Sociology Chapters 2 and 3

Culture

Language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that are passed on 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

nonmaterial culture

a group's way of thinking and doing

culture shock

disorientation people experience when they come in contact with a different culture and can no longer depend on their own assumptions about life

Ethocentrism

tendency to use our own group's ways of doing things as a yardstick for judging others

positive of ethocentrism

creates in-group loyalties

negative of ethocentrism

can lead to discrimination

cultural relativism

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

symbolic culture

(nonmaterial culture) the ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication)

gestures

movements of the body to communicate with others to convey messages without using words.

can sometimes lead to misunderstanding and offense

Universal gestures=emotions (smile, anger, fear)

language

symbols that can be combined in an infinite number of ways for the purpose of communicating abstract thought.

Allows culture to exist
We pass ideas, knowledge, and even attitudes to the next generation

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

language determines our consciousness and our perception of objects and events

Values

what is desirable, superior/inferior, good/bad, beautiful/ugly

norms

expectations of "right" behavior

sanctions

reactions people receive for following or breaking norms

positive sanctions

express approval for following the norm (award for honor roll)

negative sanctions

Disapproval for breaking a norm (Speeding ticket, going to jail)

moral holiday

a specified time period during which some norm violations are allowed

(ST Patrick's day, taking a break to drink, Matrigra,) law enforcement lets more go than they usually would

Folkways

norms that are not strictly enforced (can't bump into people in the hallway, can't talk out of turn, when someone cuts the line)

mores

norms strictly enforced because they are thought essential to core values of the well-being of the group (don't murder and rape, have to go to work)

taboo

a norm so strongly ingrained that it brings extreme sanctions, even disgust if violated (canabilism, incest)

Subculture

Values and related behaviors of a small group that distinguish its members from the larger culture

ex: Drama kids, band kids, the Amish

Counterculture

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

ex: cults, the hippie movement

values

broad ideas about what most people in a society consider to be desirable🡪 outlines behavior

influence human social behavior because they form the basis for norms

Robin Williams American Values

Achievement and success
Individualism
Hard Work
Efficiency and practicality
Science and technology
Material comfort
Freedom
Democracy
Equality
Group Superiority

James Henslin

Suggested that education, religion and romantic love should be included as American core values

value cluster

values are not independent units; some cluster together to form a larger whole

Ex. Education, hard work, material comfort, individualism= success in American culture

value contradictions

values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive

Ex. Group superiority contradicts freedom, democracy, equality

ideal culture

values, norms, goals that the group aims for

real culture

actual behavior patterns of members of a group

socilization

the cultural process of learning to participate in group life through cultural transmission

This is how we learn to be "normal" in society
Without it, we would not develop many of the characteristics we associate with being human

Ex: using utensils, potty training, taught how to behave in a classroom

Harry Harlow

experimented with monkeys to show the importance of affection, intimacy, and warmth- realized that touch is preferred in development;

studied attachment of infant monkeys (wire mothers v. cloth mothers)

monkey's development was stunted as no connection with others-> need to be with other people

Shows "human nature" isn't natural-> learned

feral children

Individuals who were raised by animals, isolated, or abandoned

Anna (feral child)

was forced to live in a locked room, no love, no attention

when she was found, she had no language and couldn't walk

Even after intervention, could only acquire skills of a 2 year old- couldn't create social bonds

Isabella

had a deaf mother- no interaction, no language (could only interact with her mom)

-was able to gain some social skills and language through intensive rehabilitation

- she was better off because she was exposed to her mother while anna was completely isolated

Genie

A girl who was locked up for 13 years and when she was found, she had missed the critical period where she could have learned language so she could not speak and was extremely socially stunted.

Nature vs. Nurture

Do genes (nature) or environmental factors (nurture) contribute more to a person's being?

The Orphanage Experiment: 1930's US and 1989 Romania

unwanted children ended up in orphanages

were neglected and abused

proves neglect in early childhood affects well-being and mental health later on.

