Characteristics of Culture
Part II
Norms and Values

Norms are the ideas members of a culture
share about the way things ought to be
done.

Values are shared ideas about what is
true, right, and beautiful that underlie
cultural patterns and guide society in
response to the physical and social
environment.
Subcultures: Groups Within a
Larger Society

Subculture: A distinctive set of standards
and behavior patterns by which a group
within a larger society operates, while still
sharing common standards with that
larger society.
Ethnicity and Ethnic Group
Ethnicity refers to the perceived differences in
culture, national origin, and historical
experiences by which groups of people are
distinguished from others in the same social
environment.
Ethnic group - people who collectively and
publicly identify themselves as a distinct group
based on various cultural features such as
shared ancestry and common origin, language,
customs, and traditional beliefs.
Amish

The Amish are an example of subculture
based on its ethnic group.

Today there are over 25 different Amish,
Mennonite, and Brethren church groups in
Lancaster County, all holding to slightly
different traditions and their own
interpretations of the Bible.
Pluralistic Society

A society in which two or more ethnic
groups of nationalities are politically
organized into one territorial state but
maintain their cultural differences.
Culture is…

Based on Symbols

Integrated

Dynamic
Culture is Based on Symbols

Symbol - a sign, sound, emblem, or other
thing that is arbitrarily linked to something
else and represents it in a meaningful way.

The most important symbolic aspect of
culture is language.
Culture is Integrated
Social Structure: the rule-governed
relationships (with all their rights and
obligations) that hold members of a society
together.
 Infrastructure: the economic foundation of a
society, including its subsistence practices and
the tools and other material equipment used to
make a living.
 Superstructure: a society’s shared sense of
identity and worldview.

Cultures are Dynamic

Cultures need to be flexible in order to
adjust to changes while also being rigid
enough to not lose the foundation of the
culture.