DEFINING CULTURE & CULTURAL NORMS

IB Syllabus says:

Define the terms “Culture” & “Cultural norms”

Activity:

Work in groups of three to complete Activity 1.2 “WHAT IS CULTURE?” to get you thinking about what culture is.

Culture Posters

Based on the notes given in this PowerPoint/ or the textbook pages 124-125 create large graphic representation of your assigned section then share your findings with the class

Definitions of CultureLook through the readings and pick out as many definitions of culture as possible, you should include:

Matsumoto (2004) Herscovits (1948)

Triandis et al. (1972) Kuschel (2004) Lonner (1995)

Hofstede (2002)

Characteristics of CultureLook through the readings and pick

out as many characteristics of culture as possible, you should include:Deep culture & Surface Culture Moghaddam (1993) Interactive Jahoda (1978) Cultural evolution

Cultural explanations (Kuschel, 2004)Mental Software (Hofstede, 2002)

Implicit & Explicit CultureDynamic nature of culture

Cultural NormsLook through the readings and

explain the following:Cultural norms

The influence of cultural normsImportance of studying culture

Studying Culture: Emic & Etic approachSmith & Bond (1998) textbook analysis

The power of cultural differences (Mead, 1935)

What is culture?

Moghaddam (1993) Humans have an ‘interactive’ relationship with culture – we shape culture and we are also shaped by it

Jahoda (1978) believes that ‘Cultural Evolution’ rather than ‘Biological Evolution’ the reason for our progress and civilization today

How can we Define culture? There are many different definitions of

culture. Matsumoto (2004) mentions a book from 1998 that analyzed 128 different definitions of culture.

Culture is a complex concept that is used in many different ways (e.g. to describe food and eating habits, clothing, rituals, communication patterns, religion, and status behavior).

What is culture often used to explain?

It is often used to describe what could be called “surface culture” because it is so visible.

For example, people notice that food is different when they travel to another country and they say that this is due to cultural differences.

Or they notice that in some countries women are covered and in others they are not.

Is culture invisible?

According to Kuschel (2004) culture cannot be seen but we can see the manifestations of culture.

However, there is “deep culture” which is related to beliefs, attitudes, and values that underpin cultural manifestations.

Should we use culture to explain behavior?

Kuschel claims that culture should not be used as an explanation of behaviour.

Instead, descriptions of cultural factors can be used to understand:

1. how people have survived in their environment,2. how they have organized life in social groups, 3. what beliefs, attitudes, and norms influence behavior in

the social and cultural groups. These cultural factors may lead to specific kinds of

behavior.

What questions should be asked about culture?

According to Kuschel you should ask questions related to how specific factors in the culture result in behaviors such as, for example, infanticide, initiation rites, rain dance, or honour killing.

If culture is simply used as an explanation of behavior, it will lead to circular arguments according to Kuschel, who also warns against generalizations.

Since the concept of culture is so vague and includes so many variables, it should never be used as an explanation in itself.

Different Definitions of culture:1. According to Lonner (1995) culture can be defined as

common rules that regulate interactions and behavior in a group as well as a number of shared values and attitudes in the group.

2. Hofstede (2002) described culture as “mental software”, that is, cultural schemas that have been internalized so that they influence thinking, emotions, and behaviour.

According to Hofstede, the mental software is shared by members of a sociocultural group.

It is learned through daily interactions and by the feedback from other members of the group.

Another definition of culture…. Culture is defined by Matsumoto (2004) as “a

dynamic system of rules, explicit and implicit, established by groups in order to ensure their survival, involving attitudes, values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors”.

This is a complex definition, so we will look at it piece by piece.

Culture is dynamic—it changes over time in response to environmental and social changes. It also exists on many levels.

One could talk about US culture, but also the culture of an individual school.

A school or other large institution can have a set of guidelines that it works by—some of which are written (explicit) and some of which are simply understood (implicit).

Though anthropologists often study the objects which make up a culture—for example, the foods, religious buildings, and grave sites—psychologists mainly focus on the subjective elements of culture.

The group’s attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms are the social representation which has been internalized by its members.

Another definition of culture….

What are cultural norms? Cultural norms are behavior patterns that are

typical of specific groups. They are often passed down from generation to generation by observational learning by the group’s gatekeepers—parents, teachers, religious leaders, and peers.

Cultural norms include such things as how marriage partners are chosen, attitudes towards alcohol consumption, and acceptance (or rejection) of spanking children.

Why is culture understanding culture important?

