Studied by 38 people
culture
the entire way of life of a group of people that acts as a lens through which one views the world
ethnocentrism
the belief that our culture is the "normal" one
cultural relativism
seeing each culture as simply different rather than worse or wrong
material culture
any physical object to which we give social meaning (art, artifacts, tools, weapons, etc.)
nonmaterial culture
signs, gestures, language
Sapir-Wharf Hypothesis
language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language
values
set of shared beliefs that a group considers worthwhile and desirable
norms
rules regarding what behavior is acceptable
folkways
loosely enforced norms that involve common customs and ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance
mores
norm that carries greater moral significance - is closely related to the core values of a group and often involves severe repercussions for violations
sanctions
positive or negative reactions to the ways people follow/disobey norms
social control
the formal/informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion
dominant culture
refers to the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful in terms of wealth, prestige, status, and influence
subculture
a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive value, norms, and lifestyle
counterculture
a group within society that openly rejects and may actively oppose society's values and norms
cultural diffusion
dissemination of material and nonmaterial culture from one group to another
cultural leveling
process by which cultures that were once unique and distinct become increasingly similar
nature vs. nurture debate
ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits
socialization
process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group by which we have become functioning members of society
feral children
children who have had little human contact and may nave lived in social isolation from a young age
self
our personal identity which is separate and different from all other people
looking-glass self
refers to the notion that self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us
Mead
believed that the self develops through several stages
preparatory stage
up until age 3 - mimicking stage
play stage
3-6 years old - taking on roles
game stage
6-8 years old - take on generalized other
particular/significant other
perspectives and expectations of a particular role that a child learns and internalizes
generalized other
perspectives and expectations of a network of others that children learn and then take into account when shaping their own behavior
Thomas theorem
formulation of the way individuals determine reality "if people define situations as real, they are really their consequences"
definition of the situation
an agreement with other about "what is going on" in a given circumstance
expressions given
expressions that are intentional and usually verbal
expressions given off
intended or unintended and are usually nonverbal
impression management
effort to control the impressions we make on others so they form a desired view of us
dramaturgy
social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theater
front
setting or scene of performance that helps us establish meaning
region
context of performance; location, decor, props
personal front
performance tactics we use - our appearance, manner, style of dress, gender, race, age
backstage
where we prepare or rehearse for our performance/interaction
frontstage
where we play a particular role and perform for an "audience" of others
hidden curriculum
children are often taught about the values and norms of society without it being explicitly part of the curriculum
agents of socialization
family, schools, peers, the media
role
set of behaviors expected from someone because of their status
role conflict
experienced when we occupy 2 or more roles with contradictory expectations
role strain
experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role
role exit
process of leaving a role we will no longer occupy
emotion work
how we live up to feeling rules - how you actually demonstrate feelings
feeling rules
rules about how you're supposed to feel in certain situations
agency
ability of individual to act freely and independently
group
collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other
crowd
temporary gathering of people in a public place - may interact with each other but don't identify with one another and don't remain in contact
primary group
involve the greatest amount of face-to-face interaction and cooperation and the deepest feelings of belonging (family and friends)
secondary group
usually organized around a specific activity or the accomplishment of a task
social network
web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people
direct ties
ties directly to another person
indirect ties
ties you have to someone through another person
anomie
"normlessness" alienation and loss of purpose - weaker social bonds
group dynamics
patterns of interactions between groups and individuals
in-group
group that one identifies with and feels loyalty towards
out-group
group an individual feels opposition, rivalry, or hostility towards
reference group
group that provides a standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves
group cohesion
sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel towards a group to which they belong
groupthink
in very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members, creating a demand for unanimous agreement
social influence
influence of one's fellow group members on individual attitudes and behaviors (peer pressure)
social loafing
phenomenon in which each individual contributes a little less as more individuals are added to the task
coercive power
backed by the threat of force
influential power
supported by persuasion
traditional authority
based in custom, birthright, or divine right
legal-rational authority
based in laws, rules, and procedures
charismatic authority
based in perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader
bureaucracy
type of secondary group designed to perform tasks efficiently, characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, and formal written communication
predictability, calculability, control, efficiency
4 components if bureaucracy
McDonaldization
describes the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization
instrumental leadership
leadership that is task or goal orientated
expressive leadership
leadership concerned with maintaining emotional and relational harmony within the group
deviance
a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction
structural strain theory
social inequality can create situations in which people experience tension between society's goals and the means they have available to meet those goals
innovators
those who accept society's goals but not the approved means to achieve them
ritualists
given up hope of achieving society's goals but still operates according to the approved means
retreatists
renounce society's goals and means and live outside conventional norms
rebels
reject society's approved goals and means - create and work toward their own goals using new means
primary deviance
in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant
secondary deviance
the subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant
tertiary deviance
when someone normalizes behavior that is widely considered deviant by labelling it as nondeviant
Functionalism and Deviance
deviance serves a function in our society - clarifies moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion
conflict theory and deviance
deviance is a result of social conflict - inequality is reproduced in the way deviance is defined
structural strain theory
there are goals in our society that people want to achieve, but they cannot always reach those goals - creates stress because people are aware of goals but don't have the means to achieve them
differential association theory
Edwin Sutherland's hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through association with deviant peers
labeling theory
symbolic interactionist perspective developed by Howard Becker - states that deviance is caused by external judgements that change a person's self-concept and the way others respond to him or her
self-fulfilling prophecy
inaccurate statement/belief that by altering the situation, becomes accurate - a prediction that causes itself to come true
stigma
any physical or social attribute that devalues a person/group's identity - may exclude those who are devalued from normal social institutions
deviance avowal
process by which an individual self-identifies as deviant and initiates their own labeling process
crime
a violation of a norm that has been codified into law
violent crime
crime in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end (murder, rape, aggravated assault)
property crime
crime that does not evolved violence (burglary, larceny, theft, arson)
cybercrime
crime committed via the internet (identity theft, embezzlement, fraud, financial scams)
white collar crime
crime committed by a high-status individual in the course of their occupation
deterrence
approach to punishment that relies on the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes
retribution
an approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliations or revenge for the crime as the appropriate goal
incapacitation
approach to punishment that seeks to protect society from criminals by imprisoning or executing them
rehabilitation
an approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty
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Flashcard (126)