Culture and Social Structure

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Culture, the shared products of society, gives our lives meaning and makes social life possible. Material and nonmaterial culture binds society together and helps members of a society relate to each other. Norms are a culture’s rules of conduct and anything that goes against the norms of society is seen as deviant. Violation of norms causes strong reactions because it threatens the social fabric of society. Through acculturation, minority groups change distinctive cultural traits to conform to those of the host society. Prejudice and racism is connected to religion and race. Language, symbols, and body language are important parts of culture and vary from culture to culture. Culture continually changes because cultures are influenced by other cultures, which is called cultural diffusion. Many subcultures exist in U.S. society and not all assimilate to American culture. The clash between a minority and dominant group sometimes leads to conflict and invites stereotyping and prejudice. The relationship between dominant and minority groups are influenced by structural conditions. Stratification can reduce or worsen conflicts between groups. Social class designates the place of a person in the stratification hierarchy and influences group interactions. Studies show that race, ethnicity, and social class are important in social structures and intergroup conflicts. Greater cultural differentiation often leads to increased conflict between a minority group and indigenous group. I think that our society is very influenced by the material products of society. Compared to fifty years ago, the material aspects of culture are more important in today’s world because technology is now a vital part of our culture. Cultural norms are extremely important in our society and play a big role in our daily actions. I believe that religion does have many connections to

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