Culture and Cultural Values

Culture and Cultural Values
Francia C. Toledano RN, MD

Instructor
Learning Objectives
Discuss and explain the following topics:

Culture and Cultural Values
Social Organization
Ethnocentrism
Concept of time
Cultural beliefs and practices across different regions
Culture
• It is the entire complex of ideas and

material objects that the people of
a society (or group) have created
and adopted for carrying out the
necessary tasks of collective life.
• Cultures are human creations, but,
of course, people inherit much of
their culture from those who
created it.
• Every culture has a history.
Culture
• Culture is the manifestation of the combined thought process, ideas,

customs, rituals and social conduct of a particular community of people.
• The knowledge, attitude, belief, goals, morals and values shared by

society is considered as a culture altogether.
• If you look at it globally there are five major cultures that exist today:
Indosphere (South and Southeast asia), the Western culture, Islamic
culture, Sinosphere (East Asia and Vietnam), Arabic and Tibetan culture
INDOSPHERE CULTURE
ISLAMIC CULTURE
WESTERN CULTURE
ARABIC AND TIBETAN

CULTURE
SINOSPHERE
Examples of Culture
• Norms • Lifestyle
• Rituals and Ceremonies • Clothing
• Languages • Traditional Economy
• Holidays • Arts
• Festivals • Belief
• Pastimes
• Knowledge
• Religion
• Food
• Forms of government
• Architecture
• Social organization
• Crafts • Literature
• Fashion • Music and many more.
Types of Culture
• Material Culture
• The cultures which are the manifestations of some
physical objects, spaces and resources created by
people of that particular culture.
• Homes, schools, mosques, churches, temples,
factories, offices etc.
• Non Material Culture
• The all elements of a culture which are intangible
(which cannot be touched, hold, felt or tasted) are
comes under these segments.
• The examples of it are morals, rules, values,
languages, beliefs, arts, literature, music, social
roles, customs, traditions and many more.
Components of Culture
• Every symbol has a social character because a group of people

agree on the symbol's meaning.
• Shared symbols are used by the people of any given society to
communicate with each other and to create a certain order and
predictability in daily life.
• Symbols can be divided into two types: nonverbal and verbal.
Nonverbal Symbols vs. Verbal Symbols
• The verbal symbols, or language system, of a culture tend to shape

people's perceptions of the real world.
• Nonverbal symbols include many other things besides the physical

acts performed by people.
• Flags, emblems, insignias, and coats-of-arms are some familiar examples of
objects that have special meaning for people. logos and trademarks on the
outside of clothing.
Norms
• Norms are rules for what should and should not be done
in given situations. They are the general guidelines for
evaluating behavior in society.
• Cultural norms help us not only to predict what others

will do but also help us to know what we should do.
• Folkways are norms that govern everyday conduct, while

mores are norms that reflect the moral standards of the
society.
• Norms are not observed uniformly by all people in a
society.
Knowledge and Beliefs
• Constitutes a body of information

created by the people of a
society that influences behavior.
• Knowledge is presumed to be
verifiable information, while
beliefs are presumed to be
difficult to verify.
Values
• Values are the standards of desirability

within a culture, are centrally important
for understanding culture.
• In the US the most prominent value is
individualism, hard work, personal
success, personal achievement,
materialism, and rationality.
Cultural Values
• Standards of desirability, of rightness, and of importance in a society .

• Cultural values are a series of principles and values passed on
generation after generation by our ancestors.
• Based on values the entire cultural community decides their way of
life.
• Those ideas decide how a person of that culture will behave and how
they will lead their lives.
• For example, for the Japanese, social responsibility and loyalty reflect an
important cultural value.
• For Americans, individualism is an important cultural value.
Importance of cultural values
• Cultural values bind people together

which makes them strong and united.
• It makes people learn tolerance and

understand brotherhood which paves
the path of social harmony, economic
improvement and physical well being
of the community and the others.
Cultural Explanation of Human Behavior
• To a considerable degree, the general behavior

(and even individual behavior) of people in a
society can be explained by that society's
cultural values and norms.
• Culture is not the only way to explain human
behavior.
• Two other explanations are "human nature" and
a scientific theory called sociobiology.
Other factors affecting human behavior
• The term human nature generally suggests that specific

characteristics or traits that are found in all humans supposedly
explain some particular behavior.
• Sociobiology - human behavior reflects genetically inherited traits.
humans are very much like other species of animals, human
characteristics and behaviors are products of the Darwinian
notions of natural selection and evolution.
• Natural selection is the idea that the fittest of any species will
survive and spread its favored traits throughout the population.
Cultural Relativism vs Ethnocentrism
• Ethnocentrism is a view held by the

people of a society that says that they
are of central importance in the
universe and therefore their way of
doing things is the "right" way.
• The study of diverse cultural traditions
often helps us to see how different
customs can be equally acceptable.
• Cultural relativism is an approach that
evaluates the behavior of the people
of another society, not on the basis of
the evaluator's culture but on that
culture's own terms.
Cultural Diversity
• The values, norms, and beliefs are for the majority of people in society the
dominant culture.
• Subcultures are groups with identifiable cultural characteristics that set them apart
from the dominant culture.
• Examples of some subcultures include “heavy metal” music devotees, body‐piercing and tattoo
enthusiasts, motorcycle gang members, and Nazi skinheads.
• Members of subcultures typically make use of distinctive language, behaviors, and clothing, even
though they may still accept many of the values of the dominant culture.
• Groups with cultural characteristics that are consciously in opposition to the

