Roles of Culture

Vissing (2011) explains culture as “an organized system of living and thinking. It contains shared attitudes, values, goals, and behaviors that are present in individuals, groups, organizations, or regions of the world” (p. 24). After reading Chapter One in the text and The Relation Between Culture and Social Structure, summarize some of the ways that the role of culture can shape our expectations about how people are supposed to behave.  Moreover, discuss how culture is involved in the consequences when a person does not behave as one is supposed to. Be sure to use the following terms in your explanation:  values, norms, material, status, groups and roles.

Your initial post should be at least 150 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

The role of culture shapes our expectations about how people are supposed to behave in many ways. Two people that grew up Alabama in the same neighborhood would understand each other best when it came to values, beliefs, and norms where it was customary for a man to marry a woman if she ended up pregnant. This is not forcing marriage, but it made the man take on his role as an active father, and provider for that woman. A person that lives in New York or California may not understand this type of role behavior. In today’s culture as adults we all take on various roles, and hold many unique statuses. For example I’m in the Army, I’m 33 years old, I’m a black male, and I’m married…that is my status, my role would be that being that I’m in a profession I must show up to work on time, set the example, and train my soldiers for combat. While my family is my primary group the Army becomes my secondary group because I am only associated with the army to accomplish a common purpose which is to support and defend the constitution of the United States. In culture the...