Chapter 2 - sociology

value clusters

10 clusters that motivate people to behave the way they do; self-direction, stimulation, and hedonism: security, tradition and conformity; power and benevolence; achievement; and universalism values that together form a larger whole. Ex. We find hard work, education, material comfort and individualism bound up together under the value of success.

counterculture

A culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of thedominant culture.

sociobiology

A framework of thought that views human behavior as the result of natural selection and considers biological factors to be the fundamental cause of human behavior

nonmaterial culture

A group's ways of thinking (it's beliefs, values, and other assumptions about the world) and doing (its common patterns of behavior, including language, gestures, and other forms of interaction).

taboo

A norm so strong that it often brings revulsion if violated.

positive sanction

A reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a prize

language

A system of symbols, usually words, that can be combined in an infinite number of ways and can represent not only objects, but also abstract thought.

symbol

A thing that represents or stands for something else

cultural universal

A value, norm, or other cultural trait that is found in every group

subculture

A world within the larger world of the dominant culture.

norms

Acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group's members.

negative sanction

An expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal reaction such as a frown ,to a formal reaction such as a prison sentence or an execution.

culture

Language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that are passed from one generation to the next.

folkways

Norms that are not strictly enforced are called folkways. We expect people to comply with folkways, but we are likely to shrug our shoulders and not make a big deal about it if they don't.

mores

Norms that are strictly enforced because they are thought essential to core values or the well- being of the group.

cultural lag

Ogburn's term for human behavior lagging behind technological innovations

technology

Radio, television, and the internet

material culture

Tangible, physical items produced and used by members of a specific culture group (such as art, jewelry, buildings) that are reflective of their traditions, lifestyles, and technologies

culture shock

The disorientation that people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on their taken-for-granted assumptions about life

cultural diffusion

The expansion and adoption of a cultural element, from its place of origin to a wider area.

ideal culture

The ideal norms and values of a people to which they aspire (going green/equality for all)m

cultural relativism

The practice of trying to understand a culture on its own terms and to judge a culture by its own standards, without judging those elements as superior or inferior to our own way of life.

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

values

The standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly.

ethnocentrism

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

gestures

The ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another

value contradictions

refer to values that conflict with each other, either within a culture or across cultures.

sanction

refers to the reactions people recieve for following or breaking norms.