Functions of Culture

1. Functions of Culture 1) Culture is the treasury of Knowledge • Culture provides knowledge essential for the physical, social and intellectual existence of man • It preserves knowledge and helps its transmission from generation to generation through language • Language helps not only the transmission of knowledge but also its preservation, accumulation and diffusion 2) Culture defines Situations • Culture defines our social situations • It also determines and conditions what we eat and drink, what we wear, when to laugh and weep, what work we do, what god we worship etc

2. Functions of Culture 3) Culture defines Attitudes, Values and Goals • Culture conditions our attitude towards various issues such as religion, morality, marriage, family planning etc • Our values concerning private property, fundamental rights, representative government etc are influenced by our culture • Our goals of being obedient to elders and teachers, being patriotic, being loyal to husband/wife, attaining salvation etc depends on our culture 4) Culture decides our Career - Whether we should become a politician, banker, doctor, engineer, professor, industrialist, religious leader etc is decided by our culture

3. Functions of Culture • Culture sets limitations on our choice to select different careers 5) Culture provides behaviour pattern • Culture directs and confines the behaviour of an individual • It rewards the noble works and punishes the ignoble ones • It assigns statuses and roles • We see, dream, work, marry, enjoy according to the cultural expectation • Man indeed is a prisoner of his culture

4. Functions of Culture 6) Culture moulds Personality • No child can develop human qualities in the absence of a cultural environment • Every culture will produce its special type or types of personality • A culture shapes the character and behaviour of individuals living in it • The impact of culture on the individual is not always identical in every case. Every individual is sooner or later exposed to influences which are not completely predetermined by culture

5. Types of Culture Two types-Material and Non-material culture 1) Material Culture • It consists of all the man-made object such as tools, buildings, factories, dams, roads, furniture, schools, temples, different goods, products etc • It includes technical and material equipments like printing press, telephone, TV, computer, machine gun, tractor etc • It includes our banks, parliament, insurance schemes, currency systems etc • (i.e. it includes all the physical things people create and attach meaning to; Natural objects like rock, trees, seas, lakes etc aren’t considered to be part of material culture)

6. Types of Culture 2) Non-material Culture • The term culture in the ordinary sense means non-material culture • It refers to nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture including beliefs, norms, values, rules, morals, rituals, practices, language, symbols etc • It also includes our customs, attitudes and outlook. In brief our ways of acting, feeling and thinking • Eg: the non-material cultural concept of religion consists of set of ideas and beliefs about God, worship, morals and ethics.

7. Sub-culture • Segment of a culture which shares distinguishing patterns of behaviour and values different from the overall culture • Eg: Youth subculture is a youth based subculture with distinct styles, behaviour and interests • Similarly consumer behaviour and organisational culture are also sub cultures • A sub culture is generally taken to mean a section of a national culture - Duncan Mitchell • Eg: We are members of Nepalese society and so share in Nepalese culture but we are also members of smaller population segment within the larger society

8. Sub-culture • Population segment includes Caste and ethnic groups, religious groups, occupational groups, youth groups, old age groups, class groups, woman groups, urban groups, rural groups, regional groups etc

9. Social Norms • It refers to the group-shared standards of behaviour • It is a specific guideline for action (guides to conduct). It is a rule that directs how people should behave in particular situation • It set limits on individual behaviour. Norms determine, guide and control human behaviour • Norms are group shared expectations • Eg: A good citizen always respects laws • Younger one must always respect elderly people • folkways, mores, laws, custom etc are the elements of social norms

10. Definition • Norms refer to the group-shared expectations – Young and Mack • A norm is a rule or standard that governs our conduct in the social situations in which we participate. Norms can be treated as a cultural specification that guides our conduct in society - Robert Bierstedt • Social norms are rules developed by a group of people that specify how people must, should, may, should not and must not behave in various situations – Leslie, Larson and Gorman Thus norms can be understood as rules and regulations that group live by. Norms are means through which values are expressed in behaviour

