Introduction to Culture

PK Chandio
B.ScN, DNAM, M.A
G.A Panhwar
BScN, DCHN
Lecture 4

GA 1
Cultural Lag

When some parts of culture change,

and other parts do not. Material
culture often changes first.

GA 2
Cultural Lag
• Technology, science, and economics are the
engines that drive our society, non material
culture or our ideas lag behind.

GA 3
Cultural Lag
• Example: The public school system, most
are on a 9 month term, this is from the early
19th century, and has not immovable up
with new patterns of work, and living.

GA 4
Technological Determinism

The view that technology is the new

determinate of our culture, that
technology has life of it’s own,
forcing humans to follow it’s lead.
GA 5
Cultural diffusion/assimilation

Groups that adapt part of other

people’s way of life, continue open to
changes. This occurs via increased
contact with others: travel &
communication
GA 6
Cultural Leveling

The process by which cultures

become like, through
industrialization, technology, free
activity
GA 7
Cultural leveling

• Western culture: Radio cabin, Coca Cola,

music, clothes
• The absorption of Western culture into the
world via globalization
• finally, everyplace starts to look like every
other place.

GA 8
Values

• Values determine for us what is desirable in

our life;
• If we learn other people’s values we learn
about other people;
• Values motivate our favorite, our choices,
indicate what we think as valuable in our
society.

GA 9
Values

• Values are “general” rules for behavior and

perceptions we hold in a society.
• Norms develop out of our values.
• Norms are the expectations, rules of
particular behaviors which come out of our
everyday life.

GA 10
Values

• Norms are particular ways that we act, and

arranged behavior and rules governing our
everyday life.
• With Norms come authorize, rewards,
punishments - you receive approval or
disapproval for keeping or abuse norms.

GA 11
Norms

• Positive and negative sanctions, rewards, or

punishments occur that are social penalty if
we stay or violate a norm.
• Rewards are smiles, clap, prize, trophy,
money; negative sanctions or punishments
are look angrily, watch, social limits, advise
words…

GA 12
Norms

• Regulation of appearance and behavior

• Define and maintain boundaries
• Norms support cultural values.
• Desirable behavior is attached to an actual
expectation with social penalty.

GA 13
Norms

• There are norms that govern us in everyday

life.
• How do you act at different place? Greeting
someone?

GA 14
GA 15
Types of Norms

• Folkways: These are norms that are not strictly

enforced, we expect people to comply, but if they
don’t we don’t make a big deal about it.
• Situational: Walking on one side of the sidewalk,
going up and down step, elevator behavior
• Customs, habits, commonly accepted practices

GA 16
Types of Norms

• Folkways: Usually involve minor issue:

table manners, accepting your place in line
rather than cutting to the lead, wearing
appropriate clothing.
• Few restrictions, and moderate sanctions.

GA 17
Types of Norms

• Mores: Means “manners” in society.

Mores are norms that are essential to social
Values, close to legalistic.
• Attitudes from the past, adapted, very little
variation allowed
• Duties, responsibility, common to cultural
ethics

GA 18
Types of Norms

• Mores: The fundamental ideas about what

is right/wrong, moral and immoral.
• Important because they involve moral
vision based on social unity, continuity, and
community in human life.
• Mores finally become LAWS.
• Part of social life, not changing.

GA 19
Mores

• Strict enforcement, and make your mind up

on conformity, we learn through
socialization via our institutions in society.
• Examples: “arranged” gender roles;
Americans eat beef, not horse, dog, cat; you
do not expose your genitals in public

GA 20
Mores

• Part of moral behavior which includes the

following:
• Not in self interest
• Command/obligation to do right
• Desirable, satisfactory
• Approve authority

GA 21
GA 22
Taboo

• A cultural or religious custom that does not allow

people to do, use or talk about a particular thing as
people find it hateful or uncomfortable
• Death is one of the great taboos in our culture.
Taboo is a norm so strongly fixed that to violate it
creates hate, dislike, shock - the thought of it
makes people sick:
• Eating human flesh - Incest - Sex issues

GA 23
GA 24
Law

• Laws are norms with strict and formal

sanctions, punishments - to violate a law is to
violate society itself.
• Enforcement is reserved for those in
positions of authority.
• Formal legal codes are necessary to manage
relationships in interdependent, self
interested, specific societies.
GA 25
Laws

• Criminal law has to do with formal, clear

definitions, specialization, and enforcement.
Prohibits behaviors such as murder, fraud,
damage holy objects or places.
• Civil law has to do with social relations,
argument, compensation, loss through
carelessness - example family law.

GA 26
Laws

• All societies have some form of law the

prohibit certain behaviors.
• Law comes from mores.
• Most societies have similar laws and mores, but
the rule of sociology is:
• “One culture’s mores are another group’s
folkways, and another group’s laws!”
• (cultural and ethical relativism)
GA 27