SOC 101 Midterm

cultural relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

Ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

symbolic culture

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

material culture

tangible, physical items produced and used by members of a specific culture group and reflective of their traditions, lifestyles, and technologies

Norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members

Folkways

norms that are not strictly enforced, for casual interaction

Mores

fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes, widely observed and have great moral significance

Taboos

mores/norms so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable

sanctions

something that forces obedience with a law or rule, rewards for conformity and punishes for abnormality

Values

the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes about what is important that help guide the way you live

Laws

Enforceable rules of conduct in a society

cultural imperialism

The dominance of one culture over another.

cultural leveling

the process by which cultures become similar to one another; refers especially to the process by which Western culture is being exported and diffused into other nations

cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

Subculture

A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations

Counterculture

A culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture.

culture war

a conflict between groups with different ideals, beliefs, and philosophies.

Cooley's Looking Glass Self

the self-image that results from our interpretation of other people's views of us

George Herbert Mead

Developed Symbolic Interactionism. Believed development of individual was a social process as were the meanings individuals assigned to things

Mead's Development of Self

imitation, play, games, generalized other

Goffman: Impression Management

we seek to present a particular image of ourselves to our audiences, to do so, we must control the impression our performance gives
-constantly studying our audience
-monitoring and adjusting out performances to present convincing image

socialization process

the passing down of cultural values and norms to children

agents of socialization

social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values

gender socialization

the learning of gender roles through social factors such as schooling, the media, and family

primary group vs secondary group

primary: characterised as close, intimate relationships
secondary: usually large and task oriented, impersonal, temporary, business-like relationships.

reference group

a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions

social network

A series of social relationships that links a person directly to others, and through them indirectly to still more people.

group cohesion

the sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong

conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Asch Experiment

experimented how people would rather conform than state their own individual answer even though they know the group's answer is wrong

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Cliques

A group of people who exclude others from their circle

master status

a status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life

status

A social position that a person holds

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

role conflict

the tension caused by competing demands between two or more roles pertaining to different statuses

role strain

the incompatibility among roles corresponding to a single status

Bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Characteristics of bureaucracy

division of labor, hierarchy of authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, employment based on technical qualifications

charismatic authority

power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience

rational-legal authority

Legal rules and regulations are stipulated in a document. How the United States government operates

traditional authority

Power due to custom, tradition, or accepted practice

Group

collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other

Crowd

temporary gathering of people in a public place where members may interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact

total institution

a setting in which people are isolated from the rest of society and manipulated by an administrative staff

aggregate

gather; accumulate

Anomie

a social condition in which norms are weak, conflicting, or absent

group dynamics

the patterns of interaction between groups and individuals

group size

Asch increased the size of the group by adding more confederates, thus increasing the size of the majority. Conformity increased with group size, but only up to a point, levelling off when the majority was greater than three.

social construction of deviance

the social process by which people come to define others as deviant, either in their behavior or by their being

Deviance

Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society

differential association theory

theory that individuals learn deviance in proportion to number of deviant acts they are exposed to

labeling theory of deviance

claims that deviance is a consequence of external judgments, or labels, which both modify the individuals self concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person

conflict theory of deviance

believe that society's inequalities are reproduced in its definitions of deviance, so that the less powerful are more likely to be criminalized

Structural Strain Theory of Deviance

Developed by Robert Merton
argues that the tension or strain between socially approved goals and an individual ability to meet those goals through socially approved means will lead to deviance as individuals reject either the goals (achieving success), the means (hard work, education) or both

Symbolic Interactionism

focus on how interpersonal relations and everyday interactions shape definitions of deviance and influence those who engage in deviant behavior

Functionalist Theory

argue that deviance serves a positive social function by clarifying moral boundaries and promoting social cohesion

positive deviance

actions considered deviant within a given context but are later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heroic, behavior that over conforms to social expectations

stigma

a mark of shame or discredit, disgrace