Unit: 1

Society and Culture

Written By:
Dr Naveed Sultana
Reviewed By:

Muhammad Tanveer Afzal

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Objectives
 1.1 Definition, structure and functions of society.
1.2 Individual Status and his/her role in the society.
1.3 Social Interaction
1.4 Meaning and characterizes of culture.
1.5 Cultural diversity.
1.6 Culture and cultural elements of Pakistan Society.
1.7 Role of education in promoting and preserving culture.
1.8 Self Assessment Questions
1.9 References

Unit: No 1

Society and Culture

1. Introduction

School society and culture provide the strong theoretical and disciplinary foundations for the
study of a broad range of educational processes, forms of cultural production, transmission and
socialization, across the life span. On one hand, efforts have been made to the recognition that
education (broadly conceived) is shaped by the dynamic and changing structures of society,
culture and political economy in our contemporary world. On the other hand, educational
phenomena have also become increasingly crucial to the understanding of a wide variety of
social processes such as identity formation, immigration, nationalism, globalization, state
formation and political and economic transformations. Therefore, the central role of education in
our complex and changing world has become dynamic.

Through education students are encouraged to deconstruct the social, cultural, psychological, and
historical underpinnings and assumptions that every individual carries with them into educational
settings. Deconstruction however is a means, and not an ends: the critical examination of current
contexts allows us to examine what works, for whom and with what consequences so that new
frameworks can be articulated through which schooling can potentially promote social change
both in the country and around the world.
Culture and society are co-existence. Society is the combination of people with different
cultures. In the other hand, culture deal with the behaviours, language, occupation, dressing,
eating and festival of a particular people within a geographical area.

It is known to all that the relation among school, society and culture is very close and integral.
We cannot think of a school without a society and culture on the other hand, society and culture
without school are quite absurd. One without the other does not carry any sense. Therefore, the
school should arrange its programs in such a way that they strengthen the relationship among
school, society and culture. Some measures that cultivate the relation among school, society and
culture are presented in this unit.

The school must play an active part to relate itself with the society and culture. There are many
educative forces in the society, e.g. places of historical interest, temple, church, mosque and
remnants of human civilization. These forces may act as educator to the young people. In order
to create a relationship among school society and culture, the school can organize educational
excursion. Again, the relation of these elements can be consolidated if school can assemble
different agencies of education and organize cultural program where students, teachers, parents
and the other members of the society will take part. Socialization and acculturation among all,
particularly different sections of the society, will enrich learners’ society.

2. Objectives:

After studying this unit students will be able to:

1. Define and understand concept, structure and functions of society.

2. Evaluate the role of individual for the development of society.
3. Explain the concept and importance of social interaction for living successfully in
society.
4. Discriminate the meaning of culture and cultural diversity also analyze the cultural
elements of Pakistan society.
5. Comprehend the role of education in preserving and promoting the culture.
1.1 Definition, Structure and function of Society

(a) Society

Man is gregarious by nature; he cannot live alone even for a day. So, just imagine why we live in
a society. A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through
persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory,
subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Human societies are
characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a
distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such
relationships among its constituent members. The term "society" came from the Latin word
societas, which in turn was derived from the noun socius ("comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival
form socialis) used to describe a bond or interaction among parties that are friendly, or at least
civil. Without an article, the term can refer to the entirety of humanity (also: "society in general",
"society at large", etc.), although those who are unfriendly or uncivil to the remainder of society
in this sense may be deemed to be "antisocial". Adam Smith wrote that a society "may subsist
among different men, as among different merchants, from a sense of its utility without any
mutual love or affection, if only they refrain from doing injury to each other."

A society can also consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and values within
a dominant, larger society. This is sometimes referred to as a subculture, a term used extensively
within criminology.

Sociologists define society as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common
culture. The cultural bond may be ethnic or racial, based on gender, or due to shared beliefs,
values, and activities. The term society can also have a geographic meaning and refer to people
who share a common culture in a particular location. For example, people living in arctic
climates developed different cultures from those living in desert cultures. In time, a large variety
of human cultures arose around the world.

More broadly, a society may be described as an economic, social, or industrial infrastructure,

made up of a varied collection of individuals. Members of a society may be from different ethnic
groups. The word society may also refer to an organized voluntary association of people for
religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. A "society" may
even, though more by means of metaphor, refer to a social organism such as an ant colony or any
cooperative aggregate such as, for example, in some formulations of artificial intelligence.

Used in the sense of an association, a society is a body of individuals outlined by the bounds of
functional interdependence, possibly comprising characteristics such as national or cultural
identity, social solidarity, language, or hierarchical organization.

The greatest capacity of society is its ability to actively foster the personal growth and
development of its individual citizens. The empowerment and fulfillment of the individual may
be the greatest evolving force at work in society today. The ability of the society to support the
individuals self-fulfillment, is the measure of the society. As society overcomes its own divisions
such as war, poverty, disease, lack of conflict. Societies are being challenged by the rising tide of
expectations of the individual. That is because of heightened expectations due to education,
communications, and media, and the background force of a movement of the empowerment and
fulfillment of the individual.
Society consists of group of individuals who takes their decision together towards common goal
and it has important role in society because individual learn from society. Society has a very
important role to play for the betterment of an individual. It is their bounden duty to keep the
atmosphere healthy.

(b) Social structure

Social structure refers to the pattern of social relationships in a society. Such structure regulates
the interactions among members of the society, providing guidelines within the cultural norms
for achieving the goals defined by cultural values. Generally, social structure maintains societal
stability. However, when the social structure and the societal values become incompatible, the
structure must embrace social change to allow the society to survive and continue healthy
development. While a variety of sociological approaches have sought to describe the
development and maintenance of social structure, understanding the relationship between
structure and change is necessary for the development of a peaceful world society.

Social structure is the distinctive, stable system of social relations that exists in any human
society. It is not concerned with people as individuals, in groups, or in the organizations forming
the society, nor the ultimate goal of their relationships. Rather, social structure deals with the
organization of their relationships: how they are arranged into patterns. Thus, the concept of
social structure assumes that human social relationships are not arbitrary or coincidental, but
rather they follow certain patterns that can be identified.

Social structure is the institutional framework that makes for order in repetitive, rhythmic
(whether daily, weekly, or yearly) interactions among people. The key to the social structure of a
society lies in understanding its social institutions and their intertwining combinations. Social
institutions provide the order necessary to make social structure possible.

Overall the way in which society is organized into predictable relationships, patterns of social
interaction (the way in which people respond to each other). These patterns etc, are to some
extent independent of the particular individual, they exert a force which shapes behavior and
identity.

