Sociology Chapter 3: Culture - Key Concepts, Elements, and Theoretical Perspectives

Material vs Nonmaterial culture

Material culture refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture, while nonmaterial culture includes the intangible aspects such as beliefs, values, and norms.

Cultural Universals

Cultural universals are elements, patterns, traits, or institutions that are common to all human cultures worldwide.

Ethnocentrism vs Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism is the evaluation of other cultures according to the standards of one's own culture, while cultural relativism is the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of another culture.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture or way of life.

Cultural imperialism

Cultural imperialism refers to the practice of promoting and imposing one culture over others, often through media, politics, and economic influence.

Xenocentrism

Xenocentrism is the preference for the products, styles, or ideas of someone else's culture over one's own.

Values vs Beliefs

Values are deeply held principles that guide behavior and judgments, while beliefs are convictions or acceptances that something is true or exists.

Social Control

Social control refers to the mechanisms, strategies, and institutions that societies use to regulate individual behavior and maintain social order.

Sanctions

Sanctions are penalties or rewards for conduct concerning a social norm, which can be formal (laws) or informal (social approval/disapproval).

Norms (formal and informal)

Norms are the rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members, with formal norms being codified laws and informal norms being unwritten rules.

Mores vs Folkways

Mores are norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance, while folkways are norms for routine or casual interaction.

Symbols

Symbols are anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture.

Language (and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis)

Language is a system of symbols that allows people to communicate, and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis posits that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition.

High vs Popular Culture

High culture refers to the cultural products and activities associated with the elite or upper class, while popular culture encompasses the mainstream cultural products and activities enjoyed by the general public.

Subculture vs Counterculture

A subculture is a group within a larger culture that has its own distinct values and norms, while a counterculture is a group that actively rejects and opposes the dominant culture.

Cultural Change

Cultural change refers to the transformation of a culture over time, which can occur through innovation, inventions, discoveries, diffusion, and globalization.