Sociology & You

Chapter 3: Culture

Chapter Overviews

The Basis of Culture Culture consists of the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group. It defines how people in a society behave in relation to others and to physical objects. Although among animals most behavior is determined by instincts, human social behavior is learned. Sociobiologists try to find a relationship among heredity, culture, and behavior.

Language and Culture One very important medium for transmitting and teaching culture is language. The hypothesis of linguistic relativity states that our idea of reality depends largely upon language; that is, our perceptions of the world depend in part on the particular language we have learned.

Norms and Values Two essential components of culture are norms and values. Norms are rules that define appropriate and inappropriate behavior; folkways, mores, and laws are three basic types of norms found in societies. Norms must be learned and are enforced through sanctions. Values are general and broad ideas shared by people in a society about what is good or desirable. They have a tremendous influence on human social behavior because they form the basis for norms. In the United States, examples of basic values include equality, democracy, and achievement and success.

Beliefs and Material Culture Along with norms and values, beliefs and physical objects also make up culture. Beliefs are part of the nonmaterial culture. People base their behavior on beliefs, regardless of whether these are true or false. Material culture consists of concrete objects which gain meaning through the context in which they are placed. Sometimes in a culture, a gap exists between cultural guidelines and actual behavior. Ideal culture refers to cultural guidelines publicly embraced by member of a society, while real culture refers to actual behavior patterns.

Cultural Diversity and Similarity Cultures change over time according to three major processes—discovery, invention, and diffusion. Although cultural diversity exists within all societies, people tend to be committed to their culture—a behavior called ethnocentrism. However, some cultural traits called cultural universals can be found in all societies.