Social structure may be seen to influence important social systems including the economic
system, legal system, political system, cultural system, and others. Family, religion, law,
economy and class are all social structures. The "social system" is the parent system of those
various systems that are embedded in it.
Social structure can also be divided into microstructure and macrostructure. Microstructure is the
pattern of relations between most basic elements of social life, that cannot be further divided and
have no social structure of their own (for example, pattern of relations between individuals in a
group composed of individuals - where individuals have no social structure, or a structure of
organizations as a pattern of relations between social positions or social roles, where those
positions and roles have no structure by themselves). Macrostructure is thus a kind of 'second
level' structure, a pattern of relations between objects that have their own structure (for example,
a political social structure between political parties, as political parties have their own social
structure). Some types of social structures that modern sociologist differentiate are relation
structures (in family or larger family-like clan structures), communication structures (how
information is passed in organizations) and sociometric structures (structures of sympathy,
antipathy and indifference in organisations.

Briefly we can say both "micro-structure" and "macro-structure" can be found within social
structure. Micro-structure is the pattern of relations among the basic elements of social life that
cannot be further divided and have no social structure of their own (i.e. pattern of relations
between individuals in a group composed of individuals, where individuals have no social
structure). Macro-structure is thus a kind of “second level” structure, a pattern of relations among
objects that have their own structure (e.g. the relationship among political parties, as political
parties have their own social structure). Overall social structure contains on the following
aspects.

Society: self contained, self sufficient population united by social relationships, bounded from
other populations by geographic locations

Stratification: unequal distribution of valued goods or holdings in a population (i.e. class, status,
resources, grades, wealth, positional goods, etc.)

Network: pattern of relationships in a population of actors

Social structure variables: pattern of relationships, size of institution, income distribution, and
concurrency of social relationships

Karl Marx developed a view of social structure as he argued that society moves to the next stage
when the dominant social class is displaced by a new emerging class, resulting in a new social
structure.

Marx's approach includes several core assumptions that are not specific to any period of history:

 Human beings are social creatures who live in complex societies.

 Human society consists of human beings collectively working to achieve the necessities
of life.
 Human society develops a complex division of labor.
  Over time, unlike ants or bees, human beings develop better methods of harnessing
nature through the development of science and technology.
 Human beings have the ability to reflect on their society and interaction with nature, but
their thinking and organization are always dependent on the state of development of their
society and of the power structures in their society.

(1) Elements of Social Structure

Social structure is an abstract phenomenon. It refers to external aspects of society. Its units are
groups, institutions, associations and organizations. When men relate themselves to each other,
they establish a structural form. It may be a group, an association or an organization. Social
structure is made up of these structural forms, which are arranged in an inter-related way to
enable the society to function in a harmonious manner. Following elements of Social Structure
may be helpful to understand the real meaning of it:

1. Normative System:

People attach emotional importance to the ideals and values, which are called norms of society.
The institutions and associations are inter-related according to these norms. The individuals
perform their roles in accordance with the accepted norms of society.

2. Position System:

Position system refers to the statuses and roles of the individuals. The proper functioning of
social structure depends upon proper assignment of roles and statuses.

3. Sanction System:

Proper enforcement of norms needs sanction of society. It integrates and co-ordinates different
parts of society. The stability of social structure depends upon the effectiveness of its sanction,
system.

4. A system of anticipated responses:

The anticipated response system calls upon the individual to participate in the social system. The
successful working of social structure depends upon the realization of his duties by the individual
and his efforts to fulfil these duties.

5. Action System:

The whole social structure revolves around the action system. The action is the root cause, which
weaves the web of social relationships and sets the social structure in motion.
 (2) Types of Social Structure:

Tolcott Parsons has described four principal types of social structure. His classification is based
on four social values universalistic social values, particularistic social values, achieved social
values and ascribed social values. The four types of social structure are-

1. The Universalistic-Achievement Pattern:

Universalistic achievement value patterns sometimes are imposed to the values of social
structure built mostly about kinship, community, class, race etc. When universalism is combined
with achievement values, it produces a social structure of universalistic achievement pattern.
Under this type of social structure, the choice of goal by the individual must be in accord with
the universalistic values. His pursuits are defined by universalistic moral norms.

2. The Universalistic-Ascription Pattern:

Under this type of social structure, the value orientation is dominated by the elements of
ascription. Therefore, in such a social structure strong emphasis is laid on the status of the
individual rather than of his specific achievements. The emphasis is on what an individual is
rather than on what he has done. Status is ascribed to the group than to the individual. The
individual derives status from his group. Therefore, it can be said that the universalistic
achievement type of social structure is individualistic whereas the universalistic ascription type is
'collectivistic'.

3. The Particularistic - Achievement Pattern:

This type of social structure combines achievement values with particularism. It is more
traditionalistic value. Persons have kept the Indian and the Chinese social structure under this
category.

4. The Particularistic-Ascriptive Pattern:

In this type the social structure is organized around the relational reference points notably those
of kinship and local, community but it differs from the particularistic achievement type. The
structure tends to be traditional and emphasis is laid on its stability. Parsons says that Spanish
social structure is such type.

(c ) Functions of Society

As society evolves, it comes to increasingly support the growth and potential of the individual. It moves
from mere recognition to empowering the individual at the economic level to supporting him at the level
of culture and individual fulfillment. The more society recognizes the individual fulfillment of the
individual, and fully engages in supporting it, the more the individual supports the growth and
development of that society, likewise from economic to cultural to psychological to spiritual.

Society Developing the Individual.

The greatest capacity of society is its ability to actively foster the personal growth and
development of its individual citizens. The empowerment and fulfillment of the individual may
be the greatest evolving force at work in society today. The empowerment and fulfillment of the
individual is perhaps the main determinant of the existence and spread of the Internet today.
Perhaps society's greatest challenge is to support the empowerment and fulfillment of the
individual. Societies are being challenged by the rising tide of expectations of the individual.
That is because of heightened expectations due to education, communications, and media, and
the background force of a movement of the empowerment and fulfillment of the individual.

Society Supporting Individual's Fulfillment

The ability of the society to support the individual's self-fulfillment is the measure of the society.
As society overcomes its own divisions -- such as war, poverty, disease, lack of conflict -- it is
more likely to supports the fulfillment of the individual. Society's divisions and dualities are
extensions of the divisions and dualities of creation itself. This division and duality is also
ironically the cause of the greatest diversity, which enables the greatest potential for delight as
the societies discover its true nature.

Society Supporting the Development of the Individual

As society evolves; it comes to increasingly support the growth and potential of the individual. It
moves from mere recognition to empowering the individual at the economic level to supporting
him at the level of culture and individual fulfillment. The more society recognizes the individual
fulfillment of the individual, and fully engages in supporting it, the more the individual supports
the growth and development of that society, likewise from economic to cultural to psychological
to spiritual.

Society Supporting Talents of Individuals

It is talents that accomplish anywhere, but the rewards do not necessarily go to talents. They go
to one in position. The older the culture, the harder for pure talents without status to thrive.
America accomplished shortly what Europe took ages to accomplish. Only in times of revolution
called a transitional period, talents rise from nowhere to everywhere overnight. A nation can
prosper if all doors are open to all kinds of talents, wiping off rules, regulations, degrees,
conventions, etc.

