The whole way of life of a particular society or social group
Elements of culture
Values
Norms
Customs
Beliefs
Knowledge
Skills
Language
Norms
Expected behaviours in different contexts (situations)
Norms are part of culture
Values
What is considered worthwhile and worth working for in society
Values are learned and shared
Our values
Influence the way we behave
A culture will also have norms that indicate acceptable ways to achieve the values
Two important values you must remember for your exam
Health
Wealth
Many British people value family and success
An important value in our society is acquiring wealth
Acquiring wealth
Acquire money
Acquire land
Acquire property
Live a comfortable life
Value: Health
Maintaining good physical and mental wellbeing
Maintaining good health
Taking care of our bodies physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally
Value in India
Respect ancestors and Gods
Hindus in India
View and value the 'cow' as a sacred object
Value of Native American Indian tribes such as the Sioux
Bravery, courage and protection
Native American Indian tribes
Sioux
Person representing Native American Indian value of bravery
Chief Sitting Bull
In the UK some have turned their back on achieving wealth in favour of more caring values
In 2008, there were 470 Nuns and 135 Monks in the Anglican Church in Britain and Ireland
Many others give up their jobs to take care of their children or elderly relatives
Roles
Expected behaviour or part played by someone in a particular situation
Status
Respect others give you in society, your position in society
Identity
How we see ourselves and how others see us
Sanctions
An attempt to enforce social control and prevent deviance from social norms and values
Types of sanctions
Positive
Negative
Informal
Formal
Cultural diversity
The idea that what is considered acceptable or desirable in one culture may not be viewed the same way in another culture
Cultural Diversity between groups
We share a culture within the UK
Within our culture, there a lots of other norms, values and customs within different groups in the same country
Different cultural practises can be found in different religious groups, social class groups and age groups
Sikh culture
Men are required to wear a turban
Initially this caused a clash of cultural practise in Britain of wearing a crash helmet when riding a motorbike until a law was passed allowing Sikhs to ride without a helmet
Regional culture
Different regions in the UK speak in their own unique dialect
Different regions in the UK have their own traditions
Behaviour
Mostly determined by our genetics
Inherited from parents, just like eye colour
Sexuality
Coded in the genes
Intelligence
Coded in the genes
Maternal instinct
Coded in the genes
Nurture
Sociologists tend to argue that nurture is more significant and that human behaviour is mostly learned
Nurture
Individuals are socialised into the culture of their family and society and taught how to live in society by the agencies of socialisation
Intelligence and maternal instinct are a result of nurture
Cultural diversity: All societies and cultures would be similar if behaviour was natural
Feral
Wild or unsocialised
Feral children
Children removed from normal human contact and have missed normal processes of human socialisation