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.