Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Culture : is the complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law,
morals, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by humans
as members of society.
Three main aspects of culture : 1) comprehensive concept : includes
everything which influences an individuals thought processes and behavior
2) culture is acquired
3 ) culture supplies boundaries within which most individual think and act.
Culture operates primarily by setting rather loose boundaries for individual
behavior and by influencing the functioning of family and mass media.
Culture provides the framework within which individuals and house hold
lifestyles evolve.
CULTURAL VALUES
Boundaries that culture sets on behavior are called norms.
Norms are rules that specify or prohibit certain behavior in specific
situations
Norms are derived from cultural values ----> widely held beliefs that
affirm what is desirable.
Violation of cultural norms result in sanctions.
Cultural values can be further classified into 1) Other oriented values:
reflects a societys views of the appropriate relationships between
individuals and groups within that society. 2) Environment -
oriented values: prescribes a societys relationship to its economic and
technical and physical environment. 3) Self-oriented values: reflects
the approaches to life that the individual members of society find desirable.
Environment -oriented values
Cleanliness: To what extent is cleanliness pursued beyond the minimum
needed for health.
Performance/Status : Is the cultures reward system based on performance or
on inherited factors such as family or class?
Tradition /change: Are existing patterns of behavior considered to be
inherently superior to new patterns of behavior
Risk Taking /Security : are those who risk their established positions to
overcome obstacles or achieve high goals admired more than those who do
not?
Problem solving /.Fatalistic : are people encouraged to overcome all
problems or do they take a what will be , will be attitude.
Nature : is nature regarded as something to be admired or overcome?
Self-oriented values:
Active/Passive: is a physical active approach to life valued more
highly than a less active orientation?
Sensual gratification/abstinence : to what extent is it acceptable to
enjoy sensual pleasures such as food , drink, and sex.
Material/non material : how much importance is attached to the
acquisition of material wealth.
Postponed gratification/immediate gratification : are people
encouraged to save for a rainy day or to live for today
Religious/ secular : To what extent are behaviors and attitudes based
on the rules specified by a religious doctrine
Other oriented values :
Individual/collective : Are individual activity and initiative valued more highly
than collective activity ?
Youth/age : is family life organized to meet the needs of the children or adults?
Are younger or older people viewed as leaders/role models.
Extended/Limited family : To what extent does one have lifelong obligation to
numerous family members?
Masculine/feminine : To what extent does social power automatically go to
males.?
Competitive/Cooperative : does one obtain success by excelling over others or
by cooperating with them.
Diversity/uniformity : does the culture embrace variation in religious belief ,
ethnic background , political views and other important behaviors and attitudes.
SUB-CULTURE
U.S.A--> Blacks, Whites, Hispanic, Asians
African-American Subculture:
12.5% of the population
Drink less coffee , but much more sugar
candy, cookies, sweets are important in their diet
50% of scotch consumed in US is by Blacks
Prefer large container sizes when purchasing non-alcoholic beverages.
Spend less on housing , education but more on clothing , personal
care.
Do less travelling , but when they travel outside USA, they prefer to
visit color compatible places like Caribbean
SUB-CULTURE
Hispanic -American Sub culture:-10% of American population.
Spanish language
Think themselves to be Hispanic first.
Dominant values tend to be traditional and conservative , including respect for