Characteristics of Culture

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, & POLITICS
WHAT IS CULTURE?
Kenji Madriaga, 2022.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
1. Learned
Culture is not genetic - we are not born with culture. We learn our culture as
we grow up in it, through a process called enculturation. It is also known
as socialization. All humans have the same basic physical needs, for
example, food, sleep, and shelter, but the way that they meet those needs is
based on culture.
2. Shared
Culture is something that a group of people shares–it is shared practices and

shared understandings. If one person thinks something or behaves a certain
way, that is not culture–it is a personal habit. But if most of the people in a
society do it, then it is culture. Culture is shared between members of a group,
meaning they all think and behave the same way because they grew up in the
same culture.
Culture is shared, but not 100 percent among its members, and subcultures
and countercultures add even more complexity.
Subcultures are a group of people within a culture that have some kind of
unique beliefs or behaviors, but also still share things in common with the
mainstream culture. Subcultures are subsets of the mainstream culture.
Countercultures are a group of people that intentionally take on beliefs and

behaviors that are the opposite of the mainstream culture.
3. Symbolic
Culture is based on symbols, and culture is spread from generation to

generation through symbols. People learn their culture’s beliefs and behaviors
through symbols.
A symbol is something that means or stands for something else. Symbols are
arbitrary, meaning that people decide on the meaning of a symbol–it doesn’t
inherently mean something.
Language is symbolic as well–words stand for objects and ideas.
Symbols are used to transmit culture from generation to generation through

language. Culture can be thought of as the collection of symbolic knowledge
that people in a society share.
4. Integrated
Culture is a complex system, made up of many parts that are interconnected

and related to each other. Some examples of the parts of culture are
education, technology, marriage, medicine, economics, family, beliefs and
religion, government, and language.
When one part of the system changes, other parts also change, since
everything is connected. One part can influence the others.
5. Adaptive
Adaptation is how an organism adjusts to its environment. Culture helps

humans adapt to their environment.
Cultural adaptation is relative. This means that what is adaptive in one culture
may not be adaptive in another culture.
However, not all aspects of culture are adaptive. Some are neutral and don’t
affect people’s ability to survive. And some aspects of culture can
be maladaptive, meaning they can threaten people’s existence in the long
term.
6. Dynamic
Cultures are not static–they change over time. But why do they change? One
way they change is through diffusion.
Diffusion is the spreading of an idea, thing, or behavior between cultures.

Cultures are not isolated–different cultures have been in contact with each
other throughout history.
There are 3 types of diffusion–direct, indirect, and forced.

Direct diffusion is when two cultures interact with each other, such as through
trade or intermarriage. Indirect diffusion is when traits move from one culture
to another through a third culture. For example, culture #1 may trade with
culture #2, who trades with culture #3. So, culture #3 ends up with cultural
items from culture #1, even though they haven’t been in direct contact. Forced
diffusion is when one culture forces its way of life on another culture.
Another thing to note is that diffusion doesn’t just flow from complex societies
to simpler societies. Diffusion goes in both directions.
Assimilation - people are forced to take on the beliefs and behaviors of the
dominant culture, causing their own culture to become extinct.
Acculturation - This is when there is continuous contact between two cultures,

and ideas are exchanged. Each culture may change, or both may change, but
they are still two distinct cultures.
Yet another way cultures can change is through independent invention. This
is when people find new ways of solving problems.
Another reason cultures change is due to globalization. Different cultures

around the world are now interlinked and interdependent–we live in a global
village. Globalization involves the spread of culture, usually Western culture,
around the world through forces like international business, travel and tourism,
the media and the internet, and migration.
THE CULTURE WHEEL

NAME __________________
SECTION _______________
ACTIVITY
How would you describe the culture you grew up with?

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UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, & POLITICS

Kenji Madriaga, 2022.

Culture is something that a group of people shares–it is shared practices and

Countercultures are a group of people that intentionally take on beliefs and

Culture is based on symbols, and culture is spread from generation to

Language is symbolic as well–words stand for objects and ideas.

Symbols are used to transmit culture from generation to generation through

Culture is a complex system, made up of many parts that are interconnected

Adaptation is how an organism adjusts to its environment. Culture helps

Diffusion is the spreading of an idea, thing, or behavior between cultures.

There are 3 types of diffusion–direct, indirect, and forced.

Acculturation - This is when there is continuous contact between two cultures,

Another reason cultures change is due to globalization. Different cultures

THE CULTURE WHEEL

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