Culture: Characteristics and Classifications of Culture | Sociology

Article shared by :

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Some of the essential characteristics and classifications of culture are as follows:

Like most sociological concepts, culture is a word with both a popular and sociological meaning. Man is a
social animal and at the same time he is a cultural animal. Culture is one of the most important
achievements of man. To be human being is to have culture. It is culture who makes human life
meaningful. Human being is born and brought up in a cultural environment. It is culture which
distinguishes a man from animal.

Man is called as a culture bearing animal. Hence understanding of human society requires the
understanding of culture. Because each and every society possesses culture and humanness only develops
in a cultural framework. Sociologists have developed the two concepts i.e. culture and society in order to
account for and explain the regularities in human action and the essence of social life. Besides the
understanding of the meaning of culture is very vital to the understanding of the nature of society.

However, the term culture has for the first time coined in the eighteenth century. Famous English
anthropologist use the term for the first time in anthropology. But the sociological meaning of the word
culture sharply differs from the ordinary, common or literary meaning. Ordinarily the term culture refers
to those particular traits and behavior systems that are regarded as refinements such as music, poetry,
art, painting etc.

It refers to special qualities like this and persons who has acquired these qualities is considered as cultured
and persons who has not acquired is called ‘uncultured’ But this is a very narrow view of culture and
sociologist and anthropologist do not understand culture in this way.

But in a strict sociological sense culture refers to the totality of all those what is learned by individuals as
members of society. Sociologically culture refers to acquired behavior which are shared by and
transmitted among the members of society. Culture is a way of life, a mode of thinking, acting and feeling.
It is a heritage into which a child is born. Culture is manmade. Culture passes from one generation to
another. It can be used both for educated and illiterate because they may have their own culture.

Culture also refers to a set of rules and procedures along with a supporting set of ideas and values. Culture
refers to the distinctive way of life of a group of people. And acquisition of a particular way of life is what
is known as culture. Thus culture is a learned behavior, it .s a social heritage, it is super organic and it is a
decision for living. These are four different dimensions of culture. Hence culture is a complex
phenomenon. And to understand this complex phenomena more exactly and more accurately we must
have to analyze some of it’s definitions given by different scholars.

(1) According to E.B. Tylor, “Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals,
law, custom and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society”.

(2) According to B. Malinowski, “Culture is the handiwork of man and the medium through which he
achieves his ends.”
(3) According to H.T. Mazumdar, “Culture is the sum total of human achievements material as well as
non-material, capable of transmission, sociologically i.e. by tradition-and communication, vertically as
well as horizontally.”

(4) According to Maclver, “Culture is the expression of our nature in our modes of living and our thinking,
intercourse, in our literature, in religion, in recreation and enjoyment.”

(5) According to Lundberg, Culture refers to “the social mechanisms of behaviour and to the physical and
symbolic products of these behaviours.”

(6) According to S. Koening, “Culture is the sum total of man’s efforts to adjust himself to his environment
and to improve his modes of living.”

Thus we conclude that culture is manmade. It is an organised system of norms and values hold by people
of a society. Culture is everything which is socially learned and shared by the members of a society.
Individual receives culture as a part of a social heritage and in turn reshape the culture and introduce
changes which then become part of the heritage of succeeding generations. It is a response to human
needs and is an instrumental reality and an apparatus for the satisfaction of the biologically derived needs.

That is why David Bidney opines, “Culture is a product of agrofacts, (cultivation), artifacts (industries),
social facts and mental facts (art, religion, language etc.).” Similarly, H.M. Johnson opines that culture has
two aspects i.e. Explicit and Implicit. The explicit aspect of culture consists of those aspects of which
bearers are fully conscious e.g. language. On the other hand the implicit aspects of culture consists of
those aspects which bearers are not able to describe exactly. But the meaning of culture will be more
clear if we analyse some of it’s characteristics.

The Most Important Characteristics of Culture:

(1) Culture is acquired:

Culture is an acquired quality or behavior. It is not biologically inherited but learnt socially by individuals.
In other words any behavior or quality which is socially acquired or learned is called culture. Behavior’s
learned through socialization habits and thoughts are called culture. Human beings learn or acquire
culture by living in group. He learns it from society through education.

(2) Culture is Social:

Culture is not individual but social in nature. As a social product culture develops through social interaction
which is shared by all. Without social interaction or social relations it is very difficult and almost impossible
to be cultured. Culture is inclusive of the expectations of the members of the groups. It is created or
originated in society. Hence it is social.

(3) Culture is Transmissive:

Culture is transmitted from one generation to another. It passes from parents to children and so on. This
transmission is a continuous and spontaneous process. It never remains constant. Man inherits or learns
culture from his ancestors and passes it to his successors. In this way culture constantly accumulate.

