By Bronislaw Malinowski) : Written Report Title of The Report: What Is CULTURE? (The Scientific Theory of Culture

Judea Warri E.
Alvior
MAED-Social Studies
WRITTEN REPORT other individuals. It included also the material

TITLE OF THE REPORT: WHAT IS culture linked with such learned patterns of
CULTURE? (The Scientific Theory of Culture behavior.
by Bronislaw Malinowski)
Malinowski drew a line of distinction
"The culture is the integral whole consisting of between material objects on the one hand and
implements and consumers' goods, of customs, beliefs and social groupings on the
constitutional characters for various social other. Material objects functioned as implements
groupings, of human ideas and crafts, beliefs and consumer goods. Customs, beliefs and
and customs" An anthropologist confronts a vast social groupings were properties of those
apparatus when he considers any culture individuals who were involved in socio-cultural
whether primitive or complex. This cultural behavior. Malinowski in a way used ‘culture’ as
apparatus as Malinowski has said… "Partly equivalent to society or social system.
material, partly human and partly spiritual, by
which man is able to cope with the concrete, Malinowski states that for him culture
specific problems that face him." The problems comprises inherited artifacts, goods, technical
in question are mere manifestations of the processes, ideas, habits, and values. Moreover,
organic needs of the human body. The problems besides social organization the concept of
set by man's nutritive, reproductive and hygienic culture also includes the set of forces colliding
needs require to be solved and hence on the individual born into each society. For
construction of a new artificial environment. Malinowski this idea of the “social heritage” is
This particular environment Malinowski calls the key concept of cultural anthropology. He
culture. was convinced that human beings have
biological needs that culture satisfies, that
Malinowski had a set of ideas, which he culture is an instrumental reality derived from
used to guide his approach to cultural behavior. human needs: "...rites, beliefs, and customs,
These statements show that Malinowski’s however extraordinary they appear to an
concept of culture included material culture, observer, it actually fill 'needs' whether
concrete categories of human activity and biological, psychological, and social.” Each
constitutional charters for social groups, and culture represents for him a closed system, and
beliefs. therefore all cultures are comparable.
A. The first category, i.e., material-culture Malinowski added the concept of individual
includes implements and consumer and group survival to that of individual impulse.
goods. These were artifacts or physical He constructed a model of types of needs. It
objects. They were the products of comprised three types, namely, basic, derived an
human actions and were instrumental in integrative needs.
satisfying human needs.
B. The second component, i.e., concrete Basic Needs
categories of human activity, is covered The basic needs focused on the conditions
by the term custom, which included essential to both individual and group survival.
elements of social organization. The table of basic needs is as follows:
C. The third component, i.e., constitutional
charters for social groups and beliefs, Basic Needs Cultural Responses
included cultural objects and also some Metabolism Food Supplies
aspects of social organization. Reproduction Kinship
Bodily comforts Shelter
The above description shows that Safety Protection
Malinowski treated culture as almost everything Movement Activities
that concerned human life and action and that it Growth Training
was not a part of human organism as a Health Hygiene
physiological system. For Malinowski, culture
was that form of behavior which individuals
learnt and held in common and passed on to
Culture, in terms of the table of ‘basic needs’, References
has the value of biological survival. This may be
described as ‘primary determinism’. Malinowski, Bronislaw L. The Scientific Theory
of Culture. Pp. 36-42
Derived Needs
The human being’s life as a social creature www.sociologyguide.com.ph
brings about a ‘secondary determinism’. You
can also say that for the satisfaction of basic
needs culture creates its own needs. These are,
according to Malinowski ‘derived needs’ or
imperatives:
Need Response
Requirements of
maintenance
of cultural apparatus Economics
Regulation of human
behavior Social Control
Socialization Education
Exercise of authority Political Organization
These derived needs or imperatives do not

however include all imperatives established
among human beings. The young of many
animals can also be taught these rules. But none,
except human beings, have the ability to
transmit them to their young. No doubt, apes are
able to ‘teach’ their young how to behave and in
this sense they have rules. This happens only
when habit changes into custom.
Integrative Needs
Human social life is characterized by what
Malinowski calls the ‘integrative imperatives’.
Through integrative imperatives, habit is
converted into custom, care of children into the
training of the next generation and impulses into
values. The phenomena such as tradition,
normative standards or values, religion, art,
language and other forms of symbolism belong,
according to Malinowski, to the sphere of
integrative imperatives. In other words, we find
that for Malinowski the essence of human
culture is contained in symbolism or in values.
Malinowski’s Concept of Culture

According to Malinowski culture is an
instrument which enables man to secure his bio-
psychic survival and a higher mental-intellectual
survival. Since each aspect of culture, whether it
is economic organization or social organization
or religion or language is rooted in the needs of
the human being, they are all interrelated to each
other through the common ground in which they
are rooted—the human being with his needs.

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Judea Warri E.

WRITTEN REPORT other individuals. It included also the material

Exercise of authority Political Organization

These derived needs or imperatives do not

Malinowski’s Concept of Culture

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