Preview

Culture and It's Elements

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
655 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Culture and It's Elements
Culture (Latin: cultura, lit. "cultivation")[1] is a modern concept based on a term first used in classical antiquity by the Roman orator, Cicero: "cultura animi". The term "culture" appeared first in its current sense in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, to connote a process of cultivation or improvement, as in agriculture or horticulture. In the 19th century, the term developed to refer first to the betterment or refinement of the individual, especially through education, and then to the fulfillment of national aspirations or ideals. In the mid-19th century, some scientists used the term "culture" to refer to a universal human capacity. For the German nonpositivist sociologist Georg Simmel, culture referred to "the cultivation of individuals through the agency of external forms which have been objectified in the course of history".[2]
In the 20th century, "culture" emerged as a central concept in anthropology, encompassing the range of human phenomena that cannot be attributed to genetic inheritance. Specifically, the term "culture" in American anthropology had two meanings: (1) the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols, and to act imaginatively and creatively; and (2) the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences, and acted creatively. Distinctions are currently made between the physical artifacts created by a society, its so-called material culture and everything else,[3] the intangibles such as language, customs, etc. that are the main referent of the term "culture"
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
· Creates social structure by organizing its members into small units to meet basic needs.
· Family Patterns: family is the most important unit of social organization. Through the family children learn how they are expected to act and what to believe.
· Nuclear family: wife, husband, children. This is a typical family in an industrial

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Correct Use of Terminology

    • 3536 Words
    • 15 Pages

    The term culture can be described as, “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly…

    • 3536 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Culture

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Culture can be basically defined as a pattern of learned behavior and ideas acquired by people as members of society. Culture was created in order to accommodate human beings in different society and establish their identity. Culture is not accustomed to one specific characteristic. It has a multiple dimensions. The way we talk, dress, eat, sleep, work and our knowledge and skills can be accustomed to our culture. These human manners are not uniform all over the place so, they change over time and space. Thus anthropologists have distinguished different cultural traditions different from one another with very thin line between them. And in the course people share, burrow and practice culture from one other. Cultural practices have become inevitable part of human being because we have become biologically dependent on culture for our own survival. For example human beings are not born with some natural instincts. In fact we depend upon the support, nurture and culture of our surroundings to survive. And by learning the cultural practice of the place we live in, we become mature enough to make rational decision and act for our own survival.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ethic Notions

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sociologically, culture is the way of life of a people. The two main forms of culture are material culture ( all the physical objects that people have invented or borrowed from other cultures) and nonmaterial culture ( the intangible human creations that include beliefs, values, norms, and symbols).…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sociology Quiz

    • 305 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Culture refers to ways of life that people create through their interactions with one another.…

    • 305 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Culture is defined as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; (also) the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time.” (n.d.)…

    • 3345 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    damron research

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Culture is a set of altitudes, values, and beliefs adapted by a group of people. Culture is generated by a people’s geography, history, and the need to solve life’s problems and challenges. And is adopted as a way for people to live successfully together. Culture…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The family is an example of a social structure. It is made up of a group of people in society related by blood or marriage, ties or strong bond, usually consisting of one or two parents and their children. Social structure is the unique organised arrangement of social relationships and social institutions that make up society. Social structures are present in society and affect all parts of human experience. It enables individuals in the society to interact and live together.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociological Concepts

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Culture: The symbolic and learned aspects of human society. Culture is not biological but, instead, is transmitted and shared via social interaction.…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The social science writer Mark J. Smith states: ‘When we think about the possible meanings and uses of the word ‘‘culture’’, we walk into a maze of interpretations and associations’ (Smith, 1998, p. 262). This is because; the word culture has at least three meanings or levels of meanings. Traditionally, a cultured person is considered knowledgeable about such things and to have good taste in them (M. Rob,open.ac.uk, access on 18/7/2012).…

    • 2306 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The word culture has various definitions. Different writers attach different meanings to it. Humanists, Sociologists and Anthropologists have different meanings to the concept of culture according to their orientations. Culture according to Ekeh (1989) is a "construct (with diverse applications).used in an attempt to analyze and interpret events and ideas in a broad spectrum of areas of society". In its broadest sense, culture embraces the total repertoire of human actions which are socially transmitted from generation to generation.…

    • 3143 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    what is culture

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The word culture click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced has many different meanings. For some it refers to an appreciation of good literature, music, art, and food. For a biologist, it is likely to be a colony of bacteria or other microorganisms growing in a nutrient medium in a laboratory Petri dish. However, for anthropologists and other behavioral scientists, culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. The term was first used in this way by the pioneer English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871. Tylor said that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Of course, it is not limited to men. Women possess and create it as well. Since Tylor's time, the concept of culture has become the central focus of anthropology.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Culture: Sociology

    • 3888 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the question of what is culture. Culture is a complicated phenomenon to understand because it is both distinct from but clearly associated with society. Also, different definitions of culture reflect different theories or understandings, making it difficult to pin down exact definitions of the concept. Generally speaking, the following elements of social life are considered to be representative of human culture: "stories, beliefs, media, ideas, works of art, religious practices, fashions, rituals, specialized knowledge, and common sense" (Griswold 2004:xvi). Yet, examples of culture do not, in themselves, present a clear understanding of the concept of culture; culture is more than the object or behavior. Culture also includes norms, values, beliefs, or expressive symbols. Roughly, norms are the way people behave in a given society, values are what they hold dear, beliefs are how they think the universe operates, and expressive symbols are representations, often representations of social norms, values, and beliefs themselves (Griswold 2004:3). To summarize, culture encompasses objects and symbols, the meaning given to those objects and symbols, and the norms, values, and beliefs that pervade social life.…

    • 3888 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Culture is a description of a certain way of life, which expresses certain meanings and values, not only in art and learning but also in institutions and ordinary behavior. Raymond Williams suggests that, culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language (Williams 1976:76).Ultimately the word culture comes from the Latin word colere, meaning to inhabit, to cultivate, to protect and to honor with worship. From this word the word cultura developed. As William says, culture is " the body of intellectual and imaginative work ' in which human experience is recorded (Williams 1961: 57).…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The origin of the word “culture” in Latin “cultura” is a modern concept based on a term first used in classical antiquity by the Roman orator, Cicero: “cultura animi.” The term “culture” appeared first in its current sense in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, to connote a process of cultivation or improvement, as in agriculture or horticulture. In the 19th century, the term developed to refer first to the betterment or refinement of the individual, especially through education, and then to the fulfillment of national aspirations or ideals. In the mid-19th century, some scientists used the term "culture" to refer to a universal human capacity. (1)…

    • 2532 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    a) Family: Being the basic unit of any community and society, family plays an important role as the source of economic and social well being of its members. Thus it is said to be the first building block in the formation of social capital for the larger society.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays