LESSON 1:

HOW CULTURE
SHAPES
HUMAN
BEHAVIOR
WHAT IS
CULTURE
Culture is a complex phenomenon. Since human beings
are naturally social creatures, we as people, are also
naturally drawn to participate in culture. Being part of
social group not only feeds our need to be accepted, it
also increase human being’s chances to survive. Thus,
because of the safety in numbers that being part of a
group provides, human beings learned to modify
behaviors to match that which their cultural group deem
accepted.
Whenever the populace crowds together at any
public gathering in the assembly, the law-courts, the
theater, or the camp, and sits their clamoring it’s
approval and disapproval, both alike excessive of
whatever is being said or done; booing and clapping
till the rocks ring and the whole palace redoubles the
noise of their applause and outcries. (Plato’s
Republic, trans. By F.M> Conford, 1966)
ELEMENTS OF
CULTURE
SYMBOLS
Symbols can be anything that a
group of people find meaningful.

LANGUAGE
Is a complex symbol system that
enabled human beings to communicate either
verbally or through writing.
BELIEFS
Are assumptions or convictions held to be
true by an individual or a group of people. These
assumption/convictions could be events, peoples, or
things.

VALUES
Are culturally acceptable standards or
behaviors. It is what a person considers important or
beneficial in life.
NORM
Is an informal guideline by a particular group
of people or social unit about what is considered
normal or correct/incorrect social behaviors.
HOW DOES CULTURE
DEFINE MORAL
BEHAVIORS?
 Plato in his famous philosophical work. The Republic
cited three critical elements. These elements are native traits (or
what we might call genetic characteristics); early childhood
experience; and one’s cultural surroundings. Thus, Plato
insisted that a child’s cultural surroundings should “ express the
image of a noble character’; that role models should display the
conduct of the proper human beings because their behavior of
the adults serves as the child’s moral foundation as he or she
grows and develops. (CORNFORD, 1966; PEKARSKY, 1998
QUIZ:
1. It is a complex phenomenon that human
beings learned to modify human behavior.
2. It is a assumption could be about event,
people or things.
3. It is a complex symbol that enable human
to communicate.
4. It is culturally acceptable standards or
behavior.
 5. It is an informal guideline by a
particular group of people.
6. Can be anything that a group of people
find meaningful.
7-9. Give the 3 critical elements that cited
in Plato’s The Republic.
10. In what year F.M> CONFORD
translate the Plato’s Republic.