Social & Cultural Continuity & Change - Fundamental Concepts

Every person is a unique individual, but each develops in a social setting in which they are influenced by, and interact with, other persons.

The process of communication is one of these fundamental interactions.

Society is made up of people, groups, networks (e.g. media networks), institutions (e.g. parliament), organizations (e.g. sporting organizations) & systems.

These aspects of society may include local, national & int’l patterns of relationships.

People belong to informal & formal groups, and within & between these groups there are patterns of interactions.

The knowledge, ways of thinking, feeling & behaving that give each society its coherence and its distinctive way of life.

Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, laws, arts, technology & artefacts people generate and use as they interpret meaning from their world and solve present and future problems.

Every society is located in a particular physical setting.

The attitudes and values people have in regard to their environment greatly affect interactions between the person, society, culture, and environment.

Environments present societies with both opportunities and restraints.

Every person, society & environment is located in time & is changing through time.

Our perceptions of time as past, present and future are also important for social enquiry and action.

These perceptions draw on past events that influence our present.

They need not, however, determine our future.

We can perceive a range of possible futures that can assist our decision-making.