Sociology Chapter 2

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