How Do We Define Culture?

Question

Answer

• a: the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time (popular culture Southern culture)
• b: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization (corporate culture focused on the bottom line)

Merriam Webster

The million-dollar question is, "How do we define culture?" The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "the customary beliefs, social forms, and materials traits of a racial, religious, or social group." Also, culture is the characteristic features of everyday existence, such as diversions or a way of life shared by people in a time or place, like Southern culture). I live in Atlanta, but I am originally from Massachusetts and New England. Many people say "Baby" or "Bless your heart" and serve sweet tea in the Southern culture.

Another definition is the shared set of attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize an institution or organization, like corporate culture focused on the bottom line. One of my favorite definitions is from the World Health Organization.

• “Culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group, and that encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions, and beliefs.”
  • World Health Organization
• This definition stresses that culture is not limited to national, racial, ethnic, or religious affiliation – it is comprised of overt beliefs and practices AND the subtle/ assumed conventions that frame our sense of reality define what is normal and abnormal.

I like this definition of culture as it stresses that culture is not limited to national, racial, ethnic, or religious affiliation. It comprises overt beliefs and practices as well as the subtle and assumed conventions that frame our sense of reality and define what is normal and abnormal to us. Something might be normal to us but not normal to someone else. This is important in healthcare.

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Cultural Awareness and Implicit Bias in Healthcare, presented by Sara Pullen, PT, DPT, MPH, CHES.