Sociology Chapter 2

narcissism

Extreme self centeredness

Norms

Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations.

cultural leveling

The process in which cultures become more and more alike.

What is the main difference between material and nonmaterial culture?

material culture is the things a group of people physically create and use, while nonmaterial culture is abstract/non-physical rules or expectations a group of people choses to live by.

Values

shared beliefs about what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable.

self fulfillment

A commitment to the full development of one's personality, talents, and potential.

counterculture

A subculture that refuses to conform to society's major values and norms and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns.

Nonmaterial Culture

Abstract human creations. (i.e. beliefs, family patterns, ideas, language, political and economic systems, rules, skills, and work practices)

Culture

All the shared products of a human group including beliefs, values, behaviors, as well as physical objects.

Cultural Universals

Basic needs/features that are common to all cultures.

Is technology part of material culture, nonmaterial culture, or both? Explain.

Both. It is a part if a group's material culture simply because they use the object, and is a part of a group's nonmaterial culture because of the expectations, rules, and manners that come with using it.

Folkways

Norms that describe socially acceptable behavior, but do not have great moral significance attached to them.

Mores

Norms that when violated endangers society's well-being and stability; They have great moral significance attached to them.

cultural relativism

The belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than applying the standards of another culture.

Material Culture

The physical objects that people create and use (i.e. cars, clothes, books, buildings, cooking utensils)

cultural diffusion

The spreading of cultural traits, ideas and beliefs as well as material objects, from one society to another.

ethnocentrism

The tendency to view one's culture and group as superior to other's cultures

cultural lag

The time between changes; when ideas and beliefs are adapting to new material and conditions.

subculture

Unique cultural variations/characteristics of a group within the larger society.

Laws

Written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government to prevent people from violating mores.

Society

a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity.