Sociology Chapter 3: Culture

What are the component/elements of culture?

1. Norms 2. Values 3. Symbols 4. Language 5. Material Culture and Technology

Subculture

A culture that shares in the dominant culture of society but also has its own distinctive values, norms, and lifestyles

Taboo

A powerful social belief against a specific act that is considered loathsome

Law

A rule of society that has been formally enacted by a political authority and is backed by the power of the state

Counterculture

A subculture whose norms, values and lifestyles are fundamentally at odds with the dominant culture

Language

A system of verbal and written symbols that can express complex meanings

Nonmaterial Culture

Abstract human creations that have meaning

Material Culture

All physical objects that a society produces and gives meaning to Artifacts, or human creations, that reflect cultural values

Multiculturalism

An approach that recognizes the value of all cultural traditions

Social Control

Attempts by which society regulates people's thoughts and behaviors; conformity to norms

Cultural change

Change in cultural values is usually slow, but continuous

Cultural Lag

Coined by William F. Ogburn. Material culture tends to change quickly, but changes in underlying values and norms change more slowly in response to changes in material culture

High Culture

Cultural patterns for elites

Popular Culture

Cultural patters that are widespread in society

Language is key to...

Cultural transmission

Culture Elites

Groups who have more power in deciding what culture is produced

Cultural change results from...

Invention Discovery Diffusion

Technology:

Knowledge that a society applies to the task of living in a physical environment

What are the two aspects of culture?

Material and Nonmaterial Culture

Folkways

Norms for routine or casual interactions. Ordinary conventions of everyday life; conformity is expected but not required

Symbols

Objects, gestures, sounds, or images that have cultural meaning Humans give the world meaning through symbols

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

People perceive the world through the cultural lens of language

Culture Shock

Personal disorientation that comes from encountering an unfamiliar way of life and not knowing the appropriate way to act

Cultural Universals

Practices found in every culture

Norms

Rules that guide human behavior

Values

Socially shared ideas about what is good, right, etc. Influence the content of its norms Slowly change over time

Beliefs

Specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true

Mores

Strong norms that have a moral significance; violations of mores are considered serious

Cultural integration

The degree to which the parts of a culture form a consistent and interrelated whole

Dominant culture

The group whose values, norms, traditions, and outlooks are imposed on society as a whole

Cultural Transmission

The process by which one generation passes culture to the next

Cultural relativism

The recognition that one culture cannot be arbitrarily judged by the standards of another

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own culture

Culture

The way of life of society

Mores, taboos, and symbols define the....

boundaries of society

Language is a source of _____________ and a ____________ of who we are and our social status

social power, social marker