Psych/Soc Deck 6: Sociology — Culture, Groups & Socialization

Culture

The shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and material objects of a society.

Material Culture

Physical objects created by a society.

Examples:

• Clothing

• Technology

• Buildings

• Art

Nonmaterial Culture

Ideas, beliefs, language, customs, morals, and values.

Material vs Nonmaterial Culture

Material
Physical things.

Nonmaterial
Ideas and beliefs.

Values

Standards that define what a society considers important or desirable.

Example:
Honesty, education, family.

Beliefs

Ideas that people accept as true.

Norms

Rules or expectations for acceptable behavior.

Folkways

Informal social norms.

Breaking them usually has minor consequences.

Example:
Wearing pajamas to class.

Mores

Norms involving moral significance.

Breaking them often leads to serious social disapproval.

Example:
Stealing from a friend.

Taboo

A behavior that is strongly prohibited by society.

Example:
Incest.

Folkways vs Mores vs Taboos

Folkways
Minor social expectations.

Mores
Morally important norms.

Taboos
Strongest prohibitions.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding another culture according to its own values, not your own.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of your own culture.

Ethnocentrism vs Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism

"My culture is the standard."

Cultural Relativism

"Understand their culture first."

Culture Shock

Disorientation experienced when entering an unfamiliar culture.

Assimilation

A minority group adopts the customs and values of the dominant culture, often losing aspects of its original culture.

Acculturation

Adopting parts of another culture while maintaining one's original culture.

Assimilation vs Acculturation

Assimilation→ Lose original culture.

Acculturation→ Keep original culture.

Socialization

The lifelong process through which people learn the norms, values, and behaviors of society.

Primary Socialization

Occurs during childhood.

Main agent:
Family.

Secondary Socialization

Occurs later in life.

Schools

Peers

Workplaces

Media

Family

First and usually most influential agent of socialization.

Peer Group

Teaches social norms, identity, and independence.

School

Teaches knowledge, discipline, and societal expectations.

Mass Media

Shapes attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Workplace

Socializes adults into professional roles and expectations.

Primary Group

Small, close, emotionally intimate group.

Example:
Family.

Secondary Group

Large, goal-oriented, impersonal group.

Example:
Coworkers.

Primary vs Secondary Groups

Primary

Close relationships.

Secondary

Task-oriented relationships.

Reference Group

Group used as a standard for comparison.

In-group

Group to which an individual belongs.

Out-group

Group to which an individual does not belong.

Status

A socially recognized position occupied by an individual.

Ascribed status

Status assigned at birth or involuntarily.

Examples:
Age

Sex assigned at birth

Birth order

Achieved Status

Status earned through effort or accomplishment.

Examples:
Doctor

Teacher

President

Ascribed vs Achieved Status

Ascribed

Born with it.

Achieved

Earned it.

Master Status

The status that has the greatest influence on a person's identity or how others perceive them.

Role

Expected behaviors associated with a particular status.

Role Strain

Conflict within one role.

Example:
A student struggles to balance studying and extracurriculars.

Role Conflict

Conflict between two or more roles.

Example:
A parent who is also an employee misses a child's event because of work.

Role Strain vs Role Conflict

Role Strain→ One role.

Role Conflict→Two different roles.

Social Institution

A stable system that organizes society and fulfills essential functions.

Examples:
Family

Education

Government

Religion

Economy

Healthcare

Structural Functionalism

Society is made of interconnected parts that work together to maintain stability.

Conflict Theory

Society is shaped by competition over resources and power.

Associated with Karl Marx.

Symbolic Interactionism

Focuses on how people create meaning through everyday social interactions and symbols.

Functionalism vs Conflict Theory vs Symbolic Interactionism

Functionalism→ How society stays stable.

Conflict Theory→ Who has power?

Symbolic Interactionism→ How people create meaning through interaction

A researcher studies how classroom interactions shape students' ideas about intelligence. Which sociological perspective fits best?

Symbolic Interactionism.

Focuses on meaning created through everyday interactions.

A sociologist argues that unequal access to healthcare reflects struggles between socioeconomic classes.

Conflict Theory.

A researcher examines how schools contribute to maintaining social order by teaching shared values.

Structural Functionalism.

A Brazilian student moves to the U.S., learns English, but continues speaking Portuguese at home and celebrating Brazilian holidays.

Acculturation.

Another immigrant completely abandons their original language and customs to fully adopt the dominant culture

Assimilation.

A physician struggles to balance patient care, charting, and administrative duties within the same job.

Role strain

A medical student misses a family wedding because they must take an important exam.

Role conflict.

A person believes another culture's traditions are "wrong" simply because they differ from their own.

Ethnocentrism.

A researcher tries to understand a cultural practice by examining its meaning within that culture rather than judging it.

Cultural relativism.