Socio Review Guide 2

Culture (definition) -  

The traditions, values, norms and material objects shared by a group of people

Material culture

This refers to the physical objects that are important to us 

EX. Technology is very important to us and it is reflected in our material culture: cells phones, tablets, and Alexa are some examples. Most people don't think about remote controls or microwaves 

These material objects tie into our value of efficiency – being able to do things as quickly as possible. 

Nonmaterial culture 

The ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communicating).

Culture shock 

A sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new social or cultural environment

Cultural universals (examples) 

Sports, music, eating rituals and funerals. (These are found in all cultures, but they may be different as you go from place to place.)

Components of culture: 

   Symbols, language, signs and gestures, values, norms, material culture 

     Types of norms:

Folkways, mores and taboos  

Folkways

Norms that have little social significance.

EX. If a guest attends a formal wedding but not wearing formal attire, they may have violated a folkway. They may get disapproving looks from others.

Mores

Norms that have great social significance. They are usually backed by law.

EX. If a guest attends a wedding wearing nothing at all, they have violated a more. The response will be harsher than if one were reacting to the violation of a folkway. That guest has broken the law and may got to jail.

Taboos

When a person commits a taboo, people will respond with disbelief and revulsion.

EX. In the 1900s, Jeffrey Dahmer killed and cannibalized 17 young men in the Milwaukee area. When the story of his crimes was revealed to the public, people were shocked.

The responses to one’s behaviors (abiding by norms or going against them) are called

Sanctions

EX. Disapproving looks, jail time, or even a compliment are examples of sanctions.

Ideal culture

The norms and values that members of a society believe we should be observed in principle 

Real culture 

The actual behavior patterns and practices of a society, which may differ from the ideal culture.

The patterns of behavior that actually exist. 

Cultural lag (material culture) 

When our material culture changes so rapidly that we may experience difficulty dealing with these things.

EX. people gained access to cell phones, rules had to be created to regulate the usage of phones (think of movie theaters and your classes)

Cultural diffusion 

 
Culture change can also occur when different groups share their material and nonmaterial culture with each other, a process called 

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (language) 

Language is a reflection of our culture - what is important to us. We have many different words for cars because they are very important part of American culture.

EX. If you are bilingual, you may sometimes not be able to translate a joke because it doesn’t make sense. That is because what is important to one culture may not be to another.

Sanctions (norms) 

The responses to one’s behaviors (abiding by norms or going against them) are called

Subculture (What’s the difference between Subculture and Counterculture? Give examples) 

This is a culture within a larger culture.  

Examples of subculture can include ethnicity, hobbies, and occupations. 

In college, I waited tables to make money for school. When I started waiting tables, I learned that the waiter subculture had some of the components of culture that we discussed. Language--”in the weeds” means that you are very busy. “86 pumpkin pie” means that the restaurant is out of pie. 

Counterculture (What’s the difference between Subculture and Counterculture? Give examples) 

a culture whose values are very different from that of the larger culture. 

 An example of a counterculture may hate groups such as the KKK and the Proud Boys. Their values are very different than that of mainstream culture. They do not support the value of equality. 

Ethnocentrism

• Judging other cultures by the standards of your culture. You are using your culture as a yardstick to evaluate other cultures 

• EX. Calling other people “primitive” is an example of ethnocentrism.

Cultural Relativism 

Recognizing that there are cultural differences. 

 

EX. India has a large homeless population. People are going hungry while cows roam the streets. Rather than asking “why don’t they kill cows for food?” we look to see why the cow is significant 

An anthropologist, Marvin Harris studied this phenomenon and found that cows were more functional alive rather than dead. 

Why is culture so necessary for human beings in terms of survival? Think about the Genie case  (Chapter 4) 

Culture is necessary for human beings in terms of survival because we need to learn skills, interact with people and the environment in orrder to function.

Socialization (Definition) 

The lifelong process by which culture is transmitted to the individual 

I describe it as the process of “becoming human” 

Ex. The things that we do that we take for granted on a daily basis are the result of socialization. This can include tying your shoes and eating pasta with utensils 

Nature vs. nurture debate in John-Jean

The John-Joan case-the belief was that nurture could
overcome nature.