dominant culture are called countercultures, are often highly critical of the
established political systems, accusing them of being repressive, corrupt or evil.
• These Politically oriented groups often engage in illegal acts and terrorism.
Social Groups
• A social group is a collection of people who interact with each

other and share similar characteristics and a sense of unity.
• A social category is a collection of people who do not interact but
who share similar characteristics.
• For example, women, men, the elderly, and high school students all
constitute social categories.
• A social category can become a social group when the members in the
category interact with each other and identify themselves as members of
the group.
• A social aggregate is a collection of people who are in the same
place, but who do not interact or share characteristics.
In – groups and Out - groups
Primary and Secondary Groups
• Primary groups are those in which individuals intimately interact and cooperate
over a long period of time.
• Examples : families, friends, peers, neighbors, classmates, sororities, fraternities, and church
members.
• These groups are marked by primary relationships in which communication is informal.
• Members of primary groups have strong emotional ties.
• They also relate to one another as whole and unique individuals.
• Secondary groups are those in which individuals do not interact much.

• Members of secondary groups are less personal or emotional than those of primary groups.
• These groups are marked by secondary relationships in which communication is formal.
• Members of secondary groups may not know each other or have much face‐to‐face interaction.
• They tend to relate to others only in particular roles and for practical reasons. An example of
a secondary relationship is that of a stockbroker and her clients.
Social Organizations
• Secondary groups are diverse. Some are large and permanent; others are small and
temporary. Some are simple; others are complex. Some have written rules; others do not.
• Colleges, businesses, political parties, the military, universities, and hospitals are all
examples of formal organizations, which are secondary groups that have goal‐directed
agendas and activities.
• In contrast to official organizations, the informal relations among workers comprise
informal organizations.
• Goals help to define organizations and what they do, as well as provide standards for
measuring efficiency, performance, and success in meeting specific objectives. Whereas
most organizations cease to exist if they do not attain their goals, others may thrive
because of the continuing need to meet their goals.
• Organizations use rational planning to achieve their goals. They identify needs, generate
alternatives, decide on goals, figure the most effective means to achieve the goals, decide
who is best capable of achieving the goals, and then implement a specific plan of action.
Two forms of Group Behaviors
• Conformity and Leadership

• The pressure to conform within small groups can be quite powerful. Many people go
along with the majority regardless of the consequences or their personal opinions
• The group does not tolerate dissenting opinions, seeing them as signs of disloyalty to
the group.
• So members with doubts and alternate ideas do not speak out or contradict the
leader of the group, especially when the leader is strong‐willed.
• Expressive leaders are affiliation motivated. they maintain warm, friendly
relationships. They show concern for members' feelings and group cohesion and
harmony, and they work to ensure that everyone stays satisfied and happy.
• Instrumental leaders, on the other hand, are achievement motivated. they are
interested in achieving goals. These leaders tend to prefer a directive style of
management. they “get the job done.”
Concept of time in different cultures
• Time has meaning not only to individuals but to whole groups or cultures
• Time is a social construct enabling members of culture to coordinate
their activities – Emile Durkheim, French Sociologist
• This has an important implications in a business context:
• Organizations may look ahead a long way, or get obsessed by the monthly
reporting period
• There may be an expectation of mutual accommodation as to the exact time of
delivery of product or there may be a penalty clause imposed by one party on
another
• Time agreed for a meeting may be approximate or precise
• Example “Filipino Time”
Generations and Changes
Cultural Lag
• Cultural lag exists when social and cultural

practices are no longer appropriate for
prevailing technological conditions
• When the material culture and technology

change, a cultural lag often results as other
parts of the culture become obsolete,
irrelevant, or, in some cases, dangerous.
• It refers to the fact that culture takes time to

catch up with technological innovations,
resulting in social problems

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Culture and Cultural Values

Francia C. Toledano RN, MD

Discuss and explain the following topics:

• It is the entire complex of ideas and

• Culture is the manifestation of the combined thought process, ideas,

• The knowledge, attitude, belief, goals, morals and values shared by

ARABIC AND TIBETAN

• Every symbol has a social character because a group of people

• The verbal symbols, or language system, of a culture tend to shape

• Nonverbal symbols include many other things besides the physical

• Cultural norms help us not only to predict what others

• Folkways are norms that govern everyday conduct, while

• Constitutes a body of information

• Values are the standards of desirability

• Standards of desirability, of rightness, and of importance in a society .

• Cultural values bind people together

• It makes people learn tolerance and

• To a considerable degree, the general behavior

• The term human nature generally suggests that specific

• Ethnocentrism is a view held by the

• Groups with cultural characteristics that are consciously in opposition to the

• A social group is a collection of people who interact with each

• Secondary groups are those in which individuals do not interact much.

• Conformity and Leadership

• Cultural lag exists when social and cultural

• When the material culture and technology

• It refers to the fact that culture takes time to

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