(4) Culture fulfils some needs:

(5) Culture is shared:

Culture is not possessed by a single or a few individual. Culture is shared by majority of individuals. Hence
culture is collective in nature. For example polytheism is our culture. It means majority of Indians believe
in polytheism.

(6) Culture is Idealistic:

Culture is idealistic in nature. Because it embodies the ideals, values and norms of the group. It sets ideal
goals before individuals which is worth attaining. In other words culture is the sum total of ideals and
values of individuals in society.

(7) Culture is accumulative:

Culture is not created in one day or one year. It gradually accumulates through centuries. Beliefs, art,
morals, knowledge are gradually stored up and became part of culture. Hence culture is the social
heritage.

(8) Culture is adaptive:

Culture possesses adaptive capacity. It is not static. It undergoes changes. Different aspects of culture
adapt with new environment or challenges posed by social and physical environment. Adaptation refers
to the process of adjustment. And culture helps man in this process of adjustment.

(9) Culture is Variable:

Culture is variable and changeable. It varies and changes from society to society. Because each and every
society has its own culture. It also varies within a society from time to time. Ways of living of people of a
particular society varies from time to time.

(10) Culture is Organized:

Culture has an order or system. As Tylor says culture is a ‘complex whole’. It means different parts of
culture are well organized into a cohesive whole. Different parts of culture is organised in such a way that
any change in one part brings corresponding changes in other parts.

(11) Culture is Communicative:

Man makes and uses symbol. He also possesses capacity of symbolic communication. Culture is based on
symbol and it communicates through different symbols. Common ideas and social heritage etc. are
communicated from one generation to another. In our society ‘red color’ stands for danger. In Indian
culture red color symbolic danger. Hence culture is communicative in nature.

(12) Language is the chief vehicle of Culture:

(13) Culture is the total social heritage:

We know culture is a social product. It is linked with the past. Through transmission past continues to live
in culture. It is shared by all.

Classifications of culture:

Material and Non-Material:

Famous Sociologist W.F. Ogburn divide culture into two types such as material and non-material culture.

Material Culture:

Material culture consists of products of human activity which is concrete, tangible and observable. These
objects are manmade and called as ‘artifacts’. It refers to books, chairs, tables, furniture, tools, telephone.
These material culture are external and utilitarian. Material culture is invented for human convenience.
They contribute to the progress of society. It changes faster.

Non-material Culture:

Non-material culture consists of intangible and abstract things like customs, values, good will habits,
beliefs, language etc. Non-material culture is something internal and they do not have physical existence.
Non-material culture changes very slowly. It is created taking the psychological basis of man and reflects
the inward nature of man. Non-material culture has two aspects such as cognitive and normative.
Cognitive aspect deals with knowledge whereas normative aspects consist of norms, rules and values. We
can’t see it and touch it.

Cultural Lag:

The Concept of cultural lag was first used by W.F. Ogburn in his famous book “Social Change”. Of course
ogburn was the first sociologist to use and discuss the idea of cultural lag and formulate a definite theory.
But in the writings of other famous sociologists such as W.G. summer, Herbert Spencer and Muller the
existence of a cultural lag is implied.

However, it was ogburn who divides culture into two types such as material and non-material culture. By
material culture he mean those things which are tangible, concrete and observable such as table, chair,
utensils etc. But non-material culture refers to those things which are intangible and abstract such as good
will, customs, traditions, values etc. But Ogburn opines that changes first comes into material aspects of
culture and when changes occur in material aspects of culture those in turn stimulate changes in non-
material aspects of culture.

But Ogburn opines that the non material aspects of culture is often slow to respond to the changes and
invention made in material culture. When non-material culture fails to adjust itself to the changes in
material culture it falls or lags-behind the material culture and as a result a lag or gap between the two is
created. And Ogburn call this lag or gap between two inter-related parts of culture i.e. Material and non-
material as cultural lag.
Defining cultural lag obgurn says, “The strain that exists between two correlated parts of culture that
change at unequal rates of speed may be interpreted as a lag in the part that is changing at the lowest
rate for the one lags behind the other”. Ogburn opines if society is to maintain equilibrium both the parts
of culture should be properly adjusted. To remove this gap between two parts of
culture man should adopt his ways of thinking and behaving to the changes in technology. Explaining the
cause of cultural lag he says that the various elements of culture posses varying degrees of changeability.
It may also due to man’s psychological dogmatism. When social institutions fails to adopt to the changes
in material culture it leads to cultural lag.

Obgurh cited a number of examples to explain the concept of cultural lag. He opines that people have
changed their habitations and life style but not the life they lead within them. The number of police force
in a country remains constant whereas population of the country increasing rapidly. As a result police
force lags behind the population growth and cultural lag appears.

Ex: Population______ (Population increases)

Police force………………. lag (Police force remain constant)