Sociology Terms 1

Culture

the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that characterize a group and are passed from one generation to the next

material culture

the material objects that distinguish a group of people, such as their art, buildings, weapons, utensils, machines, hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry

non-material culture

a group's ways of thinking (including its beliefs, values, and other assumptions about the world) and doing (its common patterns of behavior, including language and other forms of interaction); also called symbolic culture

culture shock

the disorientation that people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on their taken-for-granted assumptions about life

Ethocentrism

the use of one's own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors

cultural relativism

not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms

symbolic culture

another term for nonmaterial culture

Symbol

Something to which people attach meaning and then use to communicate with one another

Gestures

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another

language

a system of symbols that can be combined in an infinite number of ways and can represent not only objects but also abstract thought

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf's hypothesis that language creates ways of thinking and perceiving, if you don't have a word for it then you can't experience it

Values

The standards by which people define what is desirable of undesirable, good or bad, beautiful and ugly

Norms

expectations of "right" behaviors

Sanctions

either expressions of approval given to people for upholding norms or expressions of disapproval for violating them, weird looks

Folkways

norms that are not strictly enforced, informal rules, customs that go without saying

Mores

norms that are strictly enforced because they are thought essential to core values or the well-being of the group

Taboo

a norm so strong that it often brings revulsion if violated

Subculture

the values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members from the larger culture; a world within a world

Counterculture

a group whose values, beliefs, norms, and related behaviors place its members in opposition to the broader culture

Core Values

the values that are central to a group, those around which it builds a common identity

Technology

in its narrow sense, tools; its broader sense includes the skills or procedures necessary to make and use those tools

Cultural diffusion

the spread of cultural elements from one group to another; include both material and non material cultural traits