Essay On What Is Culture

Most people think of culture as a collection of the traditions that are amongst a group of people but these are merely traditions and culture is much larger than that. There are many ways in which culture can be defined. In general, the combination attitudes, ideas, expected or normative behavior patterns and values that people adopt in their society is collectively known as their culture. Culture can also be defined as a combination of common and lasting beliefs, meaning, and values that distinguish ethnic, national. People of one generation pass on their culture to their next generation. People do not genetically inherit culture and it does not exist on its own. Culture varies from one person to another. Members of a society always share culture. The thesis of this essay is to try to define “culture,” explain the purpose and significance of culture, how culture emerges and how it is passed on.
The cooking, clothing, music, religion, writing, and many other things reflect the culture they belong to. Culture is not merely a reference to the beliefs, values, etc. associated with the groups that we become a part of by birth, it is also a reference to those that we choose to follow that are associated with groups that we choose to become a part of. Culture does not remain stationary; it constantly changes. People frequently move between cultures. For instance, often people grow up living in the rural countryside, but they decide they want live in an urban environment. In the same way, many people grow up in poor families, but they become richer as they grow up and come into contact with other people who are also richer.
When people are first born into this world, they have no cultural knowledge. They learn their cultural traits mainly from their parents and the immediate environment they are living within. Of course, newborns tend to be very quick learns. If a newborn baby is placed into another family anywhere in the world, the baby will learn and adapt to the family’s culture as he or she grows up, accepting it as his or her own. As mentioned, culture has nothing to do with genetics since it is non-instinctive, so it not necessary that people follow the same culture as their parents, although it is more likely that they do. However, over time, people tend to change their culture. Children might follow a certain culture by birth, but they can make a cultural shift when they grow up.
For instance, their gender roles are decided in advance, even before they are born, but as adults, their ideas about the acceptable roles of men and women change once they enter the workforce. In the same way, children usually share the same political beliefs and values as their families until they are young adults. As they move through college they are exposed to various new political beliefs and values, which influence their previous ones. There are many other forms of cultural shifts that occur in almost every person’s life. What makes cultural shifts noteworthy is that people end up in different contexts, as a result of which their beliefs and values change. People usually embrace new practices and traditions when they shift cultures. At the same time, they also preserve aspects of their previous cultures.
Culture is not limited to ethnicity and race. The cultural stance of people is influenced by age, class, gender, religion, and many other factors. Of course, culture has a specific purpose. Culture tells us how men and women are supposed to behave. Culture tells people how they are supposed to conduct different activities. The patterns of behavior that are permitted by a particular culture are usually not set in stone, they tend to be flexible. For instance, the culture of a specific region might tell the people how they are supposed to dress based on their gender, but their culture might also permit them to dress according to different situations so that they communicate a variety of messages and statuses. Every human phenomenon that is in no way a result of human genetics is included in the cultures of today. Perhaps that is why cultures these days are so complex.