Understanding the role of culture in human behavior is essential in a diverse, multicultural world.

Many of the founding theorists of psychology took a solely western view.

They attempted to find universal behaviors—that is, they were looking for “rules” of human behavior that could be applied to all cultures around the world

The ‘Etic’ Approach to psychology…. This is an etic approach to psychology.

Etic approaches are typically taken within cross-cultural psychology where behavior is compared across specific cultures.

Etic study involves drawing on the notion of universal properties of cultures, which share common perceptual, cognitive, and emotional structures.

The problems with the etic view… The danger is that many Psychologists adopt the

‘universal man’ assumption – We are all the same – culture does not influence our behaviour

Smith & Bond (1998) found that Psychology is Ethnocentric (western centred)– they reviewed textbooks and found that only 10% of the world is sampled in psychological research

Cultural relativists believe culture is important vs. absolutists believe that our biology most important in determining our behavior

The emic approach looks at behaviors that are culturally specific.

Emics have challenged psychologists to re-examine their ideas of “truth” with regard to culture.

In most cases, truth may be relative, based on the culture in which one is raised.

In that case, it is important for psychologists to recognize these cultural variations in order to best understand members of other cultural groups.

The ‘Emic’ Approach to psychology….

The power of cultural differences….

The anthropologist Mead (1935) documented many instances of cultural variations in gender in her study of three different cultures living close to each other in New Guinea.

The Arapesh people were characterized by women and men having the same sensitive and non-aggressive behaviour, as well as “feminine” personalities; among the Mundugamor, both men and women were ruthless, unpleasant, and “masculine”.

In the Tchambuli community, women were dominant and men were more emotional and concerned about personal appearance—an apparent reversal of western norms.

The power of cultural differences….

Mead’s demonstration of cultural differences—while perhaps exaggerated—is in many respects a valid indication of how society can powerfully influence gender-role development, which has been shown in many other studies.

Studies like these, by anthropologists, inspired psychologists to consider the role of culture in human behavior.

Possible SAQs1. Define the terms “Culture” & “Cultural

norms”2. Explain the terms “Culture” & “Cultural

norms”3. Outline the terms “Culture” & “Cultural

norms”4. Distinguish between the terms “Culture” &

“Cultural norms”5. Describe the terms “Culture” & “Cultural

norms”

Summary Writing………..

Based on the notes given in this PowerPoint/ the posters you textbook pages 124-125 write a paragraph on each of the three topics below.

Definitions of CultureIn your paragraph you should include:

Matsumoto (2004) Herscovits (1948)

Triandis et al. (1972) Kuschel (2004) Lonner (1995)

Hofstede (2002)

Characteristics of CultureIn your paragraph you should include:

Deep culture & Surface Culture Moghaddam (1993) Interactive Jahoda (1978) Cultural evolution

Cultural explanations (Kuschel, 2004)Mental Software (Hofstede, 2002)

Implicit & Explicit CultureDynamic nature of culture

Cultural NormsIn your paragraph you should include:

Cultural norms The influence of cultural normsImportance of studying culture

Studying Culture: Emic & Etic approachSmith & Bond (1998) textbook analysis

The power of cultural differences (Mead, 1935)

Take notes/make a mind map answering the question below…

Define the terms “Culture” & “Cultural norms”

Culture & Ethics

1. Which of the arguments regarding female genital mutilation do you find most persuasive, and why?

• It is moral because it is a cultural practice and different cultural practices should be respected. • It is immoral because it is known how it inflicts pain on girls and removes their potential for pleasure. I disagree with this cultural norm. • It is immoral and there is a need for social action to change this practice.

2. Can the values of one society ever be judged with any validity by applying the values of another culture?

Defining Culture Review Questions….

What insights to the followingResearchers

Give into Definitions of Culture?Matsumoto (2004) Herscovits (1948)

Triandis et al. (1972) Kuschel (2004) Lonner (1995)

Hofstede (2002)

Explain the following Characteristics of Culture….Deep culture & Surface Culture Moghaddam (1993) Interactive Jahoda (1978) Cultural evolution

Cultural explanations (Kuschel, 2004)Mental Software (Hofstede, 2002)

Implicit & Explicit CultureDynamic nature of culture

Explain the following point which relate to cultural norms……...Define Cultural norms

The influence of cultural normsImportance of studying culture

Studying Culture: Emic & Etic approachSmith & Bond (1998) textbook analysis

The power of cultural differences (Mead, 1935)