Functions of Culture

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Sociology → Introduction → Culture → Functions of Culture

A culture plays vital role in the society. Being an important ingredient of society, culture has following important functions to materialize in a society:

A. Transfer of Knowledge
Culture is Transmissive in nature. It helps in transmission of customs, rituals and the knowledge behind everything it bears.

Transfer of knowledge becomes possible as a function of culture when a young generation conceives cultural practices from the preceding generation. The young ones of a society see cultural practices being observed. This makes them ask about the rationale and reason behind the acts of their elders. In this way transfer of cultural knowledge takes place.

Another manifestation of transfer of knowledge in culture is when socialization takes place in a peculiar culture. This socialization transfers the knowledge of that specific culture to the individuals being socialized.

Culture transfer knowledge form one society into another society as well. This happens when people from one culture go to live in another culture. They carry with them the cultural knowledge to share with others which might be accepted or rejected.

The folk-tales produced by a specific culture also transfer as knowledge to the generations coming. Similarly, cultural history is transferable.

B. Define Situation
A culture plays role in defining a situation. Human being faces several scenarios in a day. Culture defines those scenarios and situation by;

  • Giving him knowledge about it
  • By teaching him how to behave and act in that situation
  • By telling what the situation means to the society
  • By giving him a comparative view of situation
  • By bringing forth how others act during such situation

Take a common example that there has arisen a dispute between two families in a traditional village. Now what their culture normally defines this situation is that they would go to the elders of the village. The elders will call a meeting to hear both the sides and decide the matter. In this way culture defined a conflicting situation.

Similarly, culture defines the situation of a wedding ceremony, a funeral, a public gathering etc. Defining a situation by culture helps the culture itself in establishing concrete cultural practices and regulating the social setup. Gradually, the defined situations become customs of a society.

C. Provide Behavior Pattern
Behavior is manner of action and reaction by human beings in society. Culture in itself is learned and demonstrated behavior which sets the pattern of human conduct. Culture teaches man how to behave for a particular situation. For instance, it is behavior pattern that a person who becomes father distributes sweet among his co-villagers. Similarly, it is a behavior pattern taught by culture that people share happiness on a wedding and share sorrow on a funeral in a society.

D. Molds Personality
Culture molds personality. Its manifestation can be seen in two important cases. First is a child who is brought up in a specific culture. Gradually culture molds him into a person with common behavior and practices in society.

Similarly, a person who leaves his country to go and live in abroad for the sake of earning money adapts to the foreign culture. This molds his personality to the new customs and circumstances. He begins to practice the behavior pattern taught to him by the new culture.

Besides these functions, some other functions of culture include;

  • Socialization of human being
  • Interprets society
  • Creates needs and methods to achieve them
  • Regulates social relationships

Next: Elements of Culture