An inventory for storing data on a sociocultural system was designed (a) to favor the emergence of a structural-functional model, and (b) to generate the descriptive knowledge most useful for a practical understanding of the life style. Thirty sections are grouped into four subsystems, adapted from those of the sociologist Talcott Parsons: the…

The distinction between the value system and the unconsciously held assumptions of a culture is clarified in this paper. The underlying structure of the sociocultural whole of a particular society leads the author to explore culture's "ground of meaning" in terms of main themes. A tentative summary of the value system of French culture…