Recognition of Collective and the Individual For One Another

The collectivity should recognize the complete freedom of every individual. On the other hand as
the individual advances spiritually, one finds one's self more and more united with the
collectivity and the All.

The Empowerment of the Individual; and the Individual for the Collective.
The role of the family in life is beginning to vanish, as the individual person is learning to stand
on his own. On the other hand, we see the organization he works for playing a greater role in his
life. That is, his work is more and more for the society, the world, the collective. (E.g. Today it is
hardly possible for any technology to be just for the individual. All new technologies are for the
collective.)

There is thus a further movement to the uniqueness and individuality of the person; even as he
begins to work for the collective purpose.

Individuals Developing All Their Skills in Order to Avail of All of the Social Achievements
The Individual in the mass should be so developed in all skills as to fully avail of all the social
achievements before the society can evolve further.

Individual Achievement and Achievement of Society

Man can achieve anything on which he sets his Mind, provided it is already an achievement of
the society. It is unthinkable for us to conceive of hundreds of geniuses in the future. It will be
real when the society fixes its mind on it.

Society's Support of the Full Emergence of the Individual.

The individual in our world is left to fend for himself. If he develops the skills and has the
necessary drive, he can succeed for himself in the wider world. Society in that sense offers a
wide scope of possibility for each person. When we are born unto this world, we function within
the values, influences, and institutions of society. But does society actively support his efforts?

Birth of Individual Supported by Social Change.

The birth of the individual, understood as mental individuality, must be preceded by so many
attributes of the society. These attributes will be positive as well as negative. The positive will be
in the ascendancy. The negative will be receding. What recedes may sometimes rise in strength
and dominate the whole.

Activity: Keeping in view the concept of society, define an ideal society in your perspective.

1.2 Individual Status and his/her role in society

In sociology individual social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in
society (one's social position). It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a
group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc.

Social status, the position or rank of a person or group within the society, can be
determined two ways. One can earn his or her social status by one's own achievements,
which is known as achieved status. Alternatively, one can be placed in the stratification
system by his or her inherited position, which is called ascribed status. Ascribed statuses
can also be defined as those that are fixed for an individual at birth. Ascribed statuses that
exist in all societies include those based upon sex, age, race ethnic group and family
 background. For example, a person born into a wealthy family characterized by traits
such as popularity, talents and high values will have many expectations growing up.
Therefore, he or she is given and taught many social roles as he or she is socially
positioned into a family becoming equipped with all these traits and characteristics.
Achieved statuses meaning also what the individual acquires during his or her lifetime as
a result of the exercise of knowledge, ability, skill and/or perseverance. Occupation
provides an example of status that may be either ascribed or achieved, it can be achieved
by one gaining the right knowledge and skill to become socially positioned into a higher
position of that job; building a person’s social identity within the occupation.

A role or a social role is a set of connected behaviours, rights and obligations as conceptualized
by actors in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behaviour and
may have a given individual social status or social position. Individuality is not the impersonal
and mechanistic thing that the State treats as an “individual". The individual is not merely the
result of heredity and environment, of cause and effect. He is that and a great deal more, a great
deal else. The living man cannot be defined; he is the fountain-head of all life and all values; he
is not a part of this or of that; he is a whole, an individual whole, a growing, changing, yet
always constant whole.

For understanding the individual role in society it seems better to highlight the role of family,
school, society and individual which are affecting each other.

1. Human family protects the young ones, thus illustrating the fact that the species comes
into existence for more than procreation.
2. Society developing the weaker members is an extension of the role of the family.

3. School offers organized education.

4. Family and society precede and succeed the school in offering institutionalized cultural
education and education that is not yet fully organized.

5. Society creates the individual and submits to his leading it.

6. The final aim of the individual is to create a society where every individual is fully
evolved.

7. Family trains by social authority, school by the authority of knowledge, society by its
subconscious wisdom.
 8. In his growth the individual moves from physically inherited habits to opinion and
attitude and finally by his own motive.

9. Opinion of the mind, attitude of the vital are superseded by the motive of the being.

10. Society fulfils itself when it discovers the wisdom, which it developed in the individual.

Activity: Discuss with your course mates about your role in society and enlist at least
five roles which you and your course mates are not performing properly in society.

1.3 Social Interaction

Social interactions are the acts, actions, or practices of two or more people mutually oriented
towards each other's selves, that is, any behavior that tries to affect or take account of each
other's subjective experiences or intentions. This means that the parties to the social interaction
must be aware of each other--have each other's self in mind. This does not mean being in sight of
or directly behaving towards each other. Friends writing letters are socially interacting, as are
enemy generals preparing opposing war plans. Social interaction is not defined by type of
physical relation or behavior, or by physical distance. It is a matter of a mutual subjective
orientation towards each other. Thus even when no physical behavior is involved, as with two
rivals deliberately ignoring each other's professional work, there is social interaction.

Moreover, social interaction requires a mutual orientation. The spying of one on another is not
social interaction if the other is unaware. Nor do the behaviors of rapist and victim constitute
social interaction if the victim is treated as a physical object; nor behavior between guard and
prisoner, torturer and tortured, machine gunner and enemy soldier. Indeed, wherever people treat
each other as object, things, or animals, or consider each other as reflex machines or only cause-
effect phenomena, there is not social interaction. Such interaction may comprise a system; it may
be organized, controlled, or regimented.

(a) Forms of interaction

Forms of relation and interaction in sociology and anthropology may be described as follows:
first and most basic are animal-like behaviors, i.e. various physical movements of the body. Then
there are actions - movements with a meaning and purpose. Then there are social behaviors, or
social actions, which address (directly or indirectly) other people, which solicit a response from
another agent. Next are social contacts, a pair of social actions, which form the beginning of
social interactions. Social interactions in turn form the basis of social relations. Symbols define
social relationships. Without symbols, our social life would be no more sophisticated than that of
animals. For example, without symbols we would have no aunts or uncles, employers or
teachers-or even brothers and sisters. In sum, Symbolic integrationists analyze how social life
depends on the ways we define ourselves and others. They study face-to-face interaction,
examining how people make sense out of life, how they determine their relationships.

Exchange Relationships

Exchange Relationships occur when a person acts in a certain way toward another to receive a
reward or return
Cooperation
Cooperation-is the interaction of people or groups in order to achieve common interests or goals.
Robert Nisbet-Types of cooperation:
Spontaneous Cooperation-Is the oldest and most universal. (Mutual aid.)
Traditional Cooperation-Cooperation that becomes fixed in a society’s customs.

Directed Cooperation-Cooperation that is directed by a third party.

Contractual Cooperation-Occurs when groups formally agree to cooperate in certain ways.

Conflict Relationships
Conflict can bind people on opposing sides into groups and conflict can lead to needed social
change. Georg Simmel-Defined four major types of conflicts:
War between groups.
Conflict within groups.
Litigation
Clash over impersonal ideals.

