Culture

Social Functions of Culture 

Culture is a complex and multifaceted concept, but it can be broadly defined as the shared norms, values, beliefs, and practices of a group of people. Culture plays a vital role in society, and it has a number of important social functions.

One of the most important social functions of culture is to provide a sense of identity. Culture helps us to understand who we are and where we belong. It shapes our values, beliefs, and attitudes, and it gives us a sense of shared community with others who share our cultural heritage.

Another important social function of culture is to facilitate communication and cooperation. Culture provides us with a common language and set of symbols that we can use to communicate with each other. It also teaches us how to behave in different social situations, and it provides us with norms and values that guide our interactions with others.

Culture also plays an important role in social control. Culture teaches us what is right and wrong, and it provides us with sanctions for violating social norms. Culture also helps to maintain social order and stability.

Here are some specific examples of how culture functions in society:

• Culture helps us to communicate with each other. We learn language, gestures, and other nonverbal communication cues from our culture. These cues help us to understand each other’s intentions and to coordinate our behavior in social situations.
• Culture helps us to understand the world around us. Our culture teaches us how to interpret our experiences and to make sense of the world around us. For example, our culture teaches us what is considered to be beautiful, what is considered to be polite, and what is considered to be taboo.
• Culture helps us to build relationships with others. We share our cultural values and beliefs with others, and these shared values and beliefs help us to form strong bonds with them. For example, we may bond with others who share our religious beliefs or our political views.
• Culture helps us to cooperate with others. Our culture teaches us how to work together to achieve common goals. For example, our culture may teach us the importance of teamwork and the value of compromise.
• Culture helps to maintain social order. Our culture teaches us what is right and wrong, and it provides us with sanctions for violating social norms. For example, our culture may teach us that it is wrong to steal or to lie.

Culture is a dynamic and ever-changing phenomenon, but it plays a vital role in society. It helps us to communicate with each other, to understand the world around us, to build relationships with others, to cooperate with others, and to maintain social order.

Applied Sociology and Culture

Applied sociology is the use of sociological knowledge and methods to address social problems and improve people’s lives. One of the ways that applied sociology can be used to address social problems is by studying and understanding culture.

For example, applied sociologists may study the culture of a particular community in order to develop more effective interventions to address social problems such as poverty, crime, or drug abuse. Applied sociologists may also study the culture of organizations in order to develop more effective management practices or to improve employee morale.

Here are some specific examples of how applied sociology can be used to study and understand culture:

• Applied sociologists may study the culture of a particular community in order to develop more effective interventions to address social problems. For example, applied sociologists may study the culture of a community with high rates of poverty in order to develop more effective programs to help people move out of poverty.
• Applied sociologists may study the culture of organizations in order to develop more effective management practices or to improve employee morale. For example, applied sociologists may study the culture of a company with high turnover rates in order to develop strategies to improve employee retention.
• Applied sociologists may study the culture of schools in order to develop more effective teaching methods or to improve student achievement. For example, applied sociologists may study the culture of a school with a high dropout rate in order to develop strategies to improve student retention and graduation rates.

By studying and understanding culture, applied sociologists can develop more effective interventions to address social problems and improve people’s lives.