Major Components of Culture Flashcards
What are the 6 major components of culture?
- Symbols
- Language*
- Values*
- Beliefs*
- Norms*
- Material culture
What is the definition of Language in major components of culture?
Provide 2 examples.
Language is a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. Through language, we are able to create, share, preserve and transmit cultural meanings such as complex (and uniquely human) patterns of emotion, thought, knowledge and beliefs.
Humans use language to: • Communicate affects (feelings) • Express cognitions (thoughts) • Share experiences of sensation (pleasure or pain) • Express and share values
Language not only allows communication but is also the key to cultural transmission, the process by which one generation passes culture to the next through speech.
What is the definition of Values in major components of culture?
Provide 2 examples.
Values are culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.
Values are broad principles that support beliefs, specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true. In other words, values are abstract standards of goodness.
What is the definition of Beliefs in major components of culture?
Provide 2 examples.
Beliefs are particular matters that individuals consider true or false. Beliefs contribute to the values people hold as important.
What is the definition of Norms in major components of culture?
Provide 2 examples.
Norms are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members. These are specific guidelines of behavior based on values. Norms can be prescriptive i.e. defining how one should behave in a given situation, or proscriptive i.e. defining how one should NOT behave. In everyday life, people therefore respond to each other with sanctions, rewards or punishments that encourage conformity to cultural norms.