11. Characteristics of Social Norms 1) Social norms are Universal • Social norms are the basis of social order • No society can function smoothly in the absence of norms • In fact the concept of society pre-supposes the presence or norms • Even in the uncivilized and barbaric societies we find some norms 2) Norms are related to the factual order - The normative order insists how the individuals should or ought to behave and the factual order that is related and based on the actual behaviour of the people

12. Characteristics of Social Norms • Through normative order society regulates the behaviour of its members. But this normative order should be related to the real world events or facts of the society. The factual order influences the normative order • Eg: A rule requiring all men to have three wives would be valueless if the sex ratio did not permit it 3) Norms incorporate value judgements - By the help of norms every society can distinguish or judge right or wrong, good or bad, wanted or unwanted, expected or unexpected. Norms are normally based on values

13. Characteristics of Social Norms 4) Norms are relative to situations and groups • Norms vary from society to society. Within same society they differ from group to group. There is no social group without norms • Within the same society they differ with age, sex, occupation and the social status of the individuals • Eg: Old man’s norms do not suite to children • Woman’s activities differ from man’s activities in the Nepalese society • Norms meant for soldiers are different from those of teachers

14. Characteristics of Social Norms 5) Norms are not always obeyed by all • It is wrong to assume that people in a society obey all the norms always • Even those who normally respect and obey norms may go against some norms in some situations. That’s why formal rules or laws are needed 6) Norms are normally internalized by the people • People in most of the instances accept norms and follow them or obey them because norms help people to make good person of the society • They do not question most of the norms and accept them implicitly because internalization of social norms is the most important aspect of socialization

15. Types of Social Norms Formal and Informal Norms - Formal norms are written down and involve specific punishments for violators - Laws are an example of formal norm - Informal norms are generally understood but are unwritten standards of behaviour - Eg: Folkways, Mores, Custom etc

16. Social Values • Social values are standards of behaviour considered desirable for maintaining social system • Values are assumed on the base of what is right and important for societies • Values may be defined as measures of goodness or desirability. They provide general guidelines for conduct. In this sense they are often referred to as ‘higher order norms’ • Values are the criteria people use in assessing their daily lives, arranging their priorities, measuring their pleasures and pains and choosing between alternative courses of action

17. Definition • Values are group conceptions of the relative desirability of things - Leslie, Larson and Gorman • Values are general standards and may be regarded as higher order norms - H.M. Johnson • A value is a belief that something is good and worthwhile. It defines what is worth having and worth striving for - Michael Haralambos Thus values are collective conceptions of what is good, desirable and proper or bad, undesirable and improper in a culture

18. Social Values Contd.. • The values of a society provide goals for members to aim for • For eg: If the dominant value is “success” then it expects all the individuals to become successful at school, in work, at sports as well as in all walks of life • Values provide general guidelines for the behaviour of the people. Thus values such as respect for human dignity, fundamental rights, private property, sacrifice, helpfulness, cooperation, patriotism, social equality, justice, privacy, democracy, wealth, friendliness etc guide our behaviour in various ways • Most of our basic values are learnt early in life from family, friends, school, neighbourhood etc

19. Characteristics of Social Values 1) Social values are collective • Every social value is collective in nature and originates from people’s practices in society 2) Social values provide goals for the members to aim for 3) Social values are social standards • Values are social standard for maintaining order in social system • Form the basis for social unity or social solidarity

20. Characteristics of Social Values 4) Social values involve emotion • Social values are always attached to the people’s sentiment • For Eg: every good citizens are patriotic and deliberately sacrifice themselves for their nations 5) Social values are dynamic • Changing attitudes of the people induce change in the social values • For Eg: In the earlier societies helpfulness and sacrifice were profound social values because people used to give high values on them but in modern societies money, power and prestige are the prominent social values

21. Characteristics of Social Values 6) Social values are varied • Every society has its own values distinct from another society • For eg: the marriage practices of the Hindus are distinct from Christians • Similarly Christian buried the dead body whereas Hindus burn it to ashes

22. Types of Values Values can be classified into two broad categories • Individual values • - Values which are related with the development and protection of human personality • - eg honesty, loyalty, truthfulness, honour etc • Collective values - Values which are connected with the solidarity of community or society - eg: equality, justice, sociability, cooperation etc

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