(b) Importance of Social Interactions

The opportunity for social interactions with others is very important for the development of all
children. Through social interactions, children begin to establish a sense of “self” and to learn
what others expect of them. Although social interactions for very young children primarily occur
within the family, as children grow and develop, they become more and more interested in
playing and interacting with other children. When playing with others, children learn appropriate
social behaviors, such as sharing, cooperating, and respecting the property of others. In addition,
while interacting with their peers, young children learn communication, cognitive, and motor
skills.
Most opportunities for social interactions among young children occur during play. This
opportunity to play with others is critical if a child is to develop appropriate social skills.
Therefore, encouraging children with disabilities and nondisabled children to play together is an
extremely important part of instruction in integrated preschools. The children must have the
opportunity to play together if they are to become friends. These friendships will help the
nondisabled child form positive, accepting attitudes toward persons who are disabled. In
addition, the child who is disabled will have the opportunity to learn age-appropriate social
skills.
Children who learn appropriate social skills often have a higher self-esteem and show a greater
willingness to interact with their environment as they grow. Opportunities for social interaction
not only enhance development in the early years, but also may be important for the future of the
young child who is disabled. The ability to interact competently with is a skill that is required
throughout life and may affect future educational and vocational opportunities. Assisting young
children who are disabled to learn through positive social interaction with nondisabled children
may help them acquire skills from which they will benefit throughout their life.

(c) Promoting Social Interactions

Interacting and playing with peers provides many learning opportunities for young children. In
integrated preschool settings, nondisabled children and children with disabilities may need to be
encouraged to play together. Social interaction between the two groups of children can be
encouraged in a number of different ways. Suggestions for ways to use teacher attention and to
structure the classroom to promote socially interactive play are discussed below.
Teachers and adults can be very effective in promoting social interaction by encouraging
children to play together and by praising them when they do. However, it is important to
remember that too much adult attention may interfere with the children’s interactions. It is a
good idea, therefore, for adults to remove themselves from the play situation once children have
begun to play together.
Teachers and other adults also can promote interactions by teaching children specific ways to ask
other children to play, to share toys, to take turns, to express affection and to help other children.
Assisting children to control their aggressive behavior encourages the formation of friendships.
Planning small group activities that require cooperation and sharing motivates socially
interactive behavior. For example, painting a mural or making soup as a group encourages
children to learn to work together.

Being sociable is an important quality in adults, but it goes further than this. Child needs to learn
how to interact socially in order to make lasting friendships and enable them to belong. There are
many places where child can improve their social skills: the park, nursery, friend’s house, the
local store. Every place that child has the opportunity to practise their ability to interact.

But why is it important? Well, let's be honest, we have all seen the child in the nursery or in the
park that is unable to interact with their peers. They are self centered, unable to communicate
with their peers and generally look miserable. No one wants their child to feel like this. That is
why children need to be able to interact with their peers and why we need to help them to be able
to do this in a positive manner.

Children who are unable to interact socially usually are having these difficulties because they
have not been given the opportunity to in the past. Social interaction has to be one of the most
important activities that child can be involved in. It teaches them the rights and wrongs in their
wider community, helps them to build relationships and teaches them how to cope in group
situations.
 (d) Tips for Improving Social Interaction

According to Bryce "Social interaction is a two way street. Make sure you are driving on the
right side."

Many people are having with interpersonal relations and communications. Many find it easier
but some find it difficult. To overcome this problem, Bryce offers the following suggestions for
improving a person's social interaction. There is nothing magical here; just ten commonsense tips
to help for developing better relationships with each others.

1. Greet Someone

Nobody wants to feel unwelcome or unappreciated. If they do, they will feel like outcasts and
less likely to help anyone with something. The objective is to make people feel pleasure and
friendly attitude with each other. This can be accomplished with a simple greeting or a firm
handshake while looking at the person directly in the eyes. A good, basic greeting can work
wonders in building cooperation between people.

It is easy to detect when a greeting is sincere or routine. The main focus is to appear genuinely
concerned about the person. This can be achieved by:

 Complimenting on some personal attribute of the person (e.g., clothes, hair, car),
 Inquiring about a person's family (e.g., birthday observed, anniversary, graduation, pets,
health, etc.),
 Asking about an event the person recently experienced (e.g., attendance at an event,
participation in a volunteer organization/charity, a new job or project assignment, etc.),
 Commenting on something newsworthy - community, sports, weather ("What did you
think about...?").

2. Engage In A Conversation

People have a natural curiosity as to what you are all about. The best way to communicate this is
to engage in simple conversation. Some people are naturally shy and tend to withdraw from such
discourse. If one person is not willing to start a conversation, another should take the initiative
simply by asking the other, "How are you?" or "What do you think?"

3. Volunteer

Many people prefer to sit back and watch as others perform the work. Volunteering your time or
skills may add an additional burden but it tells others you believe in them and are willing to help
out. Such an expression also makes it easy for you to solicit support when you are in need of
help.

4. Ask For Advice

Too often people are too proud (or too stubborn) to ask for directions in our journey through life.
But asking for advice from a colleague accomplishes two things: first, you might get the answer
you seek, and; second, it says to the person you trust and respect their opinion. By confiding in
an individual, the advisor becomes concerned with your best interests. This leads to mutual trust
and respect between people.

When you are asked to offer advice to another, be as articulate and rational as possible. If you do
not know the correct answer, do not fabricate advice or mislead the person. This will only shatter
the person's trust in you. Instead, point him in another direction where he might find the answer
he is seeking.

5. Network

It seems participation in trade groups and volunteer organizations today are dwindling. This is
surprising since such groups provide a convenient vehicle to meet and exchange ideas with your
peers. Such forums are useful:

 To exercise our basic social skills.

 To stay abreast of current developments in our field of interest.
 To establish relationships with people who possess different skills and knowledge that
can help us.

Instead of resisting networking with others, the younger generation should embrace it. I heartily
recommend joining trade groups and volunteer/charity/fraternal organizations. Regardless of the
group dynamics involved, such forums help to improve ourselves personally and professionally.

6. Turn Opponents into Proponents

Today we live in a competitive society (some prefer the expression "a dog-eat-dog world"). I
guess this is somewhat natural. There is nothing wrong with some friendly competition; it is
when it turns vicious, thereby turning competitors into enemies that you have to be careful. To
overcome this problem, be gracious in defeat and magnanimous in victory. This was the secret to
Abraham Lincoln's success. After losing earlier political campaigns, Lincoln would stun his
opponents by appearing at their victory celebrations and offering a sincere hand of
congratulations and support. Because of this, his early opponents became his proponents later on.
After winning the presidential campaign of 1860 he again stunned his opponents by offering
them seats in his cabinet. These former opponents became his closest confidants during the dark
days of the American Civil War.
It is one thing to go into a contest confidently; it is quite another to go in with a chip on your
shoulder, thereby inviting trouble. Take disagreements in stride and pick your fights carefully.
Ask yourself if it is really necessary to create an enemy at this point in your career.

