Culture Is A Dynamic Process - 976 Words

If one were asked to define culture, answers would include things such as one’s own religion, traditions, interests, etc. Many would take a while to answer, reaching back into their memories and coming up empty by the existential question. Why is that? Defining culture is almost like defining love: each person feels culture differently, yet every single person is a part of it. As Franz Boas, the father of American anthropology, states, â€Å"culture embraces all manifestations of social behavior of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the group in which he lives, and the product of human activities as determined by these habits† (as cited in Just Monoghan, 2000, p. 37). Culture is a dynamic process; it†¦show more content†¦Society is an abstraction; anthropologists regard society as a â€Å"statistical description of individual choices and actions† but also a â€Å"collective consciousness† (Just Monoghan, 2000, p. 72). Émile Durkheim’s idea of collective consciousness â€Å"implies an internal knowing known by all, or a consciousness shared by a plurality of persons† (Piepmeyer, 2007, p. 1). It is cohesive; we are a part of society and society is a part of us (humankind). Anthropologists not only study present societies, they study all societies across time and space and compare them to discover a â€Å"universal proposition about social behavior† (Just Monoghan, 2000, p. 74). Through participant observation, anthropologists collect information and experiences from a particular society and then compare them to other societies; these cross-societal comparisons help draw conclusions about human behavior and social identities. Culture and society are continuously working together. Society is shaped by culture. A culture cannot exist without a society; a society cannot exist without a culture. One may argue that a society can exist without a culture; however, even a lack of culture is a culture. If we speak of both culture and society as universal principles, they are virtually synonymous. Both include shared knowledge and behavior. Society is ever-changing, just like culture. Society controls the social roles and processes just as culture does. One can attributeShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Understanding Individual Personality in Counseling897 Words   |  4 Pagesperspective, understanding an individuals personality is crucial because it helps guide the therapeutic process into a more definitive and effective manner, correlating the sessions in tune with the mind of the individual seeking guidance. Personality is actually a very complex concept. A wide number of theories actually try to explain and evaluate the importance of personality within the therapeutic process. 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