Pluralist society

Culture
A pluralist society is a society with numerous different cultures. It houses people with
different standards, values, customs and lifestyle. The people may either come from a
different or the same ethnic background.
What is culture
People who spend large amount of time together and over a long period of time, develop a
common culture.
A culture are all moral standards and other acuired characteristics that members of a
group of society have in common and take for granted.
A culture gives direction to the way in which people think and act and it forms a
framework for regulating their behaviour! culture ensures that people behave in a well"
ordered manner.
It gives the opportunity to communicate with other people because you speak the
same language.
#ole behaviour lays down what behaviour is acceptable in certain roles and situations. It
takes place in different situations.
Teacher$student, boss$subordinate
The culture of the group you are part of, is also a source of social identity. It contributes to
you being who you are and how you present yourself to other people.
Clothes, films, music
Culture ensures that people have a common frame of reference. %hared moral standards
and customs enable people with the same background to understand each other and
e&change thoughts and feelings more easily.
In order to function properly, a society as a whole needs a minimum set of standards and
values that everyone agrees on.
Transfer of culture
%ociali'ation
(a)or characteristics of a culture are continuously transferred to new members, known as
socialization.
People consciously and unconsciously learn the moral standards and other cultural
characteristics of the society or group they belong to.
The aim of sociali'ation is the adaption of individuals to their environment, but also the
preservation and continuation of the culture over a period of many years.
Imitation and identification
%ociali'ation can occur by imitation of behaviour. When a child wants to act like the
adults he$she has a strong bond with, it*s called identification.
%ocialising institutions
Family: +ou learn behaviour within the family circle from the start.
School: they learn discipline, how to perform tasks within a short period of time, have
performances assessed and work together with others.
Workplace: ,bligatory activities, discipline-being on time, behave politely., strict
rhythm, corporate.
Circle of friend: Within the affectionate atmosphere of friendship, people are often
prepared to adopt thoughts and behaviour from others. A circle of friends has a great
influence on people*s moral standards.
Religious movements: Peoplelearn to behave in accordance with the mroal standards of
religious movements.
Social groups! %ports teach you how to mi& with others and how to be a good loser.
overnment: /overnment translates rules from society into laws. +ou can be prosecuted.
!edia: (edia have increasingly become important in the spreading of our culture. It has
a great control over out daily life.
%ocial control
Social control is the way in which people stimulate or force others to comply with the
prevailing moral standards.
It ensures that the sociali'ation process proceeds smoothly and discourages antisocial
behaviour. Its *formal* if it is based on written laws-laws, regulations and contracts.. Its
0informal* if the rules$etiuette are unwritten.
%ocial control is often e&ercised in the form of sanction to ensure that other people comply
with prevailing formal and informal standards.
Formal positive s.1 diploma, promotion, more salary
Formal negative s.1 a fine, school punishments, prison sentence
"nformal positive s.1 compliment, tip, applause
"nformal negative s.1 booed, send to room
2nculturation, acculturation and internali'ation.
#nculturation is when you are brought up in one certain culture. +ou take many cultural
characteristics for granted.
$cculturation is when you )oin a certain group$culture at a lager age. 3earning the
cultural characteristics if a society one does not originally belong to.
"nternalization is familiari'ing yourself so much with certain aspects of the culture or
society you belong to that you automatically start to behave as the group e&pects you to.
%ociali'ationsocial controlsanctionsinternali'ationculturemoral
standardssociali'ing intituetessociali'ation
4ature"nurture
Culture is that which is learnt-nurture.. 4ature is that which is innate to people.
Those who emphasi'e the important of innate ualities assume that biological
characteristics, such as fear and se&uality, determine human behaviour.
The nurture supporters argue that behaviour has been ac%uired, and emphasi'e the
importance of cultural factors to account of human behaviour.
Types of Culture
2very society has one dominant culture and several subordinate cultures.
5ominant culture, subculture and counterculture
The dominant culture is the entire set of moral standards and characteristics moist people
within a society accept. They are based mainly on the cultural characteristics of groups
that are able to e&ercise a large amount of influence, and therefore dominant, within a
society. (ainly people with political and economical position.
Subcultures are supported by groups whose moral standards and other cultural
characteristics deviate from the dominant culture in various aspects-soccer supporters,
6ehovah*s Witnesses..
2verybody is part of one or other -sub.culture. These subcultures help o from your
identity.
A counter&culture conflicts with the dominant culture. The supporters oppose the
dominant culture or are a threat to it. They try to change the dominant culture
(utual influencing
Cultures are continuously changing due to new developments and ideas.