Explain the meaning of Culture and factors affecting the Cultural environment.

Definition of Culture:

There is no one definition of culture nor there is unanimity among various thinkers. Mr. A.L. Korelaber and T. Parsons in an article on the Concepts of Culture and of Social Systems American Sociological Review has defined culture as “a complex of values, ideas, attitudes, and other meaningful symbols created by a man to shape human behaviour and the anti facts of that behaviour as they are transmitted from one generation to the next”.

According to another author “culture refers to a set of values, ideas, anti facts, and other meaningful symbols that help individuals communicate, interpret, and evaluate as members of society”. Another writer feels that “culture is a set of socially acquired values that society accepts as a whole and transmits to its members through language, and symbols”. 

The culture may also be defined as “the largest simple grouping of people sharing a distinctly unique social heritage”.

Attitude and Behaviours Influenced by Ones Culture:

1. Personality i.e. sense of self and society.

2. Language i.e. communication.

3. Dress

4. Food habits

5. Religion and religious faiths that is beliefs.

6. Customs of marriages and religions and special social customs.

7. Social relationship (system of marriage, family structure and relations, social and religious organisations, government)

8. System of education, 

9. Work habits and products. 

10. Time value (punctuality, late coming working hours, rest hours and so on.

11. Values and norms (discussed later).

12. Beliefs and faiths (religion, vegetarianism – meat eating, nonviolence – rebirth, fate and luck and so on.

13. Festivals

14. Art, music, pictures, TV Radio, movies, theatres etc.

15. Technology and innovation.

16. Products and services.

17. Knowledge.

18. Laws of the Government and social traditions and laws laid down by religion.