7. Be Courteous

Your manners and how you interact with others says a lot about a person's character. Basic
courtesy means you are socially well adjusted.

8. Be Positive

People naturally gravitate to others with a positive or upbeat personality. This doesn't mean we
always have to wear a smiling face, but we should concede that people like optimists as opposed
to pessimists. As such, we should always be looking for reasons why something should be done,
as opposed to reasons why it shouldn't.

This leads us into the area of effective criticism. Avoid the temptation to maliciously criticize
someone or something. First, it makes the person look like a whining and jealous naysayer;
second, it tends to be more destructive as opposed to constructive. It is simply good practice,
when identifying problems, to suggest alternatives as opposed to simply criticism. As Winston
Churchill astutely observed, "Any idiot can see what is wrong with something. But can you see
what is right?"

9. Be Observant

It is well said about change, if there is anything constant in life, it is change. Change is always
around us, but it takes a perceptive person to be able to spot the smallest of changes, whether it is
a new hair style, someone losing weight, a small job well done, or whatever. When a change is
observed, ask yourself why it has happened. Be inquisitive and understand the rationale for the
change. This will help you adapt to the change as well as improve your interpersonal relations.
For example, people are easily flattered when someone compliments them on a change. It means
you are perceptive and interested in the person, both of which put you in good standing with the
other person.

Included in this area is the observance of the names of people. It is embarrassing to both parties
when a name is forgotten. In particular, it sends a signal to the other person that he/she is
irrelevant in your eyes. This certainly does not help build relationships. Asking for business
cards is one thing, remembering names are something else. This may require a little effort but it
is time well spent.

10. Be Honest

The linchpin to good interpersonal relations is trust. Regardless of our form of discourse, nothing
builds trust better than honesty, the basic building block of confidence. Having an honest
character conveys an image that you are dependable, that your word is your bond, and you can
be trusted to do the right thing. But your reputation can be shattered overnight if you are caught
in a lie. Therefore, don't falsify or mislead. If you do not know an answer, do not fabricate one,
but make every attempt to find the answer elsewhere.

Activity: Think about the daily routine of your classroom teachers and your personal life and
enlist at least five tips for improving social interaction which you and your teachers performed in
your daily life.

1.4 Meaning and Characteristics of Culture

Culture refers to the pattern of human activity and the symbols, which give significance to this
activity. Culture is represented through the art, literature, costumes, customs and traditions of a
community. Different cultures exist in different parts of the world. The natural environment
greatly affects the lifestyle of the people of that region, thus shaping their culture. The diversity
in the cultures around the world is also a result of the mindsets of people inhabiting different
regions of the world.

The word 'culture' that hails from the Latin word, 'cultura' derived from ‘colere’, means, 'to
cultivate'. Hence the way in which the minds of the masses inhabiting a particular region are
cultivated, in some way determines the culture of a region.

However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:

 Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture
 An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the
capacity for symbolic thought and social learning
 The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution,
organization, or group

McGrew suggests a definition of culture that he finds scientifically useful for studying primate
culture. He points out that scientists do not have access to the subjective thoughts or knowledge
of non-human primates. Thus, if culture is defined in terms of knowledge, then scientists are
severely limited in their attempts to study primate culture. Instead of defining culture as a kind of
knowledge, McGrew suggests that we view culture as a process. He lists six steps in the process:

 A new pattern of behavior is invented, or an existing one is modified.

 The innovator transmits this pattern to another.
 The form of the pattern is consistent within and across performers, perhaps even in terms
of recognizable stylistic features.
  The one who acquires the pattern retains the ability to perform it long after having
acquired it.
 The pattern spreads across social units in a population. These social units may be
families, clans, troops, or bands.
 The pattern endures across generations.

Culture refers to the pattern of human activity and the symbols that give significance to these
activities. Culture manifests itself in terms of the art, literature, costumes, customs, language,
religion and religious rituals. The people and their pattern of life make up the culture of a region.
Cultures vary in the different parts of the world. They are different across the land boundaries
and the diversity in cultures results in the diversity in people around the world. Culture also
consists of the system of beliefs held by the people of the region, their principles of life and their
moral values. The patterns of behavior of the people of a particular region also form a part of the
region's culture.

(a) Elements of Culture

Culture of any society consists of following elements:

Artifacts

Artifacts are the physical things that are found that have particular symbolism for a culture.
They may even be endowed with mystical properties. The first products of a company. Prizes
won in grueling challenges and so on are all artifacts.

Artifacts can also be more everyday objects, such as the bunch of flowers in reception. They
main thing is that they have special meaning. The purpose of artifacts are as reminders and
triggers. When people in the culture see them, they think about their meaning and hence are
reminded of their identity as a member of the culture, and, by association, of the rules of the
culture. Artifacts may also be used in specific rituals. Mosques and churches do this, of course.
But so also do organizations.

Stories, histories, myths, legends, jokes

Culture is often embedded and transmitted through stories, whether they are deep and
obviously intended as learning devices, or whether they appear more subtly, for example in
humor and jokes.

A typical story includes a bad guy (often shady and unnamed) and a good guy (often the
founder or a prototypical cultural member). There may also be an innocent. The story evolves
in a classic format, with the bad guy being spotted and vanquished by the good guy, with the
innocent being rescued and learning the greatness of the culture into the bargain.

Sometimes there stories are true. Sometimes nobody knows. Sometimes they are elaborations
on a relatively simple truth. The power of the stories are in when and how they are told, and the
effect they have on their recipients.
Rituals, rites, ceremonies, celebrations

Rituals are processes or sets of actions which are repeated in specific circumstances and with
specific meaning.

They may be used in such as rites of passage, such as when someone is promoted or retires.
They may be associated with company events such as the release of a new event. Whatever the
circumstance, the predictability of the rituals and the seriousness of the meaning all combine to
sustain the culture.

Heroes

Heroes in a culture are named people who act as prototypes, or idealized examples, by which
cultural members learn of the correct or 'perfect' behavior.

The classic heroes are the founders of the organization, who are often portrayed as much
whiter and perfect than they actually are or were. In stories they symbolize and teach people
the ideal behaviors and norms of the culture.

Symbols and symbolic action

Symbols, like artifacts, are things which act as triggers to remind people in the culture of its
rules, beliefs, etc. They act as a shorthand way to keep people aligned.

Symbols can also be used to indicate status within a culture. This includes clothing, office
decor and so on. Status symbols signal to others to help them use the correct behavior with
others in the hierarchy. They also lock in the users of the symbols into prescribed behaviors
that are appropriate for their status and position.

Beliefs, assumptions and mental models

An organization and culture will often share beliefs and ways of understanding the world. This
helps smooth communications and agreement, but can also become fatal blinkers that blind
everyone to impending dangers.

Attitudes

Attitudes are the external displays of underlying beliefs that people use to signal to other
people of their membership. This includes internal members (look: I'm conforming to the rules.
Please don't exclude me).

