Triandis definition of culture Essays

Triandis definition of culture Essays Triandis definition of culture Paper Triandis definition of culture Paper Culture, in sociology and social anthropology, is the beliefs, behavior, language, and entire way of life of a particular group of people at a particular time. Culture includes customs, ceremonies, works of art, inventions, technology, and traditions. Triandis definition of Culture: 1Culture is a set of human-made objective and subjective elements that in the past have increased the probability of survival and resulted in satisfaction for the participants in an ecological niche, and thus became shared among those who could communicate with each other because they had a common language and they lived in the same time and place. 1 2British anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor defines culture as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. Many other definitions of culture have been offered, but by and large all refer to shared systems of values and behavior. 2 All human brings create culture, it is a pattern of ways of responding to basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing family, organization, religion, government and social structures. Each culture posses its own particular traditions, value and ideals. Judgment of what is wrong right or wrong, good or bad, acceptable or taboo are based on cultural values. Culture is the result of all the daily discussions and negotiations between people. They are frequently agreeing (sometimes openly, usually tacitly) about the proper way to do things and how to make meanings about the events of the world around them. If you want to change a culture you have to change all these conversations-or at least the majority of them. Sources: 1 olemiss. edu/courses/psy561/lect0_files/frame. htm 2 Culture Defined, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. 3People learn culture. Many qualities of human life are transmitted geneticallyan infants desire for food, for example, is triggered by physiological characteristics determined within the human genetic code. An adults specific desire for milk and cereal in the morning, on the other hand, cannot be explained genetically; rather, it is a learned (cultural) response to morning hunger. Culture, as a body of learned behaviors common to a given human society, acts rather like a template (ie. it has predictable form and content), shaping behavior and consciousness within a human society from generation to generation. So culture resides in all learned behavior and in some shaping template or consciousness prior to behavior as well (that is, a cultural template can be in place prior to the birth of an individual person). 3 4According to the American Heritage English Dictionary, the definition of culture is: The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. 4 Status: 5Status is a socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others. status can be formal as well as informal. Formal statuses are those given in form of a designation for example in an organization such as manager. Informal will include those, which exists outside the organization or even within but less important than the formal one. 5 Sources: 3 wsu. edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/culture-definition. html 4 wsu. edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/glossary/culture. html 5Stephen P Robbins, Organizational Behavior, 7th edition. Five Different Cultural Approaches. Universalism vs. Particularism. Universalists are more rule based and particularists are relationship based. In paritcularists approach more attention and importance is given to relationships. People in Universalists culture believe that general rules, codes, values and standards take are more important than particular needs and claims of friends and relations. Particularistic cultures see the ideal culture in terms of friendly relationships. They focus more on relationships. Individualism vs. Collectivism. In individualistic culture people place the individual before the society. They are expected to make decisions by themselves. In a particularistic culture, the quality of life for all members of society is seen as directly reliant on opportunities for individual freedom and development. The community is judged by the extent to which it serves the interest of individual members. In a collectivist culture people place the community before the individual. In collectivist culture people are expected to act in such a way that it serves the society. The individual is judged by the extent to which he serves the interest of the society. Achievement vs. Ascription. Achievement means people are judged on what they have recently achieved or accomplished. Ascription means that status is attributed to you by things like birth, kinship, gender, age, interpersonal connections, or educational record. Achieved status refers to doing, ascribed status refers to being. Achievement-oriented societies or organizations justify their hierarchies by claiming that senior people have achieved more. In ascription-oriented cultures, however, hierarchies are justified by power-to-get-things-done. Neutral vs. Emotional.