THE DYNAMICS OF

CULTURE
Norms vs Values
Obedience to our elders is considered to be a good
value and also a norm in our society. Students
showing respect to their teachers is similarly both
a value as well as a norm in all societies and
cultures. It becomes confusing for many to
differentiate between norms and values in a
society because of their obvious similarities.
Norms are mostly social behaviors that people in a
society are expected to follow. Values, on the
other hand, are our beliefs about what is good,
right, or wrong.
Values are general guidelines, while norms
are specific guidelines. Values are general
standards, which decide what is good and
what is bad. Norms are rules and
expectations that specify how people
should and should not behave in various
social situations.
Most of the values are learnt from elders, parents,
teachers and religious books though there are also
personal beliefs. Beliefs are mostly cultural and
religious in nature. Some of the values that are
found universally across cultures are compassion,
honesty, integrity, love, sex, friendship, and many
more. Having a strong belief system enables
people to steer through difficult situations in life
because of the anchorage provided by these
values.
Folkways
EarlyAmerican sociologist William
Graham Sumner was the first to write
about the distinctions between different
types of norms in his book "Folkways: A
Study of the Sociological Importance of
Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and
Morals" (1906).
Folkways are the customs or conventions of daily life.
They are a type of social norm -- expectations for
how we act. In sociology, folkways are generally
discussed in contrast to mores because they are both
types of social norms, though they vary in the degree
to which they are enforced. Folkways are mildly
enforced social expectations, while mores are strictly
held beliefs about behaviors. Mores dictate right and
wrong, while folkways distinguish between proper and
rude behavior.
Distinguishing Folkways
Let's return to that example of meeting someone.
What if the person you're meeting doesn't
respond the way you'd expect? Perhaps he will
refuse to shake your hand, get your name wrong,
or interrupt you. You may think he is rude or
come away from the interaction with a bad
impression of the person. He is breaking the rules
of social interaction - in other words, he is
violating your culture's folkways. For the most
part, our reactions to such violations are mild.
We may come away from the person with a bad
impression, but we will not be calling the police
to report his behavior. This is where folkways
differ from mores. While both fall under the
umbrella of 'social norms,' violations of mores
are met with severe punishments from society.
The reactions to violation of social norms,
including folkways and mores, are called
sanctions.
Folkways also vary given the specific
context. If a man walks onto a public bus
with no shirt on, he'll receive quite a few
stares or dirty looks, but this same
behavior on the beach is considered
normal. Talking on the phone in a public
park is not unusual at all, but in a church,
speaking on the phone would be
considered very rude.
Folkways mark the distinction between
rude and polite behavior, so they exert a
form of social pressure that encourages us
to act and interact in certain ways.
However, they do not have moral
significance, and there are rarely serious
consequences or sanctions for violating
them.
Mores are more strict than folkways, as
they determine what is considered moral
and ethical behavior; they structure the
difference between right and wrong.
People feel strongly about mores, and
violating them typically results in
disapproval or ostracizing.
Religious doctrines are an example of
mores that govern social behavior. For
example, many religions have prohibitions
on cohabitating with a romantic partner
before marriage. If a young adult from a
strict religious family moves in with her
boyfriend, her family, friends, and
congregation are likely to view her
behavior as immoral.
They might punish her behavior by scolding
her, threatening judgment in the afterlife,
or shunning her from their homes and the
church. These actions are meant to
indicate that her behavior is immoral and
unacceptable, and are designed to make
her change her behavior to align with the
violated more.
Mores Examples
 Mores are often dictated by a society's values,
ethics, and sometimes religious influences.
Some mores examples include:
 It is not considered acceptable or mainstream
to abuse drugs, particularly those such as
heroine and cocaine.
Taboo, also spelled tabu, Tongan tabu, Maori tapu, the
prohibition of an action based on the belief that such
behaviour is either too sacred and consecrated or too
dangerous and accursed for ordinary individuals to
undertake. The term taboo is of Polynesian origin and
was first noted by Captain James Cook during his visit
to Tonga in 1771; he introduced it into the English
language, after which it achieved widespread currency.
Although taboos are often associated with the
Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific, they have
proved to be present in virtually all societies past and
present.
A taboo is an activity that is forbidden or
sacred based on religious beliefs or morals.
Breaking a taboo is extremely
objectionable in society as a whole. Around
the world, an act may be taboo in one
culture and not in another.
Taboos
A taboo is a very strong negative norm; it is a
prohibition of certain behavior that is so strict that
violating it results in extreme disgust and even
expulsion from the group or society. Often times the
violator of the taboo is considered unfit to live in
that society. For instance, in some Muslim cultures,
eating pork is taboo because the pig is considered
unclean. At the more extreme end, incest and
cannibalism are both considered taboos in most
places.
 Examples of Taboo Activities
 Bestiality
or Zoophilia - sexual relations between a
human and an animal
 Bigotry- speaking negatively about someone of
another race
 Bloodproducts - Jehovah Witnesses are forbidden to
use blood products, including blood transfusions
 Cannibalism
- a human being eating the flesh of
another human being.
 Laws
A law is a norm that is formally inscribed at the
state or federal level and is enforced by police or
other government agents. Laws exist to discourage
behavior that would typically result in injury or
harm to another person, including violations of
property rights.Those who enforce laws have been
given legal right by a government to control
behavior for the good of society at large. When
someone violates a law, a state authority will
impose a sanction, which can be as light as a
payable fine or as severe as imprisonment.
ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

