 Dear students, in this module, we are going to talk about the difference between ideal culture and real culture. It's not that the culture is always practiced according to the values, according to the norms which are standardized, which are shared, which are the part of your socialization process. So, it happens that ideally, we have something different in our mind as compared to that what is reflected in our practices. Formerly defining the ideal culture that the cultural norms and values and practices that our society aspires to that look at those cultural norms, values and beliefs in an ideal sense in a way that these are the things that we need to have as our ideals. So, whatever your cultural ideals are, whatever your values are, whatever your normative patterns are, the shared standards of desirable behavior, all of these exist as your ideals and are taught to you, are a part of your socialization, but do they come in the same way as your practice? For example, ideally, it is taught to us that we shouldn't lie, we should always speak the truth, we should always respect elders, if you are a religious person, then we should offer five times of prayer. But, even in our real culture, these things come into practice in the same way, so we see that there is a slight or certain difference or a gap between the ideal culture and the real culture which is being practiced. So let us define the real culture that the cultural norms, values and practices that are actually practiced and experienced within the society. So, the things that are actually practiced are different than the things that we are ideally taught. So, the differences between these two are that ideal culture is often idealized and may not reflect the reality of a culture. On the other hand, the real culture is shaped by the experiences and practices of those individuals within the society. In the examination center, when you are sitting, then the ideal culture is that you should not cheat. But in practice, do we really follow that ideal culture? So that difference becomes very important to understand for the sociologists. Examples may include that in the Pakistani cultural context, ideal culture may be represented by the traditional values of respect for elders and strong family bonds. So these things are part of our ideals and are taught to us. On the other hand, the real culture may include the practices such as arranged marriages instead of marriages by your own will or by your own consent and the gender discrimination which becomes a part of our cultural practices. In fact, it can, ideal culture can provide the individuals with a sense of identity and purpose. But the real culture can also cause the conflict, tension and different contradictions between the what is ideally desired or required and what we actually practice. So this is generally an ideological conflict that sometimes makes the ideals in our mind different than what we see in our real life as what is being practiced. What is the importance of this? Why should we understand this difference? Because it is a very crucial, very important aspect of culture. In our ideals or reals, these differences, it gives us a sense of conflict in a way that whether we should believe in what is ideally told to us or we should believe what is being practiced in front of us. So this understanding this distinction between real and ideal culture can help individuals to navigate these cultural differences. Sometimes a sociologist is able to decipher this difference between ideal and real culture only then you would be able to see the reality in a sense that which can actually tell you that okay, this is the difference between the ideal and real, however, what is important for you is to practice could be that ideal culture.