Attitudes also can be used to give warning, such as when a street gang member eyes up a
member of the public. By using a long hard stare, they are using national cultural symbolism to
indicate their threat.

Rules, norms, ethical codes, values

The norms and values of a culture are effectively the rules by which its members must abide,
or risk rejection from the culture (which is one of the most feared sanctions known). They are
embedded in the artifacts, symbols, stories, attitudes, and so on.

(b) Importance of Culture

The cultural values of a community give it an identity of its own. A community gains a character
and a personality of its own, because of the culture of its people. Culture is shared by the
members of a community. It is learned and passed from the older generations to the newer ones.
For an effective transfer of culture from one generation to another, it has to be translated into
symbols. Language, art and religion serve as the symbolic means of transfer of cultural values
between generations.

Culture is a bond that ties the people of a region or community together. It is that one common
bond, which brings the people of a community together. The customs and traditions that the
people of a community follow, the festivals they celebrate, the kind of clothing they wear, the
food they eat, and most importantly, the cultural values they adhere to, bind them together.

Culture is seen as a system of social control, wherein people shape their standards and behavior.
The cultural values form the founding principles of one's life. They influence one's principles and
philosophies of life. They influence one's way of living and thus impact social life.

The importance of culture lies in the fact that it is a link between people and their value systems.

(c) Characteristics of Culture

Culture is shared, by which we mean that every culture is shared by a group of people.
Depending on the region they live in, the climatic conditions they thrive in and their historical
heritage, they form a set of values and beliefs. This set of their principles of life shapes their
culture. No culture belongs to an individual. It is rather shared among many people of a certain
part of the world. It belongs to a single community and not to any single human being.

Culture is learned. The members of a culture share certain ideals, which shape their lives.
Generations learn to follow these ideals and principles. Culture propagates through generations,
which adopt their old customs and traditions as a part of their culture. The ideals they base their
lives on is a part of their culture. Cultural values are imparted from one generation to another,
thus resulting in a continual of traditions that are a part of culture. The language, the literature
and the art forms pass across generations. Culture is learned, understood and adopted by the
younger generations of society. No individual is born with a sense of his/her culture. He/she has
to learn it.

What are the elements of culture? The language, other forms of expression as also the thoughts
and emotions of the people, their social and cultural norms, their principles and beliefs are the
basic elements of culture. For an effective transfer of culture from one generation to another, it
has to be translated in terms of symbols, which represent the cultural values of a community.
Language, art and religion form the system of symbols that render a deep meaning to culture.

Despite the efforts of the older generations to transfer their cultural values to the forthcoming
generations, many tend to remain unaware of their culture. People are often found to have an
incomplete knowledge of their culture. People seldom know their culture completely.

A gradual change is characteristic to almost every culture. Cultures are subject to change.
Culture loses some of its traits and gains new ones. The aspects of culture that change vary
across societies. With the passage of time, new technologies emerge, new modes of work come
up, social thinking undergoes transitions and so does culture. Every culture changes in time
although the rate of change of every culture varies.

It is well established fact that no culture can remain in isolation. There is hardly any social
community that is completely isolated from the rest of the world. Every culture hence, is mostly
influenced by cultures of the surrounding regions. Cultural values are prone to be affected by the
values of communities in close vicinity. The cultures, which emerged during the same periods of
time often, show certain similarities. Modern times have witnessed an intermix of cultures.
Cultures are blended together giving rise to shared cultures.

Activity: Identify general elements of culture and compare it with the elements of Pakistani
culture.

1.5 Cultural Diversity

What is cultural diversity? Diversity is nothing more than a difference from the majority. In any
culture there is a majority and many minorities. Culture is a set of norms that set standards for a
society of what is acceptable behavior.

In every culture there are basic standards for social interaction such as personal space distance,
eye contact, amount of body language displayed in public, negotiating style, etc. Cultural
diversity makes our country richer by making it a more interesting place in which to live.
Cultural diversity also makes our country stronger and better able to compete in the new global
economy. People from diverse cultures bring language skills, new ways of thinking, and creative
solutions to difficult problems and negotiating skills.

Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, as in

the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural decay. The phrase
cultural diversity can also refer to having different cultures respect each other's differences. The
phrase cultural diversity is sometime misused to mean the variety of human societies or cultures
in a specific region, or in the world as a whole; but these phenomenon are multiculturalism rather
than cultural diversity. The culturally destructive action of globalization is often said to have a
negative effect on the world's cultural diversity.

The many separate societies that emerged around the globe differed markedly from each other,
and many of these differences persist to this day. As well as the more obvious cultural
differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, there are also
significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of
morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment. Cultural diversity can be seen as
analogous to biodiversity.

Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only in respect of economic growth,
but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual
life. This is captured in the seven culture conventions, which provide a solid basis for the
promotion of cultural diversity. Cultural diversity is thus an asset that is indispensable for
poverty reduction and the achievement of sustainable development.
At the same time, acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity – in particular through
innovative use of media and ICTs – are conducive to dialogue among civilizations and
cultures, respect and mutual understanding.
Cultural diversity is when we have people from different countries who of course have
different beliefs, speak different languages, male and female living and working together
peacefully.
Cultural diversity is a term used to mean that a group or area contains people from many
different cultures and backgrounds. These areas are considered diverse because everyone is
unique and different.

(a) Importance of Cultural Diversity:

 Culture is important because it is what makes a society unique. For example, this could
include a certain religion or type of clothing. Each of these things is unique to a culture.
The beauty of culture is its diversity which alives the culture
 Cultural diversity is important because our country, our workplaces and our schools
include persons of various ethnics groups and interests. We can learn from one another,
but first we must have a level of understanding about one another in order to work
 together effectively. Cultural diversity training also helps people to dispel negative
stereotypes about one another.
 Diversity is important because it provides our society and culture with unique and
inspirational perspectives. Diversity can create new ideas and changes that can be
beneficial to a society, or even the world.
 Diversity is important to get over our little mindedness because of the cultural and
religious differences it brings. Socializing with someone of a different culture and or
different religion brings about a better understanding of it. The more we understand other
cultures and religions, the more tolerant we become.
 Cultural diversity is important because it affects everyone and their lifestyle, guiding
beliefs and basic assumptions about life.
 Diversity is extremely important in school because it really benefits the students that
attend the school. Students need to see the importance of other cultures.
 Diversity is important because it provides society with a unique perspective and new
ideas. With diversity, different opinions can be voiced and beneficial changes can be
made through the simple inspiration of diversity.

Activity: Conduct an interview with teachers in your institution about importance of

cultural diversity and highlight the factors affecting it in our society.

