7 Things to Know About Culture
Learned.
Culture is learned.
While we are not born with a particular culture, we are born with the capacity to learn any culture.
Shared.
Culture is shared.
To say that a group of people shares a culture does not mean all individuals think or act in identical ways.
Symbolic.
Culture is symbolic.
Much like art and language, culture is also symbolic. What symbols are culturally relevant to you?
Holistic.
Culture is holistic.
Culture is all-encompassing. It is a blueprint for living and tells us how to respond in any given situation.
Dynamic.
Culture is dynamic.
Culture is dynamic and constantly changes in response to both internal and external factors.
Integrated.
Culture is integrated.
Inevitably, when one part of culture changes, so do other parts.
Adaptive
Culture is adaptive.
While culture is central to making us human, we are still biological beings with natural needs and urges that we share with other animals: hunger, thirst, sex, elimination, etc. Human culture is our adaptive mechanism that uniquely channels these urges in particular ways. As a result, cultural practices can then impact our biology, growth, and development. Humans are one of the most dynamic species on Earth. Our ability to change both culturally and biologically has enabled us to persist for millions of years and to thrive in diverse environments.