Culture defines our roles. It involves the total way of life of a given society. It defines what behavior is particular to an individual. Societal expectations and values mandate males to be “masculine” and females to be “feminine”. A gender role stereotype that is created by a culture governs our lives throughout our existence which vary among different cultures. Men are generally viewed as active, strong, critical, and adult-like with psychological needs such as dominance, aggression, and endurance while women are generally viewed as passive, nurturing, and adaptive with psychological needs such as affiliation and deference.
According to an article The 12 essential roles of culture in society by Bharat Kumar, culture fulfills a number of function.Our social
life has been made possible because of culture and that we cannot survive as man without culture.
Based from the article, culture has 12 roles in our society which are:
1. Culture is the Treasury of Knowledge
This means that culture provides knowledge, which is essential for the physical and
intellectual existence of man. Humans have greater learning
capacity and intelligence compared to man. With the help of culture, we are able to modify our place in an environment. Culture preserves knowledge and helps
its transmission from generation to generation. On the contrary, animals do
not have this advantage because culture does not exist as to humans.
2. Culture Defines Situations
Culture defines social situations for
us. It not only defines but also conditions and determines what we eat
and drink, we wear, when to laugh, weep, sleep, love to like friends
with, what work we do, what god we worship, what knowledge we rely upon,
what poetry we recite and so on.
3. Culture Defines Attitudes, Values and Goods
It is the culture, which conditions our attitude towards
various issues such as religion, morality, marriage, science, family
planning, positions and so on. Our values concerning are
influenced by our culture. Our goals of winning the race, understanding
others, attaining salvation, being obedient to elders and teachers,
being loyal to husband, being patriotic etc. are all set forth by our
culture. We are being socialized on these models.
Culture defines our values,attitudes and goods in the sense that we follow the traditional norms of our society. In the Philippines people say "po" at "opo" to give respect to elders. The other way of showing obedience and respect is by the use of " pagmamano". We also show respect to our Philippine flag and song by standing straight and putting our right hand to our left chest. All of this values is because of our culture.
4. Culture Decides Our Career
Culture sets limitations on our choice to select different
careers. Whether we should become a politician or
a social worker, a doctor, an engineer, a soldier, a farmer, a
professor, or an accountant is decided by
our culture. Individuals may develop, modify or oppose the trends of their
culture but we always live within its framework. Only a few can find
outlet on the culture.
5. Culture Provides Behavior Pattern
Culture directs and confines the
behavior of an individual. It assigns goals and provides means for
achieving them. We see dream, aspire, work, strive to marry, enjoy
according to the cultural expectation.
6. Culture Provides Personality
Culture exercises a great influence on
the development of personality. Culture tells us how we are going to live and how are we going to act. It is the culture that provides
opportunities for the development of personality and sets limits on its
growth.
7. Culture Makes Man a Human Being
Culture shapes individuals. It is culture that makes the human, a
man, regulates his conduct and prepares him for group life. It teaches one how he/she should behave
with his fellows or friends, how he/she should speak with the people and how he should
co-operate or compete with others.
8. Culture Provides Solution for Complicated Situation
Culture provides man with a
set of behavior even for complicated situation. It often does not require any external force to keep
himself in conformity with the social requirements. His action becomes
automatic. His culture gets
into his mind and shutters vision so that he sees what is supposed to
see in dream what he is expected to dream and hunger for what he is
trained to hunger.
9. Culture Provides Traditional Interpretations to Certain Situation
Through culture individuals get traditional
interpretation for many situations according to which he determines his
behavior. If a cat crosses his way, he postpones his journey. It may
however be noted that these traditional interpretation differ from
culture to culture. Among some culture owl is regarded as a symbol of
wisdom and not a symbol of idiocy.
In my understanding of this role, our interpretation of how one must behave varies by culture.For example in America, a couple who are seen kissing in public is legal because America is a liberated country. But in the Philippines, its different because it looks unethical in our society. this couple will be judge by the society.
10. Culture Keeps Social Relationship Intact
Culture has importance not only for man
but also for the group. It is the prescription for guiding
values and ideals. By regulating the behavior of the people and
satisfying, the primary drives pertaining to hunger and sex it has been
able to maintain group life. Lessen the chances that a man will
behave irrationally. The members of group
characterized though they be by consciousness of kind, at once
competing. They are held in line by constraints prescribed by culture.
11. Culture Broadens the Out Looks of the Individual
Culture has given a new vision to
individual by providing him a set of rules for co-operation of the
individuals. He/she thinks not only his/her own self but also of the others.
Culture provides one with the concept of family, state, nation and class and
make responsible the cooperation and division of labor.
12. Culture Creates New Needs
In my overall understanding of this article, culture has many functions in our lives which makes us a prisoner. Culture designs our lives because it provides us the values and attitudes of an individual. It tells one how he /she should behave in a given society. People's knowledge of the culture varies because every society has different cultures. The culture in America is different from the Philippines. In terms of gender roles, gender development begins from the moment we are born.The colors of pink and blue are among first
indicators used by society to distinguish female from male.
For me although culture is the framework of everything, it does not mean that we are required to follow everything. Culture might be what everybody follows but at the end of the day what is important is that we also understand if we are still following the right thing. We individuals are born with own special minds, skills, talents, or abilities that makes as human. What I mean is that although we follow our culture, we must still be wise in all our actions and decisions.
Checked!
ReplyDeleteArticle 3: 10/10