Key Concepts in Cultural Anthropology: Beliefs, Norms, and Cultural Dynamics

Culture Beliefs

Ideas, convictions, and attitudes that people in a society hold to be true

Cultural Universals

Elements, patterns, traits, or institutions that are common to all human cultures worldwide

Sanctions

Negative or positive responses to behavior that enforce norms

Folkways

Informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences

Mores

Strong norms with moral significance, and violation of them leads to serious consequences

Laws

The rules enforced in society

Cultural Lag

The time delay between the introduction of new technology or ideas and the cultural adjustments to them

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture, often with the belief that one's own culture is superior

Culture Shock

The feeling of disorientation or discomfort when encountering a culture very different from one's own

High Culture

Cultural products and activities associated with society's elite or upper class

Pop Culture

Mainstream, widespread cultural patterns that are popular among a society's general population

Cultural Relativism

The idea that a culture should be understood and judged by its own standards

Cultural Imperialism

The imposition of one culture's beliefs, practices, and products on another culture, often through media or economic dominance