Department of Education

Bureau of Learning Delivery Teaching and

Learning Division

Understanding Culture,
Society, and Politics
Quarter 3: Module 3
 Target

History and environment are two of the primary factors that

shape the human behavior. These two factors affect the human
conditions that promotes variations and diversity in cultural practices
and traditions.

Many human group around the world believe that their culture
are in fact superior to that of others. This promotes plurality in human
condition and traditions and sometimes push them to discriminate
other.

As you read along this module, always keep this questions in

mind: What makes us different? Are humans really different from
each other, or are our differences just superficial?

This module will provide information and activities that will

help you understand the importance of cultural relativism in
appreciating and accepting the uniqueness of one’s society’s cultural
traits and traditions.

After finishing this module, you are expected to:

1. define cultural variation, cultural relativism and

ethnocentrism; and
2. explain the importance of cultural relativism in
attaining cultural understanding.
Pretest
Direction: Carefully read each item. Write the letter of the best answer. Use
separate sheets for your answers.
1. What cultural term refers to people’s convictions that hold to be true?
A. Belief
B. Culture
C. Religion
D. Tradition
2. What cultural term refers to the experience of personal disorientation when
confronted with unfamiliar way of life?
A. Cultural Adaptation
C. Cultural Shock
B. Cultural Relativism
D. Cultural Variation
3. What cultural terms refer to the evaluation of another culture according to the
standards of one’s culture?
A. Cultural Adaptation
C. Cultural Variation
B. Cultural Relativism
D. Ethnocentrism
4. What sociological term refers to shared beliefs, values and practices?
A. Belief
B. Culture
C. Religion
D. Tradition
5. What cultural terms refers to the groups that share a specific identification,
apart from a society’s majority, even as the members exist within a larger
society?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
6. What is the cultural pattern of the elite?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
7. What is the cultural pattern followed by the mainstream of the society?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
8. What is the cultural patterns or traits that are globally common to all
societies?
A. Cultural Shock
C. Cultural Variation
B. Cultural Universal
D. Subculture
9. What cultural practice is being used to assess a culture using its own
standards, and not by comparison to another culture?
A. Cultural Adaptation
C. Cultural Variation
B. Cultural Relativism
D. Ethnocentrism
10. What cultural patterns rejects and oppose society’s widely accepted
cultural patterns?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
 Discover
We all belong to one specie. You may have noticed that we have different
physical characteristics, behavioral patterns, languages, cultural patterns and
environmental conditions.

Human are social being. Since the dawn of Homo sapiens around 250,000
years ago, people formed groups or communities in order to survive. Living together as
one in one community, people had formed common habits and behaviors from hunting
techniques to family fostering.

As each human group experiences different environmental conditions,

cultural variations are established.

Cultural Variation refers to the rich diversity in social patterns that different
human group exhibit around the world. Music, dance, languages, cuisine, and art
are different from one culture to another.

The variation in human conditions promotes diversity in cultural traditions.

What may be considered good practice in one culture may be considered bad practice
in one another.

Comparing the traditions practiced by Muslims that pork serve in their meals
are forbidden because it says in their Holy Quran while for Christian community,
pork is a part of their meal.

As people travel farther, moving from different regions to entirely different

parts of world, certain aspects of culture becomes dramatically unfamiliar. What
happened when we encounter different cultures? As we interact with different
cultures other than our own, we become aware of the differences or diversity and
commonalities between our own and the others’ world.
Note: We must remember that cultural variation or diversity do not only occur
between people’s culture coming from different countries, but also between people
with different practices within the same country.

Comparison of one’s culture to another reveal obvious differences but all

cultures share common elements.

Cultural Universals are patterns or traits that are globally common to all
societies.

One example of cultural universal is the family unit. Every human group
recognizes family as the building blocks of the society that regulates sexual
reproduction and care of their children.

Another example of cultural universal is the language and the concept of

giving names to member of the family.

Variation between Cultures

Within a human group, certain segments of the society develop cultural
patterns that differs from the patterns of the dominant society.

1. Subculture is a culture that is shared with a distinctive pattern of mores,

folkways, and values which differ from a larger society. The group of society who
exhibit subculture have a specific and unique set of beliefs and values that set them
apart from the dominant culture.

Example:
Cockfighting is a blood sport in which two roosters specifically bred for
aggression are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the
death.

2.Counter Culture is a culture practice by groups whose values and norms place it
at odds with mainstream society or a group that actively rejects the dominant
cultural values and norms.

Example:
Paramilitary is a semi-militarized force whose organizational
structure, tactics, trainings, and functions are similar to professional military
and not included as a parts of formal armed forces like NPA and ISIS
Group.

