BSIT-4A

SOCSCI

CULTURAL CONCEPTS AND VARIATIONS

OVERVIEW

Many kinds of lifestyle are possible because human beings have evolved into a uniquely flexible
social being that can learn the language, norms, and values of the society in which he/she lives. People
have the physical and mental capabilities to adapt to a greatly diverse culture, but most of them live their
lives within the boundaries of one.

Cultures with similar problems develop different solutions as a result of selection. Basic
characteristics of group life such as leadership, interpersonal exchange, and group identity become
expressed in different ways as the society evolves and responds to its opportunities and challenges.

In this lesson, you will be apprised of the different conditions that bring about cultural variations
and changes, and of the modes of acquiring culture. Other cultural concepts are also highlighted.

OTHER CULTURAL CONCEPTS

Here are some useful cultural concepts in studying society:

1. Ethnocentrism – It is a feeling that one's own way of life is superior and right and that all other
cultures are inferior and defective. This kind of feeling tends to judge other cultures in terms of the
values and norms of one's own culture. In this sense, ethnocentrism gives rise to the erroneous
concept of perfunctorily regarding one’s culture as superior and right in comparison with other
cultures.

Ethnocentric individuals believe they’re better than other individuals for reasons based solely on
their heritage. Have you ever seen or eaten food from another country, such as dried squid or fried
crickets and think of it as weird and gross? This is an example of ethnocentrism! That means you use
your own culture as the center and evaluate other cultures based on it. You are judging or making
assumptions about the food of other countries based on your own norms, values, or beliefs. Thinking
“dried squid is smelly” or “people shouldn’t eat insects” are examples of ethnocentrism in societies
where people may not eat dried squid or insects.

2. Cultural Relativism – It is the opposite of ethnocentrism. The concept refers to the notion that each
culture should be evaluated according to its own merits and standards rather than from the
standpoint or bases of a different culture. ln other words, norms, values and beliefs should be
judged only from the viewpoint of the culture where they belong.

Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or wrong,
strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices of other groups in its own
cultural context. For example, instead of thinking, “Fried crickets are disgusting!” one should instead
ask, “Why do some cultures eat fried insects?”. You may learn that fried crickets or grasshoppers are
full of protein and in Mexico, it is famous Oaxaca regional cuisine and have been eaten for thousands
of years as a healthy food source!

Biscocho, Erica Joi F.

Panis, Joshua V.
BSIT-4A
SOCSCI

3. Xenocentrism – It is the belief that what ls foreign is best in terms of one's lifestyle, products or
ideas.

Xenocentrism is the preference for the products, styles, or ideas of someone else's culture rather
than of one's own. In the Philippines, there is a strong preference for most things foreign. Machines,
appliances and even clothes can be sold for a lot more if they are from the West, particularly America.

4. Temporocentrism – It is the belief that one's own time is more important than that of the past or
future.

5. Subculture – It is a group or category within a society that shares in the general culture but
maintains distinctive ways of thinking, acting and feeling. This kind of group is usually found in a big
and complex society.

A subculture is a cultural group within a culture that differs in one or more ways from the culture. This
would include differences in interest, behaviors or beliefs, like religion, ethnicity, and social or
economic status.

Alcoholics Anonymous - a group for recovering alcoholics

Bikers - people interested in motorcycles and often form groups that travel together

Bodybuilding - using certain exercises to build muscle

Cosplay - a group involved with wearing costumes and role play

Deaf culture - may include family members of deaf people and sign language interpreters

Emo - started with the hardcore punk movement, attitudes and dress are melodramatic

Fandom - can be fans of movies, a celebrity, or any shared interest

6. Counter-Culture – It is a subculture that has values and norms that sharply contradict those of the
larger society.

A way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.

Subculture Counterculture

A small group within the larger community A small group outside of the larger

community

Can live within the mainstream culture Goes against the mainstream culture

Is more an issue of image, style, vocabulary, perception Is an issue of values

Groups are formed around shared interests and likes Groups formed around shared interests

and dislikes

Biscocho, Erica Joi F.

Panis, Joshua V.
BSIT-4A
SOCSCI

7. Culture Universal – This refers to common cultural elements that are found within all known
societies. They include norms, laws, language, beliefs, and values.

Examples of elements that may be considered cultural universals are gender roles, the incest
taboo, religious and healing ritual, mythology, marriage, language, art, dance, music, cooking, games,
jokes, sports, birth and death because they involve some sort of ritual ceremonies accompanying them,
etc.

8. Culture Lag – It is the inability of a given society to adapt immediately to another culture as a result
of the disparity in the rate of change between the material and non-material elements of culture.