1.6 Culture and Cultural elements of Pakistani Society

Pakistan came into existence on August, 14, 1947 from British Rule. Its population in 2009 was
about 174.58 million with an area of 340, 499 sq mi ([Link], 2010). Islam is the major
religion of the people of Pakistan. It is a Muslim dominated country with 95 percent Muslim and
only 5 percent others. However, being a pathway to many military conquests in the history, it has
given birth to several ethnic groups. The interaction between invaders and the locals had given
birth to a common language called Urdu; however the locals kept their particular ethnic and
cultural values alive. The society and culture of Pakistan comprises numerous diverse cultures
and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiris, Sindhis in east, Muhajirs, Makrani in the south;
Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient Dardic, Wakhi and Burusho communities in the
north. These Pakistani cultures have been greatly influenced by many of the surrounding
countries' cultures, such as the Turkic peoples, Persian, Arab, some parts of South Asia, Central
Asia and the Middle East (UNESCO World Heritage State Parties Pakistan Retrieved 09 July
2010).

In ancient times, Pakistan was a major cultural hub. Many cultural practices and great
monuments have been inherited from the time of the ancient rulers of the region. One of the
greatest cultural influences was that of the Persian Empire, of which Pakistan was a part. In fact,
the Pakistani satraps were at one time the richest and most productive of the massive Persian
Empire. Other key influences include the Afghan Empire, Mughal Empire and later, the short
lived but influential, the British Empire.

Pakistani society is largely multilingual, multi-ethnic and multicultural. Though cultures within
the country differ to some extent, more similarities than differences can be found, as most
Pakistanis are mainly of Aryan heritage or have coexisted side by side along the Indus River for
several thousand years, or both. However, over 60 years of integration, a distinctive "Pakistani"
culture has sprung up, especially in the urban areas where many of the diverse ethnic groups
have coexisted and the country now having a literacy rate of 55%, up from 3% at the time of
independence. Traditional family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although
urban families increasingly form nuclear families, owing to socio-economic constraints imposed
by the traditional culture of the extended family.

Pakistani Culture is very unique in terms of its social and ethical values. These values are
something which are given due importance. This culture revolves around the religion of Islam
which teaches equality among every human being that exists on this planet. Pakistan’s culture is
very diverse. Pakistani culture has the following elements:

1. Islamic Values
Pakistani culture is actually a part of the contemporary Islamic civilization which draws its value
and traditions from Islam and rich Islamic history. Majority of population comprises of Muslims
and follows teachings of Islam, i-e., belief in one Allah, Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad
P.B.U.H, brotherhood, equality and social justice etc. Islam is religion of peace and patience.
Pakistani society is very cooperative. National calendar is marked by religious days which are
observed with great devotion.

2. Religious Festivals

Festivals play an important part of our culture. Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha are our two main
religious festivals .They are celebrated with great happiness throughout the country.

3. National and Regional Languages

Pakistan is a large country which comprises of four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) and Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA). All of these component
parts have their own regional languages. As such Punjabi, Pashtu, Sindhi, Balochi, Barohi and
Kashmiri are regional languages. However, Urdu is the national language which is spokin and
understood in all parts of the country.

4. Mixed Culture
Practically speaking Pakistani culture is a beautiful blend of the Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan, Baluchi,
Barohi, Seraiki and Kashmiri cultures. In addition, the presence of Hindu community in Sindh
gives touches of dance and music in the Sindhi region. The Hindus sing Bhejan but Pakistani
culture has adopted Qawwali which is a praise of the Holy Prophet P.B.U.H.
5. Rich Literature
Pakistani culture is rich in the literatures of Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baruhi, Baluchi and
Kashmiri languages. Urdu literature boasts of the masterpieces of Maulana Azad, Iqbal, Shibli,
Hali, Ghalib, Agha Hashar, Manto and Faiz whereas the Punjabi literature stands out with great
names like Waris Shah, Sultan Bahu, Ghulam Farid, Bulhay Shah and Shah Hussain etc.
Similarly, Sindhi literature glitters with the masterpieces of Shah Abdul Latif, Sachal Sarmast,
Shah Qadir Bakhsh, and Faqir Nabi Bakhsh. The Pushto literature also boasts of names like
Sheikh Saleh, Raghoon Khan, Akhund dardeeza, Khushal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba. The
Baluchi literature comprises of masterpieces of Jam Durk, Muhammad Ali, Zahoor Shah
Hashmi, Ghani Parvez, Hasrat Baluch, Abbas Ali Zemi and Aziz Bugti etc.

6. Male Dominated Society

Pakistani society is dominated by male members. Each family is headed by the senior most male
member who is responsible for arranging the bread and butter of the family.

7. Variety of Dresses
Pakistani culture is rich in variety of dresses: The people of Punjab, the Pathans of NWFP, the
Baluchi people and the Sindhis wear their own distinct dresses. These dresses are very colorful
and prominent and give attractive look during national fairs and festivals.

8. Fairs and Festivals

The culture of Pakistan has great tradition of Fairs and festivals. These fairs are held in all parts
of the country. Moreover, annual urs of great saints are held to commemorate their anniversaries.
On these occasions, fairs are also held in which people take part in great numbers. Out of these
the Horse and Cattle shows of Lahore, Mianwali and Sibi are famous wheseas the Polo festival
fo Gilgit is prominent at national and international level. Moreover annual urs of Hazrat Daata
Ganj Bakhsh, Madhu Lal Hussain, Baba Bulhay Shah, Baba Farid Gunj Shakar, Baba Gulu
Shah, Pir Jamaat Ali Shah, Abdul Latif Bhitaii, Hazrat Noshah Ganj Bakhsh, Bari Imam, Lal
Shahbaz Qalandar, and Bahauddin Zakriya are celebrated with great fervour.

9. Sports
Pakistani people are great lovers of sports and games. Modern games like hockey, cricket,
football, badminton, squash, table tennis and lawn tennis are played throughout the coutnry. In
addition wrestling, boxing, and athletics are also very popular among masses. Pakistan has
produced great sportsmen in the past. These include Bholu in Wrestling, Hanif, Miandad, Imran,
Wasim Akram, and Inzamam in cricket, Shehnaz sheikh, Islahuddin, KHalid mahmood, Akhtar
Rasool, and Munir Dar in hockey and Jahangir, Jansher in squash.

10. Handicrafts
Pakistan enjoys great distinction in handicrafts at international level. Wooden furniture of
Chiniot, sports goods of Sialkot and embroidery of Multan and Hyderabad is world famous.

11. Arts and Architecture

The iconoclasm of Islam has given a characteristic form and pattern in the use of elegant designs,
based on geometric figures and floral forms borrowed from nature. The Shah Jahan
Masjid,Shalimar Garden,Badshahi Masjid,Shahi Qila and many such graceful buildings are a
living proof of the exellent Mughal architecture.

12. Recreational Activities-Sports

The recreational activities all over the Pakistan are common. The games like wrestling, hockey,
cricket, football, squash, Kabaddi etc are popular in every part of our country. These games
reflect our cultural identity.

13. Education

Education contributes a great deal in developing national character. Educational system plays a
vital role in the formation of culture, unity and solidarity of a nation. it is ,therefore, important
that the entire syllabi right from the lower to higher level should be placed in accordance with
the ideology of Pakistan.