3. High Culture is a culture practiced and patronized by the upper classes of the
society.

Example:
watching opera, classical music and live theater.

4. Popular Culture is a culture practiced or patronized by the middle and working

classes of the society.

Example:
Watching soap opera over the televisions, movies and rock concerts
Many cultures around the world believe that their beliefs, practices are in fact
superior to that of others. This mentality sometime leads to discrimination and
ostracism.

Ethnocentrism is the regard that one’s own culture and society is the center
of everything and seen as the most efficient and superior among the cultures in the
world.

A person who exhibits ethnocentrism feels that his or her culture is correct
and appropriate as compared to other cultures thus an ethnocentric attitude can be
a problem in understanding each other culture and foster tensions,
misunderstanding and conflicts between societies.

Ethnocentrism can be so strong but when confronted with all of the

differences of a new culture, one may experience culture shock.

Culture Shock is the feeling of disoriented, uncertain, out of place or even

fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture.

As people experience unanticipated differences from their own culture, their

excitement gives way to discomfort and doubts how to behave appropriately in the
new situation. However, while people learn more about the culture, eventually they
will recover from culture shock.

Culture shocks may appear because people aren’t always expecting cultural
differences. People evaluates the particular culture based on their own culture which
often give problems and bias due to his or her own perspective that his or her culture
is the efficient and appropriate for the environment.

When faced with plurality of culture, one must adapt the conceptual tool of
cultural relativism.

Cultural Relativism is the practice by assessing a culture by its own

standards rather that viewing it through the lens of one’s own culture. It is the
practice that one must understood in the context of their locality.

Practicing cultural relativism requires an open mind and a willingness to

consider, and even adapt to, new values and norms. Using the lens of cultural
relativism, member of the society can be more tolerant towards different attitudes
and practices of others’ culture. It also promotes the idea that a society has to be
viewed from inside so that the inner aspects can be explained.

Ferraro and Andretta as mentioned by Custodio advocate that cultural

relativism is more culturally relative approach in understanding human group.

They said that one can build emotional resilience by understanding one’s
culture by not
necessarily mean to offend them but be guided by their own cultural norms.
Advantages of Cultural Relativism:

1. It promotes cooperation. Embracing the differences of the different society

can create cooperation because it allows a stronger bond with one another in the
society.
2. Respect and Equality is encouraged. People from different culture with
different ideas that share their own perspectives and experiences in the society can
promote respect and equality.

3. It preserves human cultures. Respect with the diverse set of traditions,

ideas and practices would help preserve the culture.

4. Cultural relativism creates a society without judgement. Worrying and

practicing your own culture prevent disagreement & judgement in the society.
Culture is evolving. New things are added to material cultures every day can
cause cultural change.

Cultural Change is observed when new opens up new ways of living and when
new ideas enter a culture as a result of globalization.
 Explore

Enrichment Activity1:
Which of the following pictures portray Ethnocentrism and
Cultural
Relativism? Write your answers on the space provided.

1. Picture #1 2. Picture #2

3 Picture #3
 Gauge

Direction: Read carefully each item. Write the letter of the best answer. Use
separate sheets for your answers.

1. What cultural term refers to the perspective that promotes an individual’s culture
as the most efficient and superior?
A. Cultural Relativism
C. Culture Shock
B. Cultural Variation
D. Ethnocentrism
2. Which of the following statement is NOT an aspect of culture?
A. Air
C. Cuisine
B. Arts
D. Music
3. What cultural concept underscores the idea that culture in every society should
be understood and regarded on its own?
A. Cultural Relativism
C. Culture Shock
B. Cultural Variation
D. Ethnocentrism
4. What cultural term refers to an experience of a person when he moves to a
cultural environment which is different from his own?
A. Cultural Relativism
C. Culture Shock
B. Cultural Variation
D. Ethnocentrism
5. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about cultural relativism?
A. It is a problematic form of classification of human groups
B. It is a perspective that promotes cultures in the context of
locality
C. It is a culturally relative approach to understand human
groups
D. Understanding the society using cultural relativity promotes
respect and equality
6. What cultural term refers to the rich diversity of traditions and patterns the
different human groups exhibit around the world?
A. Cultural Relativism
C. Culture Shock
B. Cultural Variation
D. Ethnocentrism
7. Which of the following terms is NOT an example of Counter Culture?
A. ISIS Group
C. NPA
B. LGBT Group
D. Terrorist
8. What variation of culture is being patronized by middle classes of the society?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
9. What variation of culture is being patronized by the upper classes of the society?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture
10. What variation of culture is being practiced when small segment of the
society deviates from the dominant society?
A. Counter Culture
C. Popular Culture
B. High Culture
D. Subculture