Chapter 3

Culture

What kinds of things come to mind, when

we mention the word CULTURE?

Can animals have culture?

Culture

All that human beings learn to do, to use,

to produce, to know, and to believe as
they grow to maturity and live out their
lives in the social groups to which they
belong.

Culture and Biology

Human beings acquire the means to meet their

needs through culture.
Example:
Although human infants cry when hungry, the
responses to the cries vary.
In some groups, infants are breast-fed; in
others, they are fed prepared milk formulas
from bottles; and in still others, they are fed
according to the mothers preference.
Culture is shared, and
Transmitted from one generation to the next

Culture Shock

The difficulty people have adjusting to a

new culture that differs markedly from
their own.

Ethnocentrism

When one makes judgments about other

cultures based on the customs and
values of one's own.
An Iranian female in a meeting with
students at FIU

Ethnocentrism and what we eat!

Ethnocentrism and what we value!

Cultural Relativism

Recognizing cultures must be understood

on their own terms before valid
comparisons can be made.

With which cultural background do

you identify with the most? Choose
only one.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

Anglo (white, non-Hispanic)

Hispanic
African American, black
Native American (American Indian)
Asian
Other

Components of Culture

Material culture (objects)

Nonmaterial culture (rules)
Cognitive culture (shared beliefs)
Language

Material Culture

Everything human beings make and use.

Material culture allows humans to cope
with extreme environments and survive in
all climates.
Material culture has made human beings
the dominant life form on earth.

Nonmaterial Culture

Knowledge, beliefs, values, and rules for

appropriate behavior.
Elements of nonmaterial culture:

Norms
Mores
Folkways
Values

Question

Do you favor or oppose an amendment

to the U.S. Constitution that would make
English the official language of the
United States?
A. Favor
B. Oppose
C. No opinion

Norms

The rules of behavior that are agreed

upon and shared within a culture and that
prescribe limits of acceptable behavior.
Norms define normal expected behavior
and help people achieve predictability in
their lives.

Mores

Strongly held norms that usually have a

moral connotation and are based on the
central values of the culture.
Violations produce strong negative
reactions, often supported by the law.
Examples: sexual molestation of a child,
rape, murder, incest, and child beating.

Folkways

Norms that permit a wide degree of

individual interpretation as long as certain
limits are not overstepped.
People who violate folkways are seen as
peculiar but they rarely elicit a strong
public response.

The way we dress, the music we listen to, or

the good manners can be considered
folkways.

Ideal and Real Norms

Ideal norms - expectations of what

people should do under perfect
conditions.
Real norms - Norms that are expressed
with qualifications and allowances for
differences in individual behavior.

Values

A cultures general orientations

toward lifeits notions of what is
good and bad, what is desirable and
undesirable.

Language and Culture

Language makes it possible for humans

to share culture.
Animals are controlled by their biology,
but human behavior is determined by
culture and language.
Children learn culture through language,
socialization, and role models.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The language a person uses determines their

perception of reality.
Different languages classify experiences
differently.
Example: The Hopi Indians
Two words for waterpahe (water in a
natural state) and keyi (water in a container).
One word to cover every thing or being that
flies, except birds.
Perceptions of time

Symbol

Anything representing something else,

carrying a particular meaning recognized
by members of a culture.

Can you think of some common symbols we

use in the United States?
Symbols are entirely arbitrary and rely on
cultural conventions for their meaning.
Swastikas
Mourning

Symbols in Cyberspace
:-) smile

|^o Snoring

:-( sad

:-@ Screaming

:-0 wow

%-) Dazed or silly

:-X my lips are sealed %*} Drunk

LOL laughing out
loud
:-|| I am angry

%-( Confused
:-C Astonished

Culture and Adaptation

Culture is the primary means by which

humans adapt to the challenges of their
environment.
We are culture producing, culture
transmitting, and culture dependent.
Take away culture and the human
species would perish.

Mechanisms of Cultural
Change

Two mechanisms are responsible for

cultural change:
Innovation new concepts, ideas, and
material objects.
Diffusion - the movement of cultural traits
from one culture to another.

Innovation

Invention - recombining elements already

available to a society.
Discovering new concepts.
Finding new solutions to old problems.
Devising and making new material
objects.

Diffusion

Results when people from one group or

society come into contact with another.
Diffusion is marked by reformulation, in
which a trait is modified in some way so
that it fits better in its new context.

Cultural Lag

The phenomena through which new

patterns of behavior emerge even though
they conflict with traditional values.

Subcultures

Distinctive lifestyles, values, norms, and

beliefs of certain segments of the
population within a society.
Types of subcultures include: ethnic,
occupational, religious, political,
geographic, social class and deviant.

Cultural Universals
Developed to solve common societal
problems:
Division of labor
Incest taboo
Marriage
Family organization
Rites of passage

Families

Families differ between cultures depending on

who is allowed to marry and how many spouses
are allowed.
The basic family unit of husband, wife, and
children is recognized in almost every culture.
Sexual relations among a family (other than
between husband and wife) are almost
universally taboo.

Functions of the Incest Taboo

Helps keep sexual jealousy under control.

Prevents the confusion of authority
relationships in the family.
Ensures family offspring will marry into
other families, creating a network of
social bonds.

Rites of Passage

Standardized rituals marking life transitions.

Examples of rites of passage:

Baptisms
Bar and bat mitzvahs
Graduation
Wedding ceremonies
Funerals and wakes

Functions of Rites of
Passage

Help the individual achieve a social

identity.
Map out the individuals life course.
Aid the individual in making life plans.
Provide people with a context to share
emotions.

Ideologies

Beliefs and values that help groups maintain

identity as a social unit.
Examples of deeds performed in the name of an
ideology:

Thirteenth-century crusaders
Abolitionists, prohibitionists, trade
unionists,
Civil rights activists, feminists,
environmentalists

Culture and Individual Choice

Culture tells humans what to do, how to

do it, and when it should be done.
Humans have more individual freedom of
action than any other creature.
Society and culture limit choices and
make it difficult to act in ways that deviate
from cultural norms.