Material Culture – reflects

physical Philo-
books building
objects Beliefs Ethics Religion Customs sophies
KINDS OF CULTURE
Subculture
- A subculture is a cultural group
within a culture that differs in one or
more ways from the culture. This
would include differences in interest,
behaviors or beliefs, like religion,
ethnicity, and social or economic
status.
- Bikers - people interested in motorcycles and
often form groups that travel together
- Cosplay - a group involved with wearing
costumes and role play
- Emo - started with the hardcore punk
movement, attitudes and dress are
melodramatic
- Hip hop - started in South Bronx in the 70s,
includes break dancing, graffiti, DJs combining
two songs and rap music
Otaku - people obsessed with
anime and manga
Otherkin - these people view
themselves as partly or totally
nonhuman
Otaku - people obsessed with
anime and manga
Otherkin - these people view
themselves as partly or totally
nonhuman
Countercultures are shared identities
among a group of people that directly
oppose and do not fit in with mainstream
culture. So, countercultures are almost
always associated with some sort of
political or cultural movement that is
seeking to create substantial and
widespread change. Basically,
countercultures exist with the purpose of
changing mainstream culture.
Ethnocentrism & Cultural
Relativism
Ethnocentrism
is a major factor in the divisions among
members of different ethnicities, races,
and religious groups. It's the belief that
one's ethnic group is superior to another.
Ethnocentric individuals believe they're
better than other individuals for reasons
based solely on their heritage. Clearly, this
practice relates to problems of both racism
and prejudice.
This comes in stark contrast to
xenocentrism - the belief that
someone else's culture is superior to
their own. For example, you might
meet an American who insists French
culture is better than the American
way of living.
This comes in stark contrast to
xenocentrism - the belief that
someone else's culture is superior to
their own. For example, you might
meet an American who insists French
culture is better than the American
way of living.
 Example 1― Nazi Germany
✦ This is one of the worst, most extreme, and most
tragic examples of ethnocentrism. Hitler believed
that Jews, as well as people belonging to some
other communities were all inferior to his ethnicity,
and did not deserve to live. He had thousands and
thousands of innocent people slaughtered in
concentration camps, all because they weren't of
his 'pure' race, which was, according to him,
superior among all. Though ethnocentrism is not
always this extreme, history does tell us stories
about how the concept and prejudice that rose
from it, took such a turn for the worse, and had
horrible consequences.
 Example 2― Imperialism
 ✦ Imperialism is defined as a policy or
practice by which a country increases its
power by gaining control over other areas
of the world (Merriam-Webster). The most
famous example of it would be European
imperialism, where European countries
believed that the other areas of the world,
such as Africa, America, India, etc. needed
to be controlled by them owing to their
supposed underdeveloped natures.
European countries establishing their
colonies in other parts of the world is an
example of ethnocentrism: they believed
that they were superior, civilized, and
developed than other countries, which is
why they 'needed' to establish control in
order to help these countries come up to
their standards, too.
 Example 3― Terrorism and Hate Crimes
✦ This is again a negative example of
ethnocentrism. Terrorism and hate crimes take
place when one religion or community believes
that it is superior, and better than any other
religion or community. Ethnocentrism tends to
blind people from seeing things from another
perspective― just because another community
does something that yours doesn't― like a
particular style of worship, for instance, doesn't
make it inferior to yours, and nor does it make
the other community's style of worshiping
incorrect.
However, ethnocentrism can make
individuals feel as if the other
community is bad, or wrong, and
can make them take action in the
form of terrorist attacks or hate
crimes.
Cultural relativism
- is the view that all beliefs, customs, and
ethics are relative to the individual within
his own social context. In other words,
“right” and “wrong” are culture-specific;
what is considered moral in one society
may be considered immoral in another,
and, since no universal standard of
morality exists, no one has the right to
judge another society’s customs.
Why Recognizing Cultural
Relativism Matters?