Lesson 3: 

The Culture of Human Society

The social sciences argue that culture, rather than nature, plays a
crucial role in shaping human behavior. In particular, socialization
explains why we behave the way we do. It is also this social foundation
that explains why we obey or violate rules.

 Launch
        It is no longer surprising that the friends we have in our Facebook
account include citizens from other countries. It seems very easy to
relate with them virtually. Meeting them face to face is another
matter.
        Are you equipped with knowledge even of the most basic
practices of your foreign friends so that dealing with them personally
is a breeze? Let us find out. Here are statements about common
practices in other countries.
1. In Britain, you tip your plate away from you when having soup.
2. Brazilians usually wear black shoes in offices.
3. Eating with left hand is taboo in Saudi Arabia.
4. Italian executives often come to business meetings in designer
sports jackets and flannels.
5. White flowers are given at funerals in Japan.
6. British people prefer tea to coffee.
7. Arabs expect gifts to be opened in front of the giver.
8. Mexicans try to keep their hands on the table during a meal.
9. Arabs adhere to Islam.
10. Japanese and Chinese can read each other’s newspapers.
11. In Thailand, a pale face is a sign of beauty in a woman.
12. The thumbs-up sign means ‘OK’ in Argentina.
13. Spaniards like to maintain eye contact during
 conversations.
14. In India, holy men usually wear white.
15. Dog meat is a delicacy in China.
16. Korean Friends bow to each other when they meet on the
street.

Think About This!

       What would happen if you violate, even unintentionally, the
practices of members of other societies such as those above?
 
 Navigate

Humans as Social and Cultural Beings

Humans share a lot of similarities. We have rituals for births,

marriages, and burials. We have ways of greetings, eating, cooking,
among others. But as mentioned earlier, there are a lot of differences
that potentially can result in misunderstanding if we disregard or
violate these practices.
Culture is the shared product of a human group or society. The term
culture was first used by the pioneer English anthropologist Edward B.
Tylor in his book Primitive Culture, published in 1871. Edward Tylor
defined culture as a “complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs,
arts, morals, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by
man as a member of the society.”
The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs,
and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation
among members of a group.
Culture helps to explain human social behavior. What people do and
do not do, what they like and dislike, what they believe and do not
believe, and what they value and discount are based on culture. Culture
provides the blueprint that people in a society use to guide their
relationships with others.
Society refers to interacting people who share a culture. Culture is
the product of that interaction. In reality, human society and culture
cannot exist independently of each other.
To be cultural means that our social interactions are not instinctive.
Instead, we behave according to a set of ideas, values, and norms or
the culture that our society created. We therefore understand the
world using our cultural lens.
Most sociologists believe that, unlike other animals, humans are not
controlled by natural instincts. Because humans are not locked into a
set of predetermined behaviors, they are able to adopt to and change
their environment.
To be social and cultural means that we are not fixed at birth but can
become many different things as our lives unfold. However, to be social
and cultural also means that we are bound by our families and the
traditions of our culture. Thus, to be social and cultural can be both
liberating and limiting at the same time.
Culture and society are tightly interwoven. One cannot exist without
the other, but they are not identical. A society is a group of people who
live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture. Culture is
that society’s total way of life.

The Components of Culture

The shared products of human activity include material and

nonmaterial attributes. Material culture refers to the physical objects
of culture – machines, tools, books, clothing, art works, furniture, and
so on. The material culture produced by a society is a reflection of their
technological advancement, resources and the needs of the people.
 Examples of material culture include automobiles, books, buildings,
clothing, computers, and cooking utensils. 
Nonmaterial culture is made up of intangible things. Our ideas about
what is funny and not, beautiful or plain, or what makes us sad or
happy – these are part of nonmaterial culture. Whether  material or
nonmaterial, culture must be shared and learned by each generation
through the process of social interaction.
Examples of nonmaterial culture include beliefs, family patterns,
ideas, language, political and economic systems, rules, skills, and work
practices.
The basic categories of nonmaterial culture include the following:
1. Technology
A society’s culture consists of not only physical objects but also
rules for using those objects. Sociologists sometimes refer to this
combination of objects and rules as technology. Using items of
material culture, particularly tools, requires various skills, which are
part of the nonmaterial culture.

2. Symbols
The use of symbols is the very basis of human culture. It is
through symbols that we create our culture and communicate it.
Symbols range from physical objects to sounds, smells, and tastes. A
symbol is anything that represents something else. In other words, a
symbol has a shared meaning attached to it.

3. Language
One of the most obvious aspects of any culture is its language.
Language is the organization of written or spoken symbols into a
standardized system. When organized according to accepted rules of
grammar, words can be used to express any idea. 
4. Values
Values are shared beliefs about what is good and bad, right or
wrong, desirable or undesirable. The types of values held by a group
help to determine the character of its people and the kind of culture
they create. A society that values war and displays of physical
strength above all else will be very different from one that places
emphasis on cooperation and sharing. Some examples are familism,
materialism, and individualism.
For example, the value of familism is very strong among Asians. In
particular, when Filipinos make decisions, it is always in the context
of their family. Thus, going abroad is mostly done not to further
one’s career, but to work to be able to send money to one’s family in
the Philippines.

5. Norms
All groups create norms to enforce their cultural values. Norms
are shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific
situations. It is important to keep in mind that norms are
expectations for behavior, not actual governing certain behaviors
does not necessarily mean that the actions of all individuals will be in
line with those norms.
Sociologists refer norms as expectations of how people are
supposed to act, think, or feel in specific situations. Norms are either
prescriptive (they tell you what to do) or proscriptive (they tell you
what not to do).

Types of Norms:
a. Folkways – are norms that describe socially acceptable behavior
but do not have great moral significance attached to them. In
essence, they outline the common customs of everyday life. Those
who constantly violate folkways – such as, by talking loudly in quiet
 places, wearing different – colored socks on each foot – may appear
odd. We may avoid these people, but we do not consider them
wicked or immoral.

b. Mores – on the other hand, have great moral significance

attached to them. This relation exists because the violation of such
rules endangers society’s well-being and stability.
For example, dishonesty, fraud, and murder all greatly threaten
society.

6. Beliefs
Beliefs consist of people’s ideas about what is real and what is
not. Hence, beliefs are what people consider as factual. What people
judge as factual may not be scientific because our beliefs come from
many sources: our parents, religious leaders, and personal
observations. Science is just one of them. 

Survival Manual
      You have accepted a job as counselor for foreign students in your
school. Your first assignment is to prepare a “survival manual” for
those students who arrived from abroad on your campus with little
understanding of Filipino culture. Assume that all foreign students
understand English well enough to read it and speak it. Tell them what
they need to know in order to get along during their first few weeks in
your school.
1. Provide information about the local folkways and symbols in
your school.
2. Provide broader norms and values of the Filipino society.
3. If your survival manual were not available to these foreign
students, how might they acquire the information that you
provided?