Understanding Social and Cultural Concepts in Society

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Explore the fundamental concepts of persons, society, culture, environment, time, power, and authority. Learn how these concepts interlink and shape interactions within a society over time. Gain insights into the importance of individual uniqueness in societal structures, the dynamics of social groups, the influence of culture on values and beliefs, and the role of power and authority in influencing human behavior.

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The Social And Cultural World

Copy this diagram into your books. Explain briefly how the concepts are linked and what this means. Answer: This diagram shows the interactions of the course concepts and how they relate to persons, society and culture in their own environment over time.

The Fundamental Concepts My Definition Concept Actual Definition Persons Society Culture Environment Time Concept My Definition Actual Definition Power Authority Gender Technology

Complete your table with these definitions: PERSONS: This refers to the individuals who make up a society. What is important is that every person, regardless of commonalities they have with everyone, are unique and have different roles and status within a society. SOCIETY: This concept refers to the way people interact with each other and organise themselves based on commonalities. Another term used is Social Group, as it is the groups, networks, institutions, organisations, and systems that people use to link themselves with other people.

CULTURE: This concept generally refers to the values, arts, technology, laws and beliefs that bind a society together. Culture can include artefacts (physical expressions of their society-tattoos, clothing, buildings etc) and mentefacts (non-physical- values, beliefs, customs etc) ENVIRONMENT: This concept generally refers to the physical and psychological setting of a society. Physical may include rural or city environments, whereas psychological could include growing up in a violent home. TIME: Time is a constant in all societies and cultures. In our western way of thinking we choose to measure it in the linear model of past, present, and future. In Society and Culture time refers to continuity and change.

POWER: The easiest way to understand power is to think about what it is that allows people to bring others to do things they may not normally do. It involves a capacity to influence others to follow a course of action or a point of view they would not otherwise follow. Think of peer pressure. AUTHORITY: Authority implies a legitimate use of influence and or/persuasion. Someone in authority has permission (implied or directed) to make decisions; someone in power would make decisions regardless of what those affected by the decision think.

GENDER: This concept refers to how society constructs the differences between men and women. It is not the physical differences but the values society places on those differences. For example, society accepts males as tough and boisterous while women are seen as meek and shy. These beliefs only have meaning because society gives them one, not because they are based on facts. TECHNOLOGY: Technology means the tools that make life easier for both work and leisure. Some societies have simple tools whereas others completely rely on sophisticated tools.

Concepts of Micro, Meso and Macro Worlds Micro Meso Macro Your Micro World is your immediate sphere of influence. It includes all the people, groups, social settings, and experiences that you interact with and see first hand. Meso level structures are groups within the community, village, school, workplace, local interest groups, branch, organisation and state. The Meso level is also known as the middle level. Your Macro World is the sphere of indirect influence. It includes laws, governments, governing bodies, media, cultural expectations, big business, world events that you do not directly participate in, but they continue to have a significant level of influence on you.