Elements of Cultural Systems

1
Elements of Cultural Systems
2
What is culture?
Society
Culture
3
A Script for Society

• Culture teaches rules, rituals, procedures
• Socialization
• Culture reinforces values
• Culture teaches relationships with others
• Communication styles
• Perceptions

4
What is culture?

• Holistic interrelationship of a groups

• Identity
• Beliefs
• Values
• Activities

• Rules
• Customs
• Communication patterns
• Institutions

5
Elements of Culture

• History

Inner Core
6
(No Transcript)
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
Elements of Culture

• History
• Identity

Inner Core
11
Cultural Dimensions

• Individualism/Collectivism
• Ties between individuals are loose or tight
• Masculine/Feminine
• Value assertiveness, competition, have rigid
  gender roles /Value caring, relationships, have
  fluid gender roles
• Power/Distance
• Power distributed more or less equally

12
Cultural Dimensions

• Uncertainty Avoidance
• How much a culture avoids or tolerates
  uncertainty
• Long-Term/Short-Term Orientation
• Thrift perseverance/Respect for tradition and
  saving face

13
Elements of Culture

• History
• Identity
• Cultural Beliefs

Inner Core
14
Values

• Long-enduring judgments about the worth of an
• Idea
• Object
• Person
• Place
• Practice

15
Elements of Culture
Cultural Activities
Inner Core
16
Technology and Material Culture

• Material objects conceived and manufactured by
  humans
• Created to fill a shared need of the society
• Form, function, meaning

17
(No Transcript)
18
Social Status

• Everyday meaning Prestige
• Sociological meaning Position a person occupies
• Status Set All the statuses or positions a
  person occupies

19
Social Status

• Ascribed Status Involuntary position
• Achieved Status Voluntary position you earn or
  accomplish
• Status provides guidelines for how we are to act
  and feel

20
Social Status

• Status symbols Signs that identify a status,
  allow others to recognize status
• Master Statuses Cuts across other statuses one
  holds, such as age, gender

21
Roles

• Behaviors, obligations, privileges attached to a
  status
• Role exit

22
Cultural Roles

• Age roles
• Occupational roles
• Friendship roles
• Gender roles

23
Artistic Expression
24
Communication Patterns

• Culture is based on symbols
• Something to which we attach meaning
• Meanings are understood shared by members of
  society

25
Systems of symbols in a culture

• Language
• Elements of language name objects, people,
  categories, abstractions
• Essential to the development and transmission of
  culture
• Human knowledge expands, accumulates

26
Systems of symbols in a culture

• Language
• Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis We can know the world
  only as far as our language permits

27
Systems of symbols in a culture

• Rules and customs
• Nonverbal communication
• Spatial relations (proxemics)
• Rewards and gifts
• Conceptions of time

28
Conception of Time

• Monochronic
• One thing at a time
• Time is linear
• Polychronic
• Multiple things at once
• Time is fluid

29
Conception of Time
Monochronic Culture Polychronic Culture
Interpersonal Relations Interpersonal relations are subordinate to present schedule Present schedule is subordinate to Interpersonal relations
Activity Co-ordination Schedule co-ordinates activity appointment time is rigid. Interpersonal relations co-ordinate activity appointment time is flexible
Task Handling One task at a time Many tasks are handled simultaneously
30
Conception of Time
Monochronic Culture Polychronic Culture
Breaks and Personal Time Breaks and personal time are sacrosanct regardless of personal ties. Breaks and personal time are subordinate to personal ties.
Temporal Structure Time is inflexible time is tangible Time is flexible time is fluid
Work/personal time separability Work time is clearly separable from personal time Work time is not clearly separable from personal time
31
Communication Styles

• How much of a message is conveyed by spoken
  language?
• How much of a message is conveyed by the context?

32
Communication Styles

• Low-Context Culture
• Information is explicit
• The message intended is mostly contained in the
  words spoken
• High-Context Culture
• Information is implicit
• Spoken words only contain a small part of the
  message
• Recipient must infer the rest by context