Chapter 2 Review
subculture
a group that has a distinctive way of looking at life, but at the same time their values and norms relfect the dominant culture of their society
What is a counter-culture
a group, which has values in opposition to the dominant culture
negative sanction
a punishment or the threat of punishment used to enforce conformity
positive sanction
a reward or positive reaction for following norms, ranging from a smile to a material reward
value cluster
a series of interrelated values that together form a larger whole
pluralistic society
a society made up of many different groups
sociobiology
a theoretical approach that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture
cultural universals
a value, norm, or other cultural characteristics form one group to another
cultural universal
a value, norm, or other cultural trait that is found in every group
norms
rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members
formal sanctions
sanctions that are officially recognized and enforced
Why is language so significant to culture?
Language allows human experience to be goal-directed, cooperative, and cumulative. It also lets humans move beyond the present and share a past, future, and other common perspectives. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, language even shapes our thoughts and perceptions.
What are cultural relativism and ethnocentrism?
People are ethnocentric; that is, they use their own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of others. In contrast, those who embrace cultural relativism try to understand other cultures on those cultures' own terms.
cultural lag
William Ogburn developed the term cultural lag, not all parts of a culture change at the same pace, goes along with cultural change
real culture
actual behavior patterns of members of a group
Teaching your child that lying is wrong, then lying to your boss is an example of:
real culture
informal sanctions
rewards or punishments that can be applied by most members of a group
social values
standards by which people define good and bad, beautiful and ugly
the components of culture
symbols, gestures, language, values and beliefs, social nroms
material culture
the art, housing, clothing, sports, dances, foods, and other similar items constructed or created by a group of people
cultural relativism
understand a people from the framework of its own culture
Two examples of _____ are incest taboos and courtship customs
universal human activities
gestures
using one's body to communicate/culture specific
subculture
A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations
What are some core U.S. values?
Although the United States is a pluralistic society, made up of many groups, each with its own set of values, certain values dominate. These are called its core values. Core values do not change without opposition. Some values cluster together to form a larger whole called value clusters. Values contradictions indicate areas of tension, which are likely points of social change. Leisure, self-tension, which are likely points of social change. Leisure, self-fulfillment, physical fitness, youthful ness, and concern for the environment form an emerging value cluster. Core values do not change without opposition.
ideal culture
cultural guidelines that group members claim to accept
An example of _____ is the custom of maintaining a nine-month school year in the U.S. even though this custom no longer matches the current technology
cultural lag
When we practice _____, we try to understand a culture on its own terms
cultural relativism
The tendency to use our own group's ways of doing things as the yardstick for judging others is called
ethnocentrism
ethnocentrism
evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.
Serving turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is an example of a:
folkway
A form of non-material culture, _____ allow(s) one generation to pass significant experiences along to the next generation
language
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
language determines our consciousness and our perceptions of life around us
The Sapir-Wharf hypothesis is based on the belief that:
language is the basis of culture
pluralistic society
made up of many different groups
A person who rapes or steals has violated a:
more
three types of norms
mores, folkways and taboos
folkways
norms that are not strictly enforced
taboos
norms that are strongly prohibited because they bring about revulsion if violated
mores
norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance
cultural relativism
not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms
mores
of great significance. The norms that are strictly enforced
folkways
of little moral significance. The norms that are not strictly enforced
language
our spoken, written, or signed words and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning
culture shock
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life
cultural shock
the personal disorientation people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can go longer depending on their taken for granted assumptions about life
core values
the primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization
cultural leveling
the process by which cultures become more similar to each other as a reslut of travel and communication
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 cultural characteristics from one group to another
gestures
the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another
cultural diffusion
The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another
_____ are ways that we can use our bodies to communicate without words
gestures
counterculture
groups whose values and norms are in opposition to mainstream culture
counterculture
A culture with lifestyles and values opposed to those of the established culture.
taboo
A restriction on behavior imposed by social custom.
How do subcultures and countercultures differ?
A subculture is a group whose values and related behaviors distinguish its members from the general culture. A counterculture holds some values that stand in opposition to those of the dominant culture.
symbol
A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
How do values, norms, sanctions, folkways and mores reflect culture?
All groups have values, standards by which they define what is desirable or undesirable, and norms, rules or expectations about behavior. Groups use positive sanctions to show approval of those who follow their norms and negative sanctions to show disapproval of those who violate them. Norms that are not strictly enforced are called folkways, while mores are norms to which groups demand conformity because they reflect core values.
How do sociologists understand culture?
All human groups possess culture-language, beliefs, values, norms, and material objects that are passed from one generation to the next. Material culture consists of objects. Nonmaterial culture is a group's ways of thinking and its patterns of behavior. Ideal culture is a group's ideal values, norms, and goals. Real culture is people's actual behavior, which often falls short of their cultural ideals.
values
Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something).
culture
Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.
Do cultural universals exist?
Cultural universals are values, norms, or other cultural traits that are found in all cultures. Although all human groups have customs concerning cooking, childbirth, funerals and so one, because these customs differ from one culture to another, there a no cultural universals.
technology
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes
nonmaterial culture
The beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people.
What are the components of nonmaterial culture?
The central component of nonmaterial culture is symbols, anything to which people attach meaning and that they use to communicate with others. Universally, the symbols of nonmaterial culture are gestures, language, values, norms, sanctions, folkways, and mores.
How is technology changing culture?
William Ogburn coined the term cultural lag to describe how a group's nonmaterial culture lags behind its changing technology. With today's technological advances in travel and communications, cultural leveling, groups becoming similar as they adopt items from other cultures. Much of the richness of the world's diverse cultures is being lost in the process.
What is a cultural universal?
a cultural trait that occurs in all cultures
Which of the following best describes cultural diffusion? a. the spread of culture over a specific geographic area. b. the spread of one group's political power from one geographic area to another c. the process of two or more cultures becoming similar d. the discovery of a new technology
a. the spread of culture over a specific geographic area
nonmaterial culture
all intangible products of a society, laws, ideas, values, beliefs ,norms, etc.
material culture
allall tangible products of a society, cars, clothing, housings, TVs, planes, etc.
People in one group adapt some part of another group
material and/or nonmaterial culture
Jewelry, art and buildings are all examples of:
material culture
sanctions
something that forces obedience with a law or rule
People in all societies have fundamental orientations toward life that they take for granted; these essentially determine the type of people they are. Sociologists call these orientations:
the culture within us
new technology
the emerging technologies of an era that have a significant impact on social life
social norms
the expected behaviors that develop out of a society
cultural lag
the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language
ideal culture
the ideal vales and norms of a people, the goals held out from them
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)
real culture
the norms and values that people actually follow
ethnocentrism
using one's own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of individual or society
value contradiction
values that contradict one another; to follow the one means to come into conflict with the other
