structure of culture.docx

7/27/2019 Structure of culture.docx

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The Structure of Culture

A culture is not simply an accumulation of folkways and mores. It is an organized

system of behavior.

Cultural traits and Complexes: the smallest unit of culture is called a trait.

Hoebels definition: A reputedly irreducible unit of learned behavior pattern ormaterialproduct thereof.

Traits ofthematerial culture would include such things as the nail, the

screwdriver, the pencil, and the handkerchief,

Non material culture traits would include such actions as shaking hands, drivingon right/lefthand side of the road, or saluting the flag.

Each culture includes thousands of traits.

Cultural complex: A cultural complex is intermediate between the trait and the

institution, a cluster of related traits is called cultural complex. A number of

traits when organized together make a culture complex.football match, attitudesand actions, prayer, hajj, eids,political party

An institution is a series of complexes centering upon an important activity. Itmeans when a number of cultural complexes unite togetheron a certain point

make an institution. Marriage is an institution with betrothal, nikah, dowry, and

marriage party as its complexes.

Subculture and counterculture: In one society, there may be a number of regional

classes representing their respective ways of life distinctive from one another

and from the whole culture. The culture of these classes of people, within the

general cultureof the whole society, is called sub culture.There are numerous subcultures in one culture on the basis of geographical,

religious, economic and ancestral conditions. Subcultures are really the integralwith or independent upon the rest of the culture.with the exclusion of subculture

the whole cannot represent entity.

A counterculture is a subculture with the addition that some of its beliefs, values,

or norms challengeor even contradict those of the main culture of which it is

part. Nation of Islam, Army ,gangs.

it shouldbe remembered that a counterculture rejects some, but not all, of the

norms of the dominant culture.

culture integration:The different parts of the culture all fitted together in aninterrelated system of practices and values is called cultural integration.

The organization of traits with one another is called cultural integration. A culture is

an integrated system in which each trait fits into the rest of the culture.

The part of a culture must fit into one another if it is to function efficiently.

Respect for teacher is an important trait of pakistani education system. Hence reapect

for teacher is integrated intoour education system and the culture as a whole.


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culture relativism: the function and meaning of a trait are relative to its culture

setting. a trait in neither good nor bad but it is good or bad only with reference to

the culture in which it functions.

Real culture: it is that culture which can be observed in our social life. The culture on

which we act upon in our social life is real. The whole of the culture is never realbeacause a part of it remains without practice.

Ideal culture: the culture which is presented as a patteren or precedent to the people is

called ideal. Ir is the goal of the society. It can never be achived fully because some

part of it remains out of practice. This culture is explained in books, speeches and

guidences. The part of ideal culture practiced in social life is called real culture.

Ethnocentrism: The view of things in which ones, own group is the centre of

everything and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it. it means that

every culture considers itself superior to other cultures.

Ethnocentric and personality: All the groups are ethnocentric in training their

members. This creates bias among groups. Some groups are more ethnocentric

than the other. Generally the Minority groups on more serious in stimulating this

trait. Being smaller in size they hold their members tight and inculcate

ethnocentrism against the larger opposite groups. Researches have Shown that

ethnocentric people tend to be less educated more orthodox in religion and less

sociable.

Positive Effects of ethnocentrism

It encourages social solidarity in groups and in society by which the forces

of cooperative becomes stronger.

It provides protection to group members by creating sense of belonging among

them.

Those members who are weak Poor, hopeless and helpless are encouraged by

joining hands of ethnocentrism with them. It means it provides compensation to

the people of low status.

It promotes nationalism and Patriotism among the members of society

Negative effects of ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism creates tight boundaries among various social groups. The

intergroup relations are hampered due to prejudice against one another.

Ethnocentrism limits an individual in a small social group to which he belongs.

He remains within the limits of that group and is not influenced by the general social

changes happening around him in the society

The national development in general is slowed down in such cultures where

ethnocentrism is emphasize in books newspapers radio and television.


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XENOCENTRISM

This word means a preference for the foreign.it is the exact oposite of ethnocentrism.

It is the believe that our own products styles our ideas are necessarily inferior to those

which originate elsewhere.

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