SOCIETY AND CULTURE: Introduction Definition Elements Importance

 INTRODUCTION

Because sociologists are interested in the impact of society on human behavior, it's crucial to understand how they see individual-society ties. This kind of anxiety is similar to what happens when a young person commits suicide and some individuals infer that "society is to blame." In other words, society had an impact on this individual's actions. But, exactly, what is society?

Furthermore, the concept of culture together with that of society, is one of the most widely used notions in sociology. When we use the term culture in ordinary daily conversation, we often think of culture as equivalent to the 'higher things of the mind' -art, literature, music and painting. As sociologists use it, the concept includes such activities, but also far more. Culture has been seen as the ways of life of the members of a society, or of groups within a society. It concludes how they dress, their pattern of work, etc.

What is society?

It's tempting to believe that a society is nothing more than a collection of individuals. We like to think of ourselves as individuals who are apart from everyone else, and that we are unaffected by what other people say or do. This, however, does not appear to reflect what people and civilizations are truly like. How much of the time do you spend completely alone, doing exactly what you want without any outside influence?

The majority of the time, the various types of groupings with whom we engage influence what we do, either directly or indirectly. Much of what we do, for example, reflects our involvement in social relationships with other family members. We were influenced as children by what we learned from our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and other relatives. Then, as we grow older, our feelings and behaviors are frequently influenced by what other members of our family are doing. For many of us, the fact that we have to go to work influences a great deal of our behavior.

Other types of groupings have an impact on our behavior as well. We could be members of sports clubs or volunteers for a charity. Being a part of the Nigerian National Open University has also had an impact on us. You may be an individual as you read this, but you bring what you learned in school to your studies; you may be tired as a result of what your employers have asked you to do; you are connected to other students and tutors at the Open University of Nigeria; and you may be planning to finish this work quickly so that you can spend some time with your family.

All of this serves to emphasize that what we do as individuals is best understood in the context of our membership in what sociologists refer to as social institutions or social units. A mayor of a social unit might not be well-organized. It might be a well-organized institution with well defined rules and structures, such as a business firm; or it can be something informal, such as the expatriate community in Nigeria. These units can be used for a variety of objectives, such as producing money or giving all of the physical and emotional SUPPOI that good families provide. A social unit can sometimes be a part of another unit or have sub-divisions within it. For example, at a refugee camp, there are divisions: Liberian refugees, Sierra Leone refugees, and other refugees from Africa's war-torn countries. Within this refuge camp, there are more divisions: male and female groupings; Christians, Muslims, and traditionalists; young and old people, and so on.

Definition of Culture

A common, agreed-upon, and learnt pattern of behavior is referred to as culture. Assume A and B are seated next to each other, and B is telling them a tale about how they came to be the persons they are. Everyone in B's generation is familiar with this anecdote. Culture is what B teaches A. Assume that B has considered this story and has some other views regarding the story's aspects, but that B has never informed anyone else about it. It is not a part of the culture of the people of A and B as long as B keeps this to herself. As a result, culture is considered to be passed down and learnt. The consensus aspect simply means that many people agree on what it means and how important it is.

Culture is the personification of the people, as well as the things they share and do together. Language, family structure, how and when they plant, how they live out their lives, how they die, and what they hold sacred are all factors to consider. In reality, almost everything the people have in common is a product of their culture. Tools, paths, skills, and methods for employing tools are all part of the culture.

Society and Human Behaviour

We've looked at what society means and discovered that it is made up of its constituent pieces in one sense, but now we'll look at how society as a whole affects those parts: how society influences the behavior of social units and individual people. We've spoken about how each social unit and individual has responsibilities and roles to fulfill. But how will the functions and roles be carried out? Consider the social unit known as Federal Road Safety as an example. How does it achieve its job as a social unit in promoting and facilitating a seamless traffic system in the country? The government set up working groups to determine what kind of organization should be founded to deal with general concerns of the country's traffic system, what this organization should or should not accomplish, and what power and resources it would require at the outset. After significant debate within the Federal Government of Nigeria, the decree establishing the Federal Road Safety Agency was finally approved more than a decade ago. The ordinance establishes rules and regulations governing the corporation's purposes, authorities, resources, obligations, and operations. Because they are imposed by an ordinance, these rules and regulations have legal standing. When performing the functions of guaranteeing a smooth traffic system, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), a social entity, is required to follow the norms outlined in the legislation.

However, we have seen that the people who work or live in social units are the ones who do tasks on their behalf. When the corporation's employees work, they must adhere to the requirements of the ordinance. Working, as a type of human behavior, is thus influenced by the laws that govern its social unit. The criteria and conditions of the corporation's Chief Executive's appointment are spelled forth in the ordinance. The job of the Chief Executive and how that role should be carried out are defined in these terms and conditions. As a result, the Chief Executive's working behavior is governed not only by the corporation's overall standards, but also by the rules that govern this specific position. Similarly, there are other documents that detail the responsibilities and rules of various positions inside the organization. People who take up the positions will work according to the roles and rules of the organization as a whole, as well as the responsibilities and rules of the specific positions. Are you able to recognize the functions and regulations of the units in which you work? Can you identify the roles and rules specific to your position in the organisation concerned?

Elements of Culture

Culture is made up of several aspects such as conventions, values, beliefs, technology, and so on.

Norms

Norms are the rules that regulate our behavior and the expectations we have about how to act in a certain situation. These norms can range from the very informal (rules on how we dress, stand when talking to others, and address one another) to the very formal (laws governing our behavior).

Beliefs

These are frequently linked to religion. They allude to the things that we believe to be correct. Beliefs and values are intertwined. Our national ideologies are both beliefs and ideologies. Many modern Americans believe that humanity did not evolve from other kinds of life over a very long period of time, rather than being created. If you are a basic Christian, you may think that the world was formed in seven days and that God created it. Both of these are belief systems that shape the lives of sincere believers (including certain assumptions about what is and how things have come to be). They mold their lives by promoting their ideas about what is important, what is true, and how we should believe at all times.

Technology

These are the culture's material goods. The computers are the technology in what we are doing. Technology is frequently more than just the tools because it encompasses both procedures and the tools themselves. The programming languages that make everything we do on computers function are techniques, and the cables that connect us are tools, but the techniques are how we connect those wires for what goals. Consider that the Chinese have known about 'gunpowder' (a tool) for millennia, but it was solely used to generate noise during festivals. It took the Europeans to transform these instruments into a weapon of destruction using a distinct set of techniques.

Importance of Culture

The following are the importance of culture:

Establishes behavior norms for a certain situation.

The structure of relationships is defined.

Defines the significance of the environment, the relationship, and the items (VALVES).

BELIEFS are what define who we are and what we believe to be true.