Cultural symbols offer valued material about societies’ values, actions and resources.
Cultural symbols occur around the world because people attribute meaning to
structures, making them signs to represent a place, a region, or a historical period.
People's observations of the same symbol depend on their individual rational and
emotional relations. Language is a set of symbols that people use to direct their ideas
and to communicate with other members of the same culture. Having knowledge of
multiple languages allows individuals to be able to connect ideas with people from other
cultures and societies. This enhances the understanding and tolerance between people
of different cultures. It makes sense that language, then, is a most common and basic
set of symbols available to a culture that it can pass on to the non-material portions of
culture. Its values, beliefs, and rules. But because language influences and sways our
thoughts, people who speak different languages may theorize differently. This is what
helps create ideas of culture and what makes cultural symbolism comparative to a
culture and its language. One of the best known and referenced theories about
language among sociologists is the Sapir-Whorf Theory. This theory states that our
thinking is determined by language and that people who speak different languages, view
the world and think it about it relative to their own language. As one speaks a different
language, one experiences a different world view. Some U.S. values include
accomplishment; success; individuality; independence; equality and progress. Values
impact individual and group action. Values influence attention, perception, and
interpretation within situations and ultimately influence the planning of individual and
group action. Social norms are important, because they allow individuals to agree on a
shared explanation of the social situation and prevent detrimental social
relations. Technology is a way of developing knowledge between existing cultures. The
U.S. has far more high-tech achievements than other countries. The ability to share this
technology and perhaps to develop and make better is a bonus of sharing information
between any two cultures.
Symbolic interactionism underscores the social meanings and considerations that
people derive from their social interaction. Our perceptions of a social problem from our
interaction with other people, whose observations and beliefs influence our own
perceptions and beliefs. This way of learning seems the most factual based explanation
for cultural development.
