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How Culture Shapes Who We Are
1. CULTURE
How do we define it?
How does it shape who we are,
& what we feel, think, & do?
Class 1
2. How do we define
“culture”?
External definitions
Concrete definitions
Behavioral definitions
Symbolic definitions
Internal definitions
2SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
3. Culture is…
Rooted in behavior…what we do, how we behave, how
we respond
Includes our material artifacts…art, music, buildings,
products, natural resources
Includes our thinking…social knowledge, beliefs,
morals, laws, customs
Includes our patterns & symbols…language, public
meanings, class
Includes our values…ideas, habits, traditions
3SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
5. In other words…
“Culture includes multiple levels of
traditions, values, & beliefs, as well as
social, biological, & natural acts.
These processes are driven by the
meanings we give to or take from them.
These meanings are fortified or changed in
relations between people,
as history unfolds.”
--E. Hutchison (2008)
5SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
6. It has been suggested that…
Individuals & groups view the world in different ways,
shaped by their cultural experiences
These different ways of understanding affect
communication
Such differences may lead to conflicts &
misunderstandings between groups
E. Hall (1976). Beyond Culture
6SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
7. For example, on a continuum…
Some people have “low context” vision…
Others have “high context” vision
9. The general differences along
this continuum
Persons with high context
vision tend to be…
More relationally based
Circular in thinking
Focused on a wide range
of information
Less verbally explicit
Persons with low context
vision tend to be…
More individually based
Linear in thinking
Task oriented & narrowly
focused
Rule oriented & factual
9SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
10. Yet culture is a dynamic
process that also must be
viewed within a personal &
situational context
J. Laird has said that cultures are…
11. Improvisational
We fit experiences into meanings & create new meanings & new
symbols
Fluid & emergent
We have multiple cultural selves that shift according to our setting
An intersection of many groups
We belong to many groups, & there is diversity within our groups
Not measurable
It is not a thing or an object; it is a cluster of meanings from past,
present, & future
Political
People do not have equal opportunities to have their stories told
11SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
12. As we move further into the 21st century…
Western societies
are in the midst of a shift from a
“modern” to a “postmodern” view
of human interaction & culture
13. But in many parts of the world…
Traditional societies are in the
midst of shifting from a
“premodern” to a “modern” view
of human interaction & culture
15. “Premodern traditional”
Premodern traditional societies are pre-industrial
& built on subsistence agriculture.
Communal values, religious authority, stability, &
order are valued.
Blood lines, tribes, & hierarchy determine social
status.
Religious beliefs & traditions are valued more
than scientific reason.
15SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
16. “Modern”
Modern societies are built on the belief that
science & knowledge are objective, & we can
know the cause & effect of behavior.
Human beings are viewed as developing through
a predictable interaction between external
sociocultural forces & internal psychological
forces.
Progress, individualism, achievement, &
capitalism are valued.
16SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
17. “Postmodern”
Postmodern societies value diversity in the midst
of a multicultural, global world.
Status is based on difference, not power.
The development of “the self” is viewed as a
conscious, ongoing, unfolding process; we have
multiple selves, with many vocabularies.
Rationality is viewed as limited; objective, value-
free science is viewed as one-sided.
Unpredictability & chaos are recognized.
17SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
18. Postmodernism proposes
that…
Reality is both subjective & objective.
Subjective reality is created by the
internalization of our social norms.
Our understandings are a result of our
social relationships, developed at a
particular point in time.
18SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
19. Social processes (such as
communication, conflict, & negotiation)
can be used for social control.
The way we see the world affects our
social policy & our choices.
19SWEP III, SBennett, CUA, 2011
20. What do you think?
Do you live in a
traditional, modern, or
postmodern culture?
How would you
describe your culture?