Nature - Being born a boy 

Nurture - Options were limited so the parents were told to raise
their child as a girl. The child was now known as “Brenda”. The parents were also told not to mention what happened to Brenda and that she was born a
boy.

More of Nature

Nature vs. nurture debate in Genie

Nature - no clear signs from powerpoint

Nurture - She was kept in a bedroom, by herself,
everyday since she was an infant. She was strapped
down to a potty chair with no one to interact with for
all of those years. When she was discovered, she could barely walk and could not talk. Scientists worked with her to try to teach
her language. Even though she learned
many words, she was incapable of conversation.

More of Nurture

     John-Joan Case

In the early 1960s, infant twin boys were taken to the doctor for urination issues. One underwent a circumcision using a new technique, but it went wrong—his penis was accidentally burned off. The other twin was not circumcised.

Doctors advised the parents to raise the injured boy as a girl, "Brenda," and never reveal the truth. They believed proper nurturing would make the transition successful.

Early reports claimed Brenda was thriving, but by age 13, she was depressed and suicidal. Her father eventually told her the truth, and she chose to transition back to male, becoming David Reimer.

David later married and adopted children, but struggled with his past. At 38, he died by suicide.

The case, known as the John/Joan case, showed that despite efforts at gender socialization, biology played a powerful role, showed the significance of nature.

Genie (1970) Case  

Genie was a young girl who was discovered at the age of 13. She was kept in a bedroom, by herself, everyday since she was an infant. She was strapped down to a potty chair with no one to interact with for all of those years.​​When she was discovered, she could barely walk and could not talk. ​​She is referred to as a feral child- a child raised in total isolation.​​The next clip is from Secrets of the Wild Child-this was made shortly after she was discovered. Scientists worked with her to try to teachher language. Even though she learnedmany words, she was incapable ofconversation. ​

When she turned 18, she became a ward of the state of California. To this day, she lives in a special assistance living center where she is cared for. She was never able to live an independent life due to the prolonged isolation and the damage that resulted from that.​

Her case illustrated the significance of nurture.

     Feral children  

A child raised in total isolation

Sex

refers to biological characteristics ( ex. breasts, penis, vagina).

Gender

social-refers to learned attitudes and behaviors that
characterize one sex from another (ex. being nurturing or aggressive).

Agents of socialization: family

Your family has a tremendous impact on your outcome.
The family is one of the first groups we encounter in our lives.
Your family engages in gender socialization. From the time your sex is revealed, your family may be reinforcing this identity with pink or blue clothes, dolls or trucks and other toys.

Your family can impact how you view the world (political
socialization).

Agents of socialization: school

In school, we are not just learning what in our textbooks, we are also learning the “hidden curriculum”. The hidden curriculum refers to the values that are instilled in children. These are lessons that children learn about the values of society.

Ex. When a child is expected to turn in an assignment, they are learning discipline and how to meet deadlines. When they participate in sports, they are learning the importance of teamwork and competition.

Agents of socialization: peers

Peers are your social equals. These are people that are usually about the same age and social class
as yourself.

Ex. Our peers may be our classmates or even our coworkers.
Peers can have tremendous influence on our behavior-from clothing to
musical tastes.

Agents of socialization: workplace

The fourth agent of socialization is the workplace.
In the workplace, you are learning the norms of that specific
environment. You may also engage in a dual socialization-this means you learn two different ways of doing things-the real and the ideal.

Ideal and Real in the workplace

Agents of socialization: mass media 

Mass media includes anything that is printed or recorded. This includes TV, movies, music, advertising, magazines and all social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) Mass media can have a lot of influence on behavior. What we see in the media can dictate trends.

Ex. Many students wanted to major in forensic psychology when shows like Cold Case Files became popular.

There can also be positive influence in behavior.

EX. A man was able to successfully perform CPR and save a
life because he remembered an episode of The Office.

Modeling

copying or mimicking behavior.

Ex. Children may swear because they heard their parent cuss.

Selective exposure

exposing children to positive influences while sheltering them
from the negative.

Ex. Parents may not allow their children to watch certain shows on television.

Reward and Punishment

reinforce behavior that you want to see continue.

Ex. Rewarding a child who makes good grades. Punishment—taking a child’s electronic devices away if their grades are bad.

