Culture can be thought of as a system of shared values, beliefs, and understandings about what words and actions mean and the ways in which these values and beliefs are expressed. Culture also refers to the distinctive knowledge, habitats, responses, ideas, language, and ways of living, working, or playing shared by a group of people. Culture seasons the people within its cultural group. When people live in a new culture, they adapt in various ways to that culture. Culture provides the individual with ways of coping with the world.
Individuals develop intricate associations with culture.
Culture socializes individuals to what is expected of them, how to act, and what is acceptable to others. Culture is a significant force in shaping beliefs and behaviors, and giving meaning to experiences such as pain. In most cases, regardless of social, cultural, or economic background, people act to avoid pain as if it were a primal instinct. Potential patterns within cultural groups, however, must be understood when caring for patients in pain. Such understanding can provide for a starting point, although guarding against a stereotypical response is crucial.