Elements of Culture

Society and Culture

 Culture—set of rules that guide our behavior
 Made up of our beliefs, history, knowledge, language, moral principles, skills, et
cetera

 Society-
 large number of people who
 1. live in the same area
 2. see themselves as separate and different from people outside their territory.
 3. Participate in a common culture.

 A Society consists of social interactions among people who think of themselves as

similar.
Cultural Traits
 Cultural Trait – single object, action, or belief.
 Wedding Ring, handshake, the belief that washing one’s hands helps prevent the spread
of germs.
 Cultural traits usually combine to form culture complexes.
 Culture Complex – set of interrelated traits.
 All people eat, and many cultural traits surround this action.
 Napkin in lap, use a fork instead of your hands, chew with your mouth closed, TIP your waiter
Key Elements of Culture
 All cultures consist of the same key elements:
 Values – Broad, abstract, and basic ideas that reflect
what is considered good, desirable, important, right,
preferred, and proper in a culture.
 Freedom of Expression
 Strong Families
 Competition
 Loyalty to a leader
 Religious beliefs
 Norms – are the guidelines
people follow in their relation
with one another. (shared
standards of behavior).
Key Elements of Culture
 Norms are divided into two categories according to strictness of enforcement.

• Folkways – everyday group habits and conventions

that people obey without giving them much thought.
• Greetings
• Replying to invitations
• Child-raising customs
• Mores – norms that have powerful moral
significance attached to them (moral standards).
• Incest, murder, stealing
• Take care of the homeless
• Lets be honest!
Key Elements of Culture
 A society enforces norms with…
 Laws—written rules of conduct that are enacted and enforced by governments.
 May formalize folkways (no littering) and relate to mores (against murder).
 Marriage and Divorce Laws
 Laws against Murder
 Sanctions—rewards or punishments (2 Types)
 Informal-given by individuals or groups
 Employee of the Week (positive)
 Being grounded by a parent (negative)
 Formal-given by organizations or bodies, such as governments, police, schools.
 Medals for athletic performance (positive)
 Fines for traffic violations (negative)
Key Elements of Culture
 Symbols—commonly understood gestures, words, sounds, objects, colors,
or designs that have come to stand for something else.
 Words, maps, diagrams, traffic signs, logos, national anthems, emergency
vehicle siren
 Languages—organization of written or spoken symbols into standardized system with
rules for putting symbols together
 Nonverbal signs—can communicate across languages
 A Culture’s definition of reality comes from their knowledge and beliefs…
 Knowledge—attempts to define what exists, or the reality of the world.
 Beliefs—theories and ideas about physical and social world
 Not all beliefs can be proven.
 Sociologists are interested in how people decide what to count as knowledge
and what to count as beliefs.
 Knowledge or Beliefs???
 History, Science, Medicine, Skills needed to perform the work of the society, ways of
doing things, ways of making things