Culture is a term that surrounds the social behaviours, various institutions, and norms in human society. Along with these, culture also encompasses the knowledge, art, laws, beliefs, customs, capabilities, and other habits of individuals in this society. Culture originated from certain groups of a specific region. Now, you know what culture means but what is meant by cultural development? Moreover, how does a culture become developed? Read the article to know the cultural development meaning and ways to improve cultural development and other facts related to it.
1. What is Cultural Development Meaning?
Cultural development meaning refers to the state or process of enabling cultural activities which includes art, aiming for the betterment of society. In simpler terms, cultural development meaning refers to how people feel about improving their future culturally, which can be done by understanding a wide range of other cultures which have helped in shaping their own culture. It refers to sharing attitudes, beliefs, and customs with different people of different cultures. This helps in the development of a culture and results in having a wide range of characteristics. (See How are Myths from Different Cultures Connected to one another?)
2. How does Culture Become Development?
Culture becomes developed by innovation and change. Like others, you as well have your own culture which represents your ideals, your attitude, your customs, your beliefs and many more. But its development requires influences from other cultures as well. Thus, culture becomes developed when different cultures influence your culture. This results in certain changes in your culture, such as when your culture gets influenced by other cultures, your attitude and beliefs change in a good way, and several beliefs which are not influential to the social norms changes, this results in the development of your culture, developing in new social norms or elimination of your existing social norms.
3. Why is Cultural Development Important?
Culture, being the lifeblood of a vibrant society adds intrinsic value to it, which is the cultural development meaning. Along with added intrinsic value, it focuses on benefiting economic and social values. Participating in cultures can benefit you in many ways, even personally. Cultures are a hub of deep-rooted wonder and delight, which can provide you with various moving experiences, needed in life. These cultures encourage you with those experiences that can be both good and bitter. Culture is also important as it gives you the platform to deliver your creativity, thus providing you with a place to emphasise your identity.
These experiences are your opportunities for leisure, entertainment, gaining knowledge, and sharing your own experiences. Culture is what brings people together.
4. What is Level of Cultural Development?
According to anthropologists, cultural development can be categorised into three types or levels. The three level of cultural development are:
- International: This focuses on the cultural traits that have gone beyond the national boundaries through diffusion, migration, colonisation and globalisation.
- National: This focuses on the cultural traits such as beliefs, values, behaviour patterns, and institutions that are shared within a country.
- Subculture: These focus on the cultural traits of smaller groups of people shared within a country. They have their own set of cultural traits and norms.
5. What were the Elements of Cultural Development?
Culture historically is defined as the language, symbols, beliefs, values, and artefacts which are recognised as part of any society as the elements of cultural development. According to cultural development meaning, there are 2 simple components of culture. They are – symbols and ideas on one hand and artefacts which are material objects on the other. The first kind is called nonmaterial culture or symbolic culture which includes the beliefs, values, language, and symbols which defines a society. The second kind is called material culture which includes the physical objects of all society like – clothing, tools and technologies, means of transportation, and eating utensils. (See What is a List of Cultures around the World?)
6. What are the Five Stages of Cultural Development?
Adapting to a new culture is very much important and unavoidable nowadays. To avoid difficulties everyone should be prepared before adapting to a new culture. The 5 stages of cultural development are as follows:
- The honeymoon or tourist stage (excitement or initial euphoria) – It is the initial stage that all the travellers get when they discover a new cultural development meaning. They find everything new and fresh. They get very much excited to learn about the new culture and languages. Even if any issue happens then it is not interpreted as a negative approach. But at this stage, the travellers do not have real contact with the local people or communities.
- The distress or crisis stage (hostility or irritation) – In this phase, the travellers’ culture receives a shocking feeling from the environment as they are new to it. But after some days or weeks, frustrations start to arise. Due to issues like digestive problems, sleep disorders, robberies, accommodation issues, unable to adapt to the food system in the new place, and neighbouring issues. Then the travellers start comparing their own home town with the new place on their way of living and culture. Sometimes the traveller’s personality plays a very big factor. It leads to anxiety, loneliness, boredom, anger, stress, disappointments, cognitive, fatigue etc. Some even want to go back home.
