Concept of Culture
Basic to a better understanding of any society is getting insights about the culture of that society. All human societies have culture ranging from the most primitive to the most advanced because culture is the way of life of the people. Furthermore, individual personality is fashioned and influenced by the culture of his society. Thus, personality, society and culture are interrelated concepts.
The classic definition of culture was given by Edward Tylor, an English anthropologist, who stated, “Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society.”
Culture refers to man’s social and material inventions, man’s artificial or man-made environment including the learned ways of doing things.
Culture refers to the artificial or man-made environment as well as the behavioural aspects of man’s way of life. It provides prescriptions and proscriptions for group life – the values, customs, norms, rules, laws, and sanctions for the deviance.
Culture comprises all the objects, ideas, beliefs, norms of a group of people, and the meanings that the group applies to each culture element. (Clark, 1988).
Culture is the social heritage of a society. It refers to the customary ways in which groups organize their ways of behaving, thinking and feeling and which they transmit from one generation to another.
In sum, culture is that complex whole which consists of knowledge, beliefs, ideas habits, attitudes, skills abilities, values, norms, art, law, morals, customs, traditions, feelings and other capabilities of man which are acquired, learned and socially transmitted by man from one generation to another through language and living together as members of the society.
Characteristics of Culture:
Based on the various definitions and concepts of culture given above, the basic qualities of culture are:
- Culture is learned – It is acquired through education, training and experience. A baby is not born with knowledge, skills and abilities. It is not genetically transmitted. The knowledge, skills, abilities and learned habits of the parents cannot be transmitted to the offspring through heredity.
- Culture is socially transmitted through language – It is transmitted from one generation to another through the medium of language, verbal or nonverbal through gestures or signs, orally or in writing.
- Culture is a social product – Many persons interacting with one another develop culture. Culture is a product of social interaction, through the mutual interstimulation and response of people with one another. The patterns for behaviour, the learned ways of doing things which have become stable, and the material products of such interactions develop culture.
- Culture is a source of gratification – It provides satisfaction of man’s varied physiological, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs.
- Culture is adaptive – Through inventions and discoveries man has been able to overcome his limitations to outdo all other animals. Through culture man has been able to control and harness the inhospitable forces of nature to conform to his biddings.
- Culture is the distinctive way of life of a group of people – The members of the society have developed their unique way of life that suits their needs and particular situation. Although all peoples have culture, such culture differs from one society to another. (Cultural diversity).
- Culture is material and non-material – Material culture, such as buildings and machines, are the products or outputs of the application of man’s knowledge and skills, which are basically non-material.
- Culture has sanctions and controls – These sanctions could be formal or informal. These are rewards for conformity to culture but there are also punishments for deviation from or violation of the culture – the prescriptions and proscriptions of the society.
- Culture is stable yet dynamic – It is preserved and accumulated, highly stable and continuous. Culture is also changing. Culture grows and accumulates with the passing of time.
- Culture is an established pattern of behaviour – Members of a certain society act in a fairly uniform manner because they share mutual beliefs, customs, and ways of doing things. Thus, it is fairly easy to predict the behaviour of the members of a particular society when they interact in particular social settings and social situations.
