Characteristics of Culture Part II

Norms and Values Norms are the ideas members of a culture share about the way things ought to be done. Values are shared ideas about what is true, right, and beautiful that underlie cultural patterns and guide society in response to the physical and social environment.

Subcultures: Groups Within a Larger Society Subculture: A distinctive set of standards and behavior patterns by which a group within a larger society operates, while still sharing common standards with that larger society.

Ethnicity and Ethnic Group Ethnicity refers to the perceived differences in culture, national origin, and historical experiences by which groups of people are distinguished from others in the same social environment. Ethnic group - people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as a distinct group based on various cultural features such as shared ancestry and common origin, language, customs, and traditional beliefs.

Amish The Amish are an example of subculture based on its ethnic group. Today there are over 25 different Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren church groups in Lancaster County, all holding to slightly different traditions and their own interpretations of the Bible.

Pluralistic Society A society in which two or more ethnic groups of nationalities are politically organized into one territorial state but maintain their cultural differences.

Culture is… Based on Symbols Integrated Dynamic

Culture is Based on Symbols Symbol - a sign, sound, emblem, or other thing that is arbitrarily linked to something else and represents it in a meaningful way. The most important symbolic aspect of culture is language.

Culture is Integrated Social Structure: the rule-governed relationships (with all their rights and obligations) that hold members of a society together. Infrastructure: the economic foundation of a society, including its subsistence practices and the tools and other material equipment used to make a living. Superstructure: a society’s shared sense of identity and worldview.

Cultures are Dynamic Cultures need to be flexible in order to adjust to changes while also being rigid enough to not lose the foundation of the culture.