UNDERSTANDING CULTURE SOCIETY AND

POLITICS
WEEK 5
ACTIVITY. Complete the chart below

CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE

CHARACTERISTICS AND WHY/ AND OR HOW? Give example to illustrate the

FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE explanation
1. Culture is social and a Culture is the total behaviours In social Filipinos share one
product of behaviour of the people inside a society culture and interacts with each
that is why culture is a product other that builds same
of behaviours. Culture is behaviours because they are in
considered social because we one group or society. Filipinos
interact or we can relate on our arriving at other country, they
environment and around of usually see that their behaviour
other people in our organization was different compared to the
using our culture or tradition, people that they met in that
we tend to practice this culture country that is because we have
that is why it is being different culture that grows in
considered as social. and it really affects our
behaviours.
2. Culture varies from society to Culture really differ a society Our culture of saying po and
society from other society, because opo as a sign of respect when
every society possess different talking to elders, it is a unique
beliefs and traditions that is way of respecting oldies that
being practice and as time really varies us from other
passes by it become their country because they have also
culture. Every society has its different ways of showing
one or more culture that really respect.
differ it's society from another
because as I said different
beliefs and point of views
towards our way of living.
3. Culture is shared Culture is something that For example, customs,
everyone shares. Culture is traditions, values, beliefs are all
something that everyone shared by man in a social
shares. It is nothing that a single situation. These beliefs and
person can pass, but rather practices are adopted by all
something that the inhabitants equally. 4.
of an area share. You share
beliefs, rituals, rites, customs,
and assumptions with
individuals who grew up or live
 in similar cultural backgrounds,
even if you conceive of yourself
as an individual. It is simpler to
relate to someone who shares
your value systems and
methods of doing things than it
is to relate to someone who
does not.
4. Culture is learned People who dwell in a culture Examples of this kind of culture
learn about it. Even people who include: An appreciation for
are born into a culture learn opera. A love of classical music.
about it as they get older. Enjoying the ballet. Attending
Almost everything, in my art exhibits. Reading fine
opinion, is cultural, and literature such as the classics.
everyone is cultured. For An appreciation for gourmet
example, when we were born, food and wine.
we had not yet learnt anything,
but we could cry and express
our sentiments in particular
ways. And in the process of our
development of being a human
the culture that surrounds us
keep on growing on us too. We
used to grow in a culture were
back then we don’t know but in
times we learned and we get
used to it.
5. Culture is transmitted among Culture is passed down via the For example, the styles of dress,
members and society generations. Persons learn political views, and the use of
cultural ways from other recent labor-saving devices.
people. Many of them are While we may inherit physical
"passed down" from one's features such as brown eyes
forefathers, mothers, fathers, and dark hair from our parents,
teachers, and other relatives. we do not inherit their
Other cultural practices are language. We acquire a
"passed down" from generation language in a culture with other
to generation. Contemporaries speakers and not from parental
are responsible for some of the genes... "The general pattern in
cultural transmission. Culture is animal communication is that
also transmitted in a way of creatures are born with a set of
interaction between the specific signals that are
members of society and the produced instinctively.
way it is transmitted into young
minds is by teaching and
educating them about culture.
6. Culture is continuous and Culture is a continuous and For example, our Philippine
cumulative cumulative process: Culture is dress which is baro’t saya and
 an ongoing process. It has a barong tagalog this national
tendency to become cumulative dress has been part of our
over time. Culture, according to country and continue to be part
sociologist Linton, is man's of our culture. This culture is
"social heritage." We have a continues and cannot be
hard time imagining what removed because it is part of
society would be like without our countries history, part of
culture. Cumulative culture the memories of people
refers to a person's ability to backthen.
build on his or her forefathers'
cultural practices, allowing for
advances in cultural complexity
to the point where many of our
cultural artifacts, goods, and
technology have gone beyond
what a single person could
invent alone.
7. Culture is gratifying and Culture is gratifying. ... Our
idealistic Culture offers us with
needs are food, shelter, clothing
and desires are status, fame,
appropriate opportunity to
money, sex etc are all
satisfy our needs and desires. the examples which are fulfilled
according to the cultural ways.
Our biological and social In fact it is defined as the
process through which human
requirements are met through beings satisfy their need.

cultural means. Man's different

activities are determined and

guided by culture. As a result,

culture is described as the

process by which humans

satisfy their desires.

8. Cultures defines situations In this manner culture For example in a Filipino
characterized a clashing wedding brides and grooms
circumstance. Likewise, culture should not meet before
characterizes the circumstance wedding it is part of our culture
of a wedding function, a burial and it does define the situation
service, a public social event between the grooms and
and so forth Characterizing a brides.
circumstance by culture helps
the way of life itself in building
up concrete social practices and
managing the social
 arrangement. Steadily, the
characterized circumstances
become customs of a general
public.
9. Culture defines myths, Myths, legends, and the For example the legend or myth
legends, and the supernatural supernatural are human of Malakas and maganda that
constructs that attempt to has been part of our culture.
explain our interactions with
the Unknown. Naturally we use
familiar things to describe
unfamiliar things, either
through metaphor or simile.
Since our culture is literally our
collective interpretation of
everything we know, it shapes
those unknowns as well.
10. Culture defines attitudes, Culture defines Attitudes, When a person learned what is
values and goals Values and Goals: Each person good and what could be the
learns in his culture what suitable jobs that he wants that
is good, true, and beautiful. is affected by culture also
Attitudes, values and goals are affects his goals, attitudes and
defined by the culture. While values.
the individual normally learns
them as unconsciously as he
learns the language. Attitude
are tendencies to feel and act in
certain ways.