Hidden curriculum

refers to the values that are instilled in children. These are
lessons that children learn about the values of society.

Ex. When a child is expected to turn in an assignment, they are learning discipline and how to meet deadlines. When they participate in sports, they are learning the importance of teamwork and competition.

Anticipatory socialization (school)

This is socialization that is geared toward a future goal, like a career.

Ex. A nursing student not only takes classes but also participates in
clinicals. They must work in hospitals or clinics to prepare them for
their future career in nursing.

Peer pressure (peers)

Peers can have tremendous influence on our behavior-from clothing to musical tastes. When we think of peers influencing behavior, we think of peer pressure.
We usually think of peer pressure as negative, but it can also be
positive.

Ex. Your peers can encourage you to finish your degree or apply for a job.

Dual socialization (workplace)

This means you learn two different ways of doing things-the real and the ideal.

“Ideal” 

The “ideal” refers to how things should
be done.

EX. At your job, you have official
rules and regulations that you have to
abide by.

“Real”

The “real” may refer to the unofficial
way of doing things. Taking shortcuts in
order to save time.

Psychological theories: Freud (the personality)

Freud’s theory of the personality-He saw the personality as being made up of three
parts. These parts interact with one another.
Id—seeks pleasure, gratify immediate needs (“I want”).
Superego—society’s presence, internalization of norms,
conscience (“I should” or “I shouldn’t”)
ego—mediates one’s needs and society’s expectations.
socially acceptable responses.

Id

seeks pleasure, gratify immediate needs (“I want”).

Superego

society’s presence, internalization of norms,
conscience (“I should” or “I shouldn’t”)

ego

mediates one’s needs and society’s expectations.
socially acceptable responses.

Piaget (cognitive development)  

In pre-industrial America, people believed that children were miniature adults. That children could think and understand things like adults could. Piaget wanted to show that children do not think as adults do. He studied children and based on his observations saw that children go through a series of stages in terms of learning.

Four stages: Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), Formal operational (11-up).

Sensorimotor (0-2)

children learn primarily through the senses- taste, touch, smell, listening, seeing. This is why you may see that some toys are not recommended for children under two-they may have small parts that children could choke on.

Preoperational (2-7)

children start using language and symbols. There are some things that are confusing to children.

Ex. They would rather have ten pennies rather than a quarter since there is more of them.

Concrete Operational (7-11)

Children are able to understand that the quarter is worth more than ten pennies. They are able to understand connections. Things make more sense to them at this stage. They are able to take the role of the other-that means that they are able to put themselves in someone else’s position.

Formal Operational (11-up)

at this stage, children are able to think more
abstractly and critically. They are able to understand ideas like justice and freedom. By understanding what children are capable are understanding, it makes it easier to explain complex ideas to children.

Ex. Explaining death to a child is difficult, but by understanding the stages, this becomes a little easier.

Sociological theories: Mead’s the Self

Self as “awareness of existence in society”

Sees that Self is made up of two parts, the I and Me

The I is spontaneous, unsocialized self

The Me is the presence of society in the individual

I in Mead’s and the Self

spontaneous, unsocialized self

Me in Mead’s and the Self

The presence of society in the individual

Sociological theories: Cooley’s looking-glass self

Cooley stayed that through social interactions, we gain our identity or sense of self.

EX. if a child is constantly told by parents that she is smart, this becomes apart of her identity. This will reflect in the child’s behavior

These interactions (messages) come from family, peers, school and mass media- these are the agents of socialization

Sociological theories: The functions of socialization 

transmitting culture, preparing individuals for social roles, developing a sense of self, and ensuring societal continuity by teaching norms, values, and beliefs necessary for group and organizational survival and function

Resocialization (the steps) 

1. Break down the old self — take away a persons identity. In prison, that would include wearing a uniform and being referred to by your inmate identification number. Your daily schedule and activities are dictated by staff. 

2. Build a new self- person may learn new ways of thinking. Ex. An alcoholic would learn to cope with problems without drinking. 

    Total institutions 

The physical setting where resocialization occurs is a _____

May be characterized by security, limited access, and a specialized staff. (Ex. A prison, rehabilitation center)