifestyle,
products or ideas are
inferior to those others.
Subculture
This refers to smaller
group which develop
norms,values, beliefs,
and special languages
which make the distinct
from the broader society.
Temporocentrism
-the belief that ones own time is
more important than that of the
past or future

Culture Universal
-found within all known
societies