SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT: CONCEPT, ELEMENTS, EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The sociocultural context refers to the social and cultural environment in which a person grows and lives, and the influence that this exerts on their ideas and behaviors. This concept includes the historical, political, economic, educational, religious, ethical and aesthetic aspects present in your community in a given space and time.

It also encompasses the groups with which the individual interacts, such as his family, friends, neighbors and other actors, as well as the customs, knowledge and artistic, scientific and industrial progress in which he develops.

The sociocultural context provides the framework within which a person grows and develops. Source: pixabay.com

The sociocultural context often has a strong impact on a person's behaviors and thoughts and shapes their codes, norms, practices and traditions. In most cases, when an individual grows up in a problematic and vulnerable social and cultural environment, their chances of adaptation and progress are less.

On the contrary, when you do it in a strong, safe and comfortable environment, the opportunities for healthy and prosperous development increase.

Sociocultural context concept

The context is defined as the physical, symbolic or situational environment in which a fact is considered. It alludes to a specific space and time that serve to frame and set an event.

Social, meanwhile, indicates everything belonging to or related to a society, understood as the set of individuals who share a history, traditions and live under the same rules.

For its part, cultural refers to the ways of life, customs, knowledge and degree of artistic, scientific and industrial development of a specific period or group.

The human being is social by nature. In turn, the factors present in their environment affect their growth and development and end up being part of their reality and their identity.

The sociocultural context is studied by sociology, anthropology, history, linguistics, archeology, pedagogy, semiotics, philosophy and psychology, among other sciences, because it serves as a framework to understand behaviors, ideas and facts present in a community.

Etymological definition

From the etymological point of view, the word “context” comes from the Latin “contextus”, which means “union of two or more elements and the circumstances in which they are found”.

It is composed of the prefix "with", understood as "completely" or "globally" and "textus", which refers to both "tissue" and the "set of words that make up a written or oral passage".

Social, for its part, comes from the Latin "socialis", which can be translated as "belonging to the community of people." It is made up of the terms "socius", which means "partner", and the suffix "-al", synonymous with "relative to".

Finally, "cultural" comes from the Latin "cultus", understood as "cultivation" or "cultivated" and refers to the "result of working and caring for the land to produce plants."

Elements present in the sociocultural context

Within the sociocultural context there are different factors that influence the growth and development of a person. Among the main ones are:

The family

Parents and siblings, if they have them, are a person's first environment. The concepts, behaviors and customs that are acquired in early childhood create the basis of the individual's personality.

The school

The educational center where the child is trained is another fundamental sociocultural context, in which intellectual knowledge is acquired but also moral and ethical values ​​are learned and to respect the norms of a community.

The friends

As the individual grows, he expands his social relationships and generates ties of friendship with his peers, which also contributes to his development. During adolescence, these links grow in complexity and importance, giving rise to new ways of learning. In addition, friends influence each other in different ways, helping to reinforce behaviors and forge their own personality.

The religion

Religions often have a significant influence on people's daily lives and their traditions. They include moral and behavioral norms that can condition the way of thinking and acting of an individual.

Social class

The socioeconomic level, both of the family and of the community in which one lives, also plays a determining role in this regard. Each social class offers different opportunities related to employment, income, education, security and basic benefits, such as access to food, housing, and health services, which shape the environment in which a person grows up.

Culture

In the same way, the language, customs, traditions, knowledge, art and the historical and political context present in the community affect the development of the individual and their way of acting and thinking.

Examples of sociocultural context

The family is the first sociocultural context of a person. Source: pixabay.com

Each person is born into a specific family, in a specific city and country, and at a specific historical moment. In turn, these social, economic, political and cultural conditions have a categorical impact on their growth and development and on their identity.

In this way, being born in a poor favela in Rio de Janeiro is not the same as being born in a rich neighborhood in Paris. The language that will be spoken will be different, the customs and traditions that will be followed will be different, the education that will be received will be different, and the possibilities for advancement will also be different.

On the other hand, interaction with parents, friends and neighbors, the neighborhood in which they live, the religion and moral values ​​that are instilled in them and the basic services they have, will also influence their process of life in different ways. socialization.

On the other hand, if the person goes to a religious or secular school, or a public or private one, the sociocultural context in which they will be immersed will be different.

The same if you live in an urban or rural community, or if the living conditions in it are good or bad, referring to the possibilities of employment, economic development, health and safety services, among other aspects.

All this will condition the behavior, actions, ideas and the way of being of the person.

References

1. Gauvain, Mary (2013). Sociocultural contexts of development. Edited by Philip David Zelazo. The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Psychology, Vol. 2: Self and Other.
2. Springer Science + Business Media. Socio-cultural context. Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Available at: link.springer.com
3. Bastarrachea Arjona, Wiliam y Cisneros, Edith. Influence of the sociocultural context on school leadership in Mexico. Autonomous University of Yucatán, Mexico.
4. Sociocultural context, Wikipedia. Available: Wikipedia.org
5. Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE). Available at: rae.es
6. Etymological dictionary. Available at: etimologias.dechile.net