Final answer:
Culture defines the values, beliefs, and norms guiding behavior in society. It shapes how individuals interact and perceive the world, as well as provides a system of shared expectations enforced by societal rules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The values, beliefs, and norms that guide behavior in a society are known as culture. Culture includes the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashion, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life in a given society.
This concept is essential for understanding how individuals in a society interact with one another and how they perceive the world. It includes shared ideals and convictions that are held to be true, as well as principles and standards held in high regard which influence perceptions, behaviors, and the social expectations within the society.
Culture is a dynamic system of symbols, meanings, and norms—the non-genetic information possessed by a society. It shapes perceptions and interactions by creating and enforcing shared expectations. Sociologists study various situations and contexts to understand in which behaviors are expected or not, and they search for patterns in these cultural practices and social norms.