Culture

Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other habits acquired by man as a member of society. Social life would be impossible without understandings and practices shared by all people. Culture is a complex whole. Its units are called cultural traits.

Most large groups have a set of cultural traits that meet the group’s needs and ensure its survival. Such a set of traits can be called a culture. Nations, most tribes, and even some villages have a culture in that sense. However, every family has a cultural tradition of its own. This tradition includes many traits that the family shares with others who live in the same area and belong to the same class. In addition, the family has its own set of cultural traits. Business companies, villages, and other social groups also have their own cultural traditions. Social scientists sometimes use the term subculture for a set of cultural traits found only in one group. Many occupational groups, such as teachers, doctors, truck drivers and ethnic groups, in Ukraine, have their own subculture and also share Ukrainian culture.

Every culture changes continually. The rate of change may be slow or rapid. Because a culture consists of many related parts, a change in one part affects many others. Some social scientists believe that many social problems come about because some parts of a culture change more slowly than others.

What do we call cultural units?

What large and small group have their own cultures?

How do cultures change?

What does the term "family" mean?

What is the main function of the family?

What is a typical Ukrainian family?

Social roles

Social role is a set of relationships between a person and members of his or her circle. People’s behaviour in social roles makes possible the life of a society and its members. For example, an individual in the role of hospital patient follows a physician’s instructions and cooperates with the hospital staff. In return, the patient receives food, medicine, and other care from a number of people.

Social roles are learned from a culture, which defines how they should be performed. They are not instinctive. People learn many roles during childhood by observing their parents and other adults. Some roles, such as those of patient or student, are learned by almost all members of a society. Other roles, such as those of physician or teacher, require specialized training.

Because social roles are learned, they differ among different cultures. For example, the major roles of women in some societies are wife and mother. But other societies offer women many roles from which to choose.

Every person occupies many social roles during his or her lifetime. A woman may be a daughter to her parents, a wife to her husband, a mother to her children, and a worker to her employer. Problems may result if the results of one role interfere with those of another. For example, an employer might need to work overtime to advance his or her career. But such work conflicts with the person’s role as a parent.

What is a social role?

When and how do people learn their social roles?

Can two or more social roles come into conflict with one another?

Custom

Custom is a practice or a way of doing things that has been handed down from one generation to the next. Customs are part of the culture shared by members of a social group. Many customs begin because people like to know what to expect in social situations. Like all cultural traits, customs are a form of learned behaviour, and they differ among different peoples. For example, eating is a biological requirement for all people, but table manners and customs of food preparation vary from group to group.

Practices that change frequently are called fashions. They include social dances, styles of dress, and slang expressions. Fashions that quickly come and go are called fads. A fashion may become a custom through a long usage. For example, eating with a fork was a fashion in Europe during the 1500s, but it is now a custom throughout the Western world.

Customs last partly because people often find it easier to conform than to face the disapproval of their social group. Such disapproval may range from mild ridicule to severe punishment. Many customs produce only mild reactions when broken. Such customs include many wedding and funeral traditions and rules of etiquette. A person who departs from such customs may encounter surprise, annoyance, or scorn.

In isolated, nonindustrial communities, most customs remain unchanged from generation to generation. the majority of people in such societies believe the old ways are best – and what was good for the parents is good for the children. In modern industrial societies, customs change more easily. A number of factors, including new inventions and contact with other cultures, may lead to such changes.

What is a custom?

What differs a custom from a fashion?

What may happen to a person who breaks a custom?

What factors are likely to influence the change of customs?