- Reintegration state (humour, gradual adjustment, and perspective) – It is the stage which depends on the personality of the traveller and the duration of their stay, whether it is long or short. Generally, most of the stays are short durations. At first, the travellers remain patient and then go back to their initial locations. They can’t adapt to the cultural shocks and thus decide to segregate themselves before travelling again. If the stay is of long duration, then the travellers have to adapt to the new culture. In this phase, the travellers have to compromise or need to change their attitude to adjust to the issues abroad.
- Autonomy Stage (feeling at home) or Biculturalism and adaptation – When the reintegration stage is well fulfilled, the travellers are in the stage where they have overcome their issues, and they can manage and solve their issues directly. The reality of solving their issues or conflicts will be a satisfactory moment for them and they can easily belong to that new community. They can enjoy themselves and stay in the new place.
- Independence Stage: After the staying season ends, the travellers are assumed to go back to their hometown or native community. But, the modification of their cultural background due to the disturbances, after arriving home they could change their mind about their native cultural behaviours.
The new cycle of adjusting to their old cultural behaviours starts. If they cannot adjust like before then the way is to keep themselves separate from certain groups of people. In the end, they will be having two cultures after learning about the second culture, and thus, people visiting many places are multicultural.
7. How can You Improve Cultural Development?
You have already known how important your culture is to you and why it is necessary to develop a culture. But how would you develop or improve your culture? Here is a list of ways to improve cultural development meaning:
- Training for Global Citizenship: You must focus on learning cultural knowledge from different people.
- Communication skills: You must incur good communication skills to speak with both natives and foreign people to know their cultures and share your cultures as well.
- Mannerisms: You must behave well in front of people and even when you talk. For example, saying please, thank you are signs of having a good manner.
- Celebrating cultural festivals: Celebrating traditional cultural festivals help you to gain cultural literacy, awareness, and acceptance.
- Observation: It is important to observe how different people share their cultures through their communication skills. It helps you to gain an outlook of the overall scenario.
- Learning other cultures: You should have an open mindset to forward yourself in learning new cultures and much more.
8. What are the Cultural Development of Human?
Humans have evolved through their cultural development from being savages, and barbarians to civilisations. In each and every step of this homosapien evolution, humans are able to develop culturally by building up their own thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and much more. They have been also influenced by several other cultures which have led them to develop at a higher rate, resulting in making the modern world.
9. How does Culture Development affect Human Life?
The effect that cultural development meaning has on humans is quite significant as well as prominent. It shapes us as a human and an individual. Such as from the time you are born, you inherit several morals, values, languages, beliefs, and an understanding of people which are caused as a result of cultural development. Must read What are Co Cultural Groups Examples?
10. What is the Cultural Developmental Model?
The cultural developmental model refers to The Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, also known as the Bennett Scale. This model focuses on the experiences of humans relative to cultural change. This model starts with the state of Denial, Defence, Minimisation, Acceptance, Adaptation, and Integration.
11. What is Cultural Development History?
The history of cultural development is quite prominent from each and every period of human evolution beginning from the period of Vikings till the modern age. These are prominent and can be understood through their lifestyle, food, etc. Cultural development history can also be understood through creative works such as music, art, and especially literature.
12. What are the Five Key Characteristics of any Developed Culture?
The five key characteristics of any developed culture are learned, shared, symbolic, integrated and dynamic.
- Learned: Culture is not something that is inherited but is something that is to be learned through several experiences.
- Shared: Culture ought to be shared by several members.
- Symbol: Culture is understood by humour and symbol by the members of the group.
- Integrated: These are interrelated with various elements of cultures.
- Dynamic: Culture is like a stream of water and hence is not static but it changes frequently.
We may conclude with the fact that culture is a stream which changes over time. The change occurs through the help of sharing other cultural elements. These elements involve beliefs, attitudes, manners, and several other things. The changes that occur may be good as well as bad for individuals. However, this cultural development meaning makes a culture what it is. (Also read What is Cultural Convergence?)
