Health Information Systems Project in Andhra Pradesh-Experiences from phcs in Kuppam

Cont…

• Functional: Culture is the way humans solve problems of adapting to the environment or living together
• Psychological: Culture is a complex of ideas, or learned habits, that inhibit impulses and distinguish people from animals
• Structural: Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviors
• Symbolic: Culture is based on arbitrarily assigned meanings that are shared by a society

Culture involves at least four components:

• What people think
• What they do
• The material products they produce.
• Beliefs, knowledge, and values are parts of culture.

Important principles of culture…

• Process of learning, teaching and reproducing are essential characteristics of culture. Culture exists in a constant state of change.
• Culture consists of systems of meaning -- members of a human society must agree to relationships between a word and behavior (e.g., if I request that you eat food, then I should not take away the food rudely from you) or other symbol and its corresponding significance or meaning.
• Culture is described in a relativistic way as different human societies will inevitably agree upon different relationships and meanings.