What does studying feral children teach us?

personal and social development associated with being human is acquired through intensive and prolonged social and contact with others

Self

the unique human capacity of being able to see ourselves "from the outside"

Views we internalize of how we think others see us

Two parts, the I and the Me

Cooley-The Looking Glass Self theory and steps

Our sense of self develops from interaction with others

1. We imagine how we appear to those around us
2. We interpret others reactions
3. We develop a self concept- can be positive or negative

George Herbert Mead Role Taking theory

emphasizes the importance of play in developing a self

As we play we learn to take the role of others-> to understand how someone else feels/thinks and to anticipate their actions

At first, we can only take the role of significant others (parents/siblings)

As our self develops, we internalize expectations of others

Generalized Other

refers to the perception of how other people think of us.

immitation stage

Younger than 3. Mimic others

Play stage

3-6 years old: Pretend to take the roles of specific people

Team Games Stage

School age and beyond. Organized play/team games

I

the self as a subject: spontaneous, active, creative

Me

the self as the object: made of attitudes we internalize from our actions with others

Gender socialization (gender map)

society's expectations of us based on being male or female

pink=girl, blue=boy

How does family influence the gender map?

subconsciously reinforces through gender messages

ex: a child who grows up in a two-parent household with a mother who acts as a homemaker and a father who acts as the breadwinner may internalize these gender roles, regardless of whether or not the
family is directly teaching them.

Goldberg and Lewis study (1969)

mothers asked to bring 6 month olds to study

Mothers were observer talking/touching/holding girls more closely compared to the boys

Researchers separated children from parents holding toys-> girls cried more, boys attempted to climb barriers

conclusion: mothers subconsciously reward daughters for being passive and dependent, and sons for being active and independent

How is the gender map reinforced through toys?

They reflect what society thinks each gender should be interested in

Girls toys: dolls, cooking things, ect

Boys toys: cars, action figures, ect

How is the gender map reinforced through peers?

Children internalize gender stereotypes and prejudices, which in turn guide their own preferences and behaviours.

Boys being bullied for being "too feminine"
Girls getting bad looks from peers by playing sports

How is gender reinforced through the mass media?

The media transmits messages of male dominance/importance

Boys shown more in outdoor play, girls shown cooperating indoors;

women=beauty/makeup, men=cars/technology

Resolization

the process of learning new norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors to match a new situation in life

Can be mild or intense
Exchange student, moving, going to college

total institutions

place where people are cut off from the rest of society and become under total control from officials in charge

Mental hospital, rehab, wilderness retreats

Degradation ceremony

attempt to retake the self by stripping away the individual's current identity and creating a new one in its place. Strip away their old personal identity

Prisoners labeled by numbers, wear similar outfits, tell you when you can sleep and eat

Childhood (birth to age 12)

Social factors determine what our childhood is like

Until about 1900, having children work like adults was common

Industrialization brought a different childhood experience

Adolescence (ages 13-17)

When children look to create an identity (ask who am I)

Social invention, not "natural" age division

Transitional Adulthood (ages 18-29)

Fairly new stage, postponing adulthood

Still living at home, no career, getting married later

Early Middle years (30-49)

the period of age beyond young adulthood but before the onset of old age.

careers, marriage/divorce

Later Middle years (50-65)

health issues, losing parents- called the "sandwich generation" as between caring for elderly parents and children.

Tends to be a comfortable stage

Transitional Older Years (65-74)

transition between retirement and when people are considered old

Later older years (75+)

marked with growing frailty and illness

Stockholm Syndrome

a coping mechanism for a captive or abusive situation.

Where p/eople develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time

Symbolic Interactionism

Anything that represents something else and has an agreed-upon meaning

We learn the meaning of a symbol from the way we see others reacting to it (socialization)
We base our behavior (interactions) on those symbols

a micro-level theory

Functionalism

all parts of society contribute, or function, as an integrated whole

strengths-> macro-view of society

weaknesses-> don't consider individual differences in society

Conflict Theory

emphasizes that groups/societies compete to preserve and promote their own values and interests

Everyone has to compete for scarce resources to survive in society (including wealth and power)

Those in power make the rules (at the expense of other groups)

Social change (underdogs fight back) is inevitable in society

Macro view of society

Patty Hearst

a victim of Stockholm syndrome

Kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army

She ended up working with them and robbed a bank: given 7 years for armed robbery