To Do Culture vs. To Be Culture

Thu, 05/22/2003 - 00:00

3 comments

Theory Summary

There are two types of cultural groups: a "to do" culture and a "to be" culture.

Individuals in a "to do" culture define themselves by their work and have a mechanical view of society. If you attended a social gathering of people from a "to do" culture, individuals would introduce themselves by what they did for a living (defining their role in society). This type of culture solves problems in a very linear fashion. The use of scientific studies and logical persuasion can be used to move a discussion from point A to point B.
The second group, a "to be" culture, defines itself in terms of relationships and geographic identity. If you attended a social gathering of people from a "to be" culture, individuals would introduce themselves by their tribe/family lines or the community they live in (defining their relationship by lineage and place). This type of culture solves problems ina circular fashion. Effective change in a "to be" culture is linked to the unique assets and organisation of the community which can be made up of the elders, the religious leaders, political leaders and more. A "to be" culture may (or may not) acknowledge the creditability of scientific information and logical persuasion. A "to be" places higher value on existing present day relationships and an individual's sense of community values. In other words, a group may decide to continue to do what they are doing in the face of a well documented problem or concern.

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Comments

Bad, incompetent, insufficient

Very good summary for linear/circular cultural norms...could have gone further and ID Western Europ and all other cultures of the world..

This page has been sitting here for three years waiting for me to access it.

Now I have a clearer understanding of the communities that I work with and the community that I live in ( I am from a different background).