What Is Culture?

Culture consists of the abstract values, beliefs, and perceptions of the

world that lie behind peoples behavior, and which that behavior reflects. These are shared by the members of a society, and when acted
upon, they produce behavior considered acceptable within that society.
Cultures are learned, largely through the medium of language, rather
than inherited biologically, and the parts of a culture function as an
integrated whole.
How Is Culture Studied?
Anthropologists, like children, learn about a culture by experiencing it
and talking about it with those who live by its rules. Of course, anthropologists have less time to learn, but are more systematic in the
way they learn. Through careful observation and discussion with informants who are particularly knowledgeable in the ways of their culture, the anthropologist abstracts a set of rules in order to explain how
people behave in a particular society.
Why Do Cultures Exist?
People maintain cultures to deal with problems or matters that concern
them. To survive, a culture must satisfy the basic needs of those who
live by its rules, provide for its own continuity, and provide an orderly
existence for the members of a society. In doing so, a culture must
strike a balance between the self-interests of individuals and the needs
of society as a whole. And finally, a culture must have the capacity to
change in order to adapt to new circumstances or to altered perceptions
of existing circumstances.