Cultural lag is a concept in sociology that refers to the idea that some aspects of culture change more slowly than others. It occurs when one part of a society changes faster than another, leading to a gap or “lag” between them. This can result in tension or conflict as people struggle to adapt to new ways of doing things. Cultural lag is not only a concept, but it also relates to a theory and explanation in sociology/03%3A_Culture/3.03%3A_Culture_and_Adaptation/3.3C%3A_Cultural_Lag). It helps identify and explain social problems and predict future problems/03%3A_Culture/3.03%3A_Culture_and_Adaptation/3.3C%3A_Cultural_Lag). The term was first coined by William F. Ogburn, an American sociologist, in his 1922 work “Social Change with Respect to Culture and Original Nature” /03%3A_Culture/3.03%3A_Culture_and_Adaptation/3.3C%3A_Cultural_Lag).

Cultural lag creates problems for a society in different ways. For example, failure to develop broad social consensus on appropriate uses of modern technology may lead to breakdowns in social solidarity and the rise of social conflict/03%3A_Culture/3.03%3A_Culture_and_Adaptation/3.3C%3A_Cultural_Lag). Another issue that cultural lag causes is the rise of social conflict. Sometimes, people realize that they are disconnected with what is going on in society and they try to do everything they can to get back into the loop. This may result in a race to eliminate the cultural lag.

Examples of cultural lag can include sporadic changes in cultural attitudes to gender, marriage, and environmental conservation. Cultural lag can also occur when there are differences in the rate of change between different groups within a society. For example, if one group adopts a new technology more quickly than another group, this can lead to a gap in knowledge and understanding between the two groups.