Culture and Society Overview

Culture and Society

• Culture encompasses values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects shared within a society.
• Five key components of culture are technology, symbols, language, values, and norms.
• Technology simplifies life and enables mass production.
• Symbols represent reality and convey meaning (e.g., statues, handshakes).
• Language is a powerful communication tool, reflecting beliefs and culture.
• Values are standards for judging goodness, acceptability, beauty, and desirability.
• Norms are rules guiding behavior, defining acceptable and unacceptable actions.

Types of Norms

• Mores distinguish right from wrong (moral norms).
• Folkways (customs) differentiate right from rude (less serious than mores).
• Laws are formally enacted and enforced rules of conduct.
• Taboos are forbidden actions based on religious beliefs or morals, carrying severe social disapproval.

Deviance and Social Control

• Deviance is any violation of societal norms, ranging from minor infractions to serious crimes.
• Social control regulates and enforces norms to maintain social order.
• Sanctions are mechanisms for enforcing norms, including positive rewards for conformity and negative punishments for violations.
• Sanctions can be informal (e.g., frowns, pats on the back) or formal (e.g., expulsion, arrest).

Social Bonds and Evolution

• Social bonds in industrial societies are based on specialization and interdependence (organic solidarity).
• Societies evolve through technological advancements, impacting cultural patterns and population size.
• Simpler technologies support smaller, more homogenous populations.
• Complex technologies enable larger, more diverse populations and faster cultural change.

Types of Societies

• Societies have evolved from hunting and gathering to more complex forms.
• Hunting and gathering societies were small, nomadic, and highly interdependent, with family as the primary institution.
• Horticultural and pastoral societies cultivated crops and domesticated animals, leading to settled lifestyles.
• Agricultural societies utilized plows, enabling larger populations and the emergence of cities.

Functional Prerequisites of Societies (Parsons)

• Parsons' theory posits four functional prerequisites for societal survival:
  • Adaptation: Acquiring and distributing resources efficiently (economic function).
  • Goal attainment: Setting and achieving societal goals (political function).
  • Integration: Harmonizing different parts of society for smooth functioning (social function).
  • Latency: Maintaining social values and patterns (cultural function).