Example: Life Support: Medical technology is now being used to keep people’s bodies functioning
long after they would otherwise have been declared dead. This raises cultural and ethical questions
about when life ends and who has the right to end artificial life support or to prolong existence. The
development of new cultural beliefs, values, and norms lags the dilemmas posed by the technological
change.

9. Culture Shock – It is the experience of disorientation and frustration that occurs when individuals
find themselves among those who do not share their fundamental premises.

The feeling of culture shock can usually set in after the first few weeks of arriving in a new country.
It is a normal part of adjusting to new foods, customs, language, people and activities, A person with
culture shock may experience some of these symptoms: irritability, headaches or stomach aches,
overly concerned with health, easily tired, loneliness, hopelessness, distrust of hosts, withdrawal from
people and activities, painful homesickness, lowered work performance.

10. Culture Integration – It is concerned with adoption of a mass consumer culture where everything
from fashion to sport, music to television, becomes integrated into the national culture, often
without challenge.

An example of cultural integration is the remaking of foreign films for American audiences. For
example, the 2007 film "The Departed" is a remake of the Chinese film "Infernal Affairs." Other
examples of cultural integration include American restaurants such as McDonald's opening branches
in foreign countries such as Japan and foreign films playing in American theaters. Cultural integration
typically refers to cultural globalization. Globalization is a process that includes the interaction and
integration of people, companies and governments of different nations. It is driven by an increased
interconnection among countries in areas of economics, politics and culture, as well as international
trade and investments.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Cultural Diversity means the variation of culture in some ways with another culture which
guides human behavior. From language to appearance, from great ideas to good manners, from laws to
values, the cultures of the world offer what seems like an infinite number of alternatives. You may find
many foreign customs practical, logical or even attractive. Examples are wearing a sari and having more
than one spouse at a time. Not allowing women to appear in public places without the protection of a
male relative is an unduly restrictive custom by American standards, but a correct normative behavior in
Saudi Arabia.

Biscocho, Erica Joi F.

Panis, Joshua V.
BSIT-4A
SOCSCI

For instance, what about eating etiquettes its good for Chinese people to make sound while eating-
it means enjoying the food, while in Arminian culture (western cultures) it considered rude and impolite)
hope helped somehow)

Conditions that Affect Cultural Variations

People have so many ways of solving simple and complex problems. The approaches vary from
culture to culture. These variations are dependent on the following:

1. Environment – A person's surroundings play a major role in shaping his/her culture. In various parts
of the world, the physical and the natural environments differ from one another. In some parts, the
climate is cool and in other parts, it is torrid and hot; in certain regions, there are four seasons while
in other areas, there are only two seasons. In terms of geographical features, some places are sandy
while others are made up of soil; some countries abound in trees and forests, while others are arid,
desert lands. These environmental conditions greatly affect people who must therefore adapt to
these conditions in order to survive.
2. Isolation – Under this condition, a culture continues its own course, unaltered and uncontaminated
by other cultures. A secluded society usually brings no changes in its mode of living and the cultural
patterns that have been established brought about by is adaptation to its physical environment
remain the same. The absence of contact with other societies tends to perpetuate the patterns that
have been adopted.
3. Technology – Cultural variation is also caused by the technological advances in a society. The
technology used by a society determines its social structure that leads to changes in culture.
4. Cultural Themes – Cultural patterns generally contain themes that contribute to variations among
cultures. Based on themes, culture tends to select and reinterpret the new ideas that are
meaningful to people. If people find no point of correspondence between the new ideas and their
usual ones, the new ideas are abandoned (Gerth & Mills, 1970).
5. Diffusion – This involves the borrowing or transferring of certain elements of one culture to another
culture when the former meets the latter.

Modes of Acquiring Culture

Some ways of acquiring culture (Garcia et al., 1984) are as follows:
1. Imitation – It is a human action by which one tends to duplicate exactly the behavior of others.
2. Indoctrination – This takes the form of formal teaching or training which may happen anywhere.
The formal teaching considers the cultural components of society where the learning individual
lives.
3. Conditioning – Through norms prevailing in one’s social and cultural milieu, and through the process
of conditioning, the individual acquires certain patterns of beliefs, values, behaviors, and actions.
This process is further reinforced by a system of reward and punishment practiced in the cultural
environment.
4. Acculturation – It is a process by which societies with different cultures are modified through close
and long continued contact.
5. Amalgamation – It is the intermarriage of persons coming from different cultural groups resulting in
biological fusion.
Biscocho, Erica Joi F.
Panis, Joshua V.