Chapter 2: Culture Flashcards

Sociology: Culture chapter 2

Milgram’s Shock Experiment

Studied obedience to authority. People were willing to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks when instructed by an authority figure.
Main takeaway: Social pressure and authority can strongly influence people to act against their own judgment or morals. The shocks were fake.

Formal Norms

the standards of behavior considered the most important in any society. Example: traffic laws

Informal Norms

the standards of behavior that are considered less important but still influence how we behave. Example: table manners

Cultural Universals

things all cultures have in common. Example: all cultures have funeral rituals of some sort when someone passes away.

Culture

the way of life of a group of people

Cultural Particulars

the specifics that make cultures different from each other. Example: the details of those funeral rituals might be different: somber vs. celebratory

Material Culture

the tangible/physical parts of culture: clothing, architecture, food, etc.

Nonmaterial Culture

values, beliefs, norms (expectations for behavior), sanctions (rewards or punishments), symbols (language, gestures, flags, etc.)

Culture Shock

an emotional response to being exposed to a different way of life

Ethnocentrism

believing your own culture is superior to others

Cultural Relativism

to not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture

Subculture

a subset or piece of a larger dominant culture that has something unique about it. Example: skateboarding culture

Counterculture

a subset of a larger culture that actively goes against mainstream/dominant cultural values

Cultural Diffusion

ideas, norms, values moving across cultural borders