14. Ulema,Mushaikh and Sufi Poets

Ulema,Mashaikh and Sufi Poets occupy an honoured place in our cultural aspect of life. Sufis
like Lal Shahbaz,Data Ganj Baksh,Shah Abdul Lateef,Sachal Sarmast,Hazrat Sultan Bahu and
Waris Shah rendered meritorious services for the spread of Islam in the Sub Continent.

CONCLUSION

Culture which includes religion, literature art, architecture, dresses, music manners and customs
has its roots in the Islamic culture Islam has described the rights and duties of every individual.
Even in drinking, eating and dressing, we have to observe certain rules prescribed by Islam. So it
may be said that Pakistani culture represents the true picture of Islamic culture.

Activity: Discuss with your parents about the customs of your family and enlist positive and
negative aspects of your family customs and traditions.

1.7 Role of Education in promoting and preserving Culture

Education is essential for every society and individual. It is life itself but not a preparation for
life. Man has various qualities. These qualities of the individual should be developed for the
improvement of the country. So education plays a complementary role for overall individual,
social and national development. It enables an individual to realize his highest self and goal. The
key functions and roles of education towards individual, society and country are listed below.
 Education is taken as an attempt to bring the change in the behavior of individual through

which they will be able to understand the society. From the view point of the welfare of a

society, education means the transmission of culture. It is a platitude to say that man is born a

biological heritage into, a social heritage Culture is another name for this social heritage. In a

subtle way, the essence of all human achievements is culture. In the words of E.B. Tylor:

"Culture is that 'complex whole' which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, custom and

any other 'capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. This culture is

transmitted by every society to its next generation m the interests of the stability and continuity

of the society. Education is the process of cultural transmission. J.S. Mill has defined education

referring to this meaning: Education is the, culture which each generation purposely gives to

those who are to be Its successors, in order to qualify there for at least keeping up, and if possible

for raising, the level of improvement which has been maintained." Two points nave to be noted

in the above definition.

a) Preservation of culture is possible only through education. The goal of all activities of

every generation is the preservation of culture. For example, the life of our culture is in

the hands of our youth. If they ignore or overlook the glory of their culture and begin to

imitate another culture, it will be detrimental to the present progress of country.

b) There is no culture which can be said to be perfect. There is a need to refine it. For

instance, though Pakistani culture has a hoary past is one of the great illustrations of

ancient cultures, is claimed to be timeless, still a number of customs which have grown

with it over time such as the caste system, un-touch ability and child-marriage need

refinement. Similarly there is a need to refine the techniques of production and

technology of agriculture. Such refinements have to be brought about through

 education only.

Just as an individual insures his life so that his dependents may not suffer after his exit from this

world, similarly the elders-of a society insure the stability, security and welfare of their younger

generations through education. They would see to it that the younger generation will not suffer

after they pass away. Hence, education is transmission of culture. For understanding the role of

education regarding the progress of culture, it seems better to understand the the functions of

education towards individual, society and country as these components are interrelated.

(a) Functions of education towards individual:

(1) Development of inborn potentialities- Education helps the child to develop the inborn
potentialities of child providing scope to develop.

(2) Modifying behavior- Education helps to modify the past behavior through learning and
through different agencies of education.

(3) All-round development- Education aims at the all round development of child-physical,
mental, social, emotional, and spiritual.

(4) Preparing for the future- After completion of education the child can earn its livelihood
getting proper education, which has productivity. The education should be imparted according to
the own interest of the child.

(5) Developing personality- The whole personality of the child is developed physically,
intellectually, morally, socially, aesthetically and spiritually. He is recognized in the society.

(6) Helping for adjustability- Man differs from beast. Man has reasoning and thinking power.
Man tries his best to adjust with his own environment through education.

(b) Functions of education towards society

(1) Social change and control

The society is never station. It is progressive and dynamic. The child lives in society. It is the
social environment where the personality of the child can be developed. The old traditions,
customs are preserved and transmitted with the situations, which are ever changing. We should
not think or believe in the blind beliefs, which are hindrances towards our development.
Education helps to walk with the development of science and technology.

(2) Reconstruction of experiences

Education is life-long process. Life is education and education is life. Life is full of experiences.
One cannot live with his past experiences which are unable to adjust in the society. So education
helps the individual to reconstruct the experience and adjust with the environment.

(3) Development of social and moral value

Society is always in tension with narrowism. There is no social or moral value. Now the man is
behaving like an animal. Animality can be changed with moral education. Education teaches the
moral value and social value like co-operation, tolerance, sympathy, fellow feelings, love
affection, respect towards elder, helping the poor and needy persons.

(4) Providing opportunity or equality

Islam believes in ‘equality’ and leads the education system towards equality. Unfortunately we
are not getting equal opportunities in all aspects. So education teaches us to give equal
opportunities in all aspects irrespective of caste, creed, colour, sex and religion.

(c) Functions of education towards nation

(1) Inculcation of civic and social responsibility- Education helps to make rising generation to
understand its rights and duties as citizens of a democratic country.

(2) Training for leadership- The leadership quality of the individual is developed when he
participates in all spheres of social, political, religious and educational activities.

(3) National integration- We are living in one country having diversities in respect of color,
caste, language, diet, dress, habits and physical environment.

Educational integration leads to emotional integration. Education trains people for unity, not for
locality, for democracy and not for dictatorship.

Education serves the most important end of educating the man.

(4) Total national development- Education helps for bringing about total national development
by developing its all aspects i.e. social, economic, cultural, spiritual, moral, educational, etc.

Therefore, really education is an essential ingredient for all ages and stages of the life of an
individual, society as well as the nation. Education can be a real panacea for all social evils.

Activity: Discuss with your classmate about our system of education and enlist its points in
which our education system is lacking to promote our culture.
Summary

Society is an ever changing entity. That which is indispensable today, may have no relevance in
the society of tomorrow. All changes in social life are concomitant with the changes of human
need. A school has to keep pace with the changing society and to do that the curriculum should
be reviewed regularly keeping in mind the change in social demand and needs.

All human societies have a culture and culture can only exist where there is a society. Hence
there schools direct the society, reforms the society and ensure the progress of the society by
analyzing the principles and rules and selecting only those which have some good effects on
society. If the schools fail to do it, the society will become a stagnant organization. For having
the understanding about the relationship of school, society and culture this unit concentrates on
essential elements of social life such as culture, its diversity, individual role, nature and functions
of society, social structure and interaction and their impact on human life. These social aspects
contribute to develop an ideal society and give it individuality among other societies.

1.8 Self Assessment Questions

1. Define the society and its structure. Discuss major functions of society.

2. Why individual is necessary for society? Critically examine his/ her role in
society.

3. Discuss the importance of social interaction. Also describe tips for improving the
social interaction in classrooms.

4. Analyze the culture and cultural diversity. Would you consider culture influences
the development of society? How?

5. Critically examine the culture of Pakistan society.

6. Discuss the role of education in promoting and preserving the culture. Also
highlight the cultural factors which are affecting our education system.
1.9 References

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