This document discusses how cultural factors influence social change. It provides examples of how values, attitudes, ideologies, and ideas from important figures can impact society. Cultural lag, as described by W.F. Ogburn, explains that non-material aspects of culture like beliefs and attitudes are slower to change than material aspects like technology. Cultural factors are a key source of social change as values and ideas themselves evolve over time. Great thinkers and leaders have introduced revolutionary changes in areas like religion and politics. A society's openness to new ideas and scientific inquiry can encourage or hinder social change.

1. Cultural factors influence social changes.
There is an intimate relationship between
society and culture. Hence, cultural changes
involve social change. Cultural factors such
as values, attitudes, ideologies, ideas of
greatmen etc. play a vital role in influencing
social change. W. F. Ogburn's concept of
cultural lag explains the role of culture in
social change.

2. Cultural factors constitute yet another source
of social change. Cultural factors consist of
our values, and beliefs, ideas and
ideologies, morals and manners, customs and
traditions and various institutions. Not only
social values direct social changes but they
themselves are subject to change. Ideas and
ideals, ideologies and philosophies are
inherently changeful.

3. Culture gives speed and direction to the
social change. Actually, the field of social
change is limited in comparison with the
field of cultural change. Our ways of
behaving, living, thinking and acting are very
much influenced by the changes in social
values. These changes in social values are no
doubt influenced, if not determined by the
technological factors.

4. Values play a major role in acceptance or
rejection of any social change. In our country
some communities do not approve of the use
of contraceptive as they believe that it goes
against their religious values as well as the
economic values of having large family.

5. Greatmen
like
the
Buddha, Mahavira, Sankaracharya, Jagannath
a
Das, Aurovinda, Vivekananda, Mahammad, Je
sus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and others have
introduced revolutionary changes in the
spheres of religion. Napoleon, Hitler, Karl
Marx, Gandhi and others have caused radical
changes in the sphere of politics. Similarly
writers, scientists, philosophers have also
contributed to social changes.

6. The attitude of a society towards scientific
enquiry may encourage or discourage
change. In the medieval Europe, Galileo was
tortured because of the speculative attitude
of the church leaders. In contrast modern
countries at present encourage science. The
successful scientists in our country are
rewarded with honour, prestige, and
sometimes with money. High value placed on
science has encouraged many youngmen to
take up science as a career.

7. Ideology means a set of beliefs justifying the
interest of those who held it. New ideas and
ideologies also bring about significant
changes in the world's social and economic
order. Nobody can deny the influences of the
ideas like liberty, equality and fraternity in
giving rise to the French revolution. Similarly
new ideologies such as socialism, Gandhisim
and democracy have exerted profound
influence on social organisation. Recent
change
in
ideologies
has
caused
disintegration of the U.S.S.R.

8. The term cultural lag was first used by W. F. Ogburn
in his book 'Social Change'. The concept of cultural
lag is a necessary concept in the explanation of social
change. Ogburn classified culture into two
categories. 1. Material culture and 2. Non-material
culture. By material culture, he means things like
books, utensils, machines, houses and such other
forms of technology. Non-material aspect of culture
include
beliefs, attitudes, values, norms, religion, education
etc. According to Ogburn changes come first into the
material aspects of culture. But the non-material
aspects of culture take time to adjust to the changes
taking place in material aspects. As a result, nonmaterial culture falls behind material culture, which
is known as 'cultural lag'.

9. The cause of cultural lag is that the various
parts of culture change at different rates.
Material culture changes more rapidly that
non-material culture. But cultural lag is due
to man's ideologies, dogmatism and
conservatism. Because of his inclination to
tradition, man cannot change social
institutions. The failure of social institutions
to adapt to the changes in technology leads
to cultural lag.

10. Prepared and Posted by:
Shuzeth Maming
BSEd students of
Occidental Mindoro State College