Sociology: Week 2 Flashcards (6/13 - 6/16)

Cultural Universals

A Cultural Universal is a custom or practice that occurs across all societies. George Murdock was the man who discovered the different practices shared.

Subculture

A Subculture is a category of people who share distinguishing attributes that set them apart in some significant manner from the dominant culture.

Language

A set of symbols that expresses ideas and enables people to think and communicate with one another. And Language not only expresses our thoughts and perceptions, but it also influences our perception of reality.

Individualism

According to Sociologist Robin Williams, Individualism is a core value, where you believe if you work hard, than you succeed. Otherwise, if you don't succeed, that's because you didn't put in enough effort.

Morality and Humanitarianism

According to Sociologist Robin Williams, morality and humanitarianism is an American core value that emphasizes helpfulness, personal kindness, aid in mass disasters, and Philanthropy.

Ethnocentrism

According to sociologists, Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging all other cultures by one's own culture, based on the assumption that one's own way of life is superior.

Counterculture

Counterculture is a group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles.

Cultural Diversity

Cultural Diversity refers to the wide range of cultural differences found between and within nations because of natural circumstances and social circumstances.

Cultural Lag

Cultural Lag is a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal obligations. (Where we get the capability to do something, but the culture hasn't provided any laws and ethics have said if we should or shouldn't do something. Like Abortion).

Culture Relativism

Culture Relativism is the belief that the behaviors and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the culture's own standards.

Culture

Culture is a dynamic set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, but harbored different for each specific unit within the group and communicated across generations.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radially different from their own and they believe that they can't depend on their own assumptions of life.

Diffusion

Diffusion is the transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group or society to another through such means as exploration, military endeavors, the media, tourism, and immigration.

Drives

Drives are unlearned biologically determined impulses common to all members of a species that satisfy needs such as sleep, food, water, and sexual gratification.

Folkways

Folkways are Informal Norms, or everyday customs, that can be violated without serious consequences. (For example, the US, Folkways include wearing specific clothing for specific events, brushing your teeth, wearing deodorant, etc.).

Formal Norms

Formal Norms are written down and involve specific punishments for violators. (Both Prescriptive and Proscriptive Norms can be Formal Norms if the Norms have certain punishments written down for them).

Conflict Perspective and Language

From a Conflict Perspective Language is viewed as a source of power and social control. In perpetuates inequalities between people and between groups because words are used to keep people in their place.

Functionalist Perspective and Language

From a Functionalist Perspective, a shared Language is essential to a common culture, and it is a stabilizing force in society.

Functionalist Perspective and Values

From the Functionalist Perspective, functionalist theorists tend to believe that shared values are essential for societies and most of the research has been done on core values.

Heterogeneous Societies

Heterogeneous Societies are made up of people who are dissimilar in regard to social characteristics religion, ethnicity, etc.

High Culture

High Culture consists of classical music, live theater, opera, orchestra, etc. Made up of the upper and upper middle classes who have large amounts of money.

Homogeneous Societies

Homogenous Societies are made up of people who share a common culture.

Ideal Culture

Ideal Culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people profess and say that they follow. (Basically the stuff people say they do. Like on Housewives, they can say they're all friends, but in reality, they just yell at each other).

Material Culture

Material Culture consists of the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use, and share.

Mores

Mores are strongly held Norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without strong consequences. (It's pronounced "More-Ays")

Non-Material Culture

Non-Material Culture consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people's behavior. Languages, Beliefs, Values, Rules of Behavior, Family Patterns, Political Systems are all examples of the abstract and intangible human creations of a society.

Norms

Norms are established rules of behavior or standards of conduct. (So, like they're the rules you deal with everyday that you must follow)

Nurture

Nurture refers to influences on individuals from the social environment.

Popular Culture

Popular Culture consists of activities, products and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of middle and working classes, which include spectator sports, movies, television.

Prescriptive Norms

Prescriptive Norms state what behavior is appropriate or acceptable. (Like people have to pay their taxes).

Proscriptive Norms

Proscriptive Norms state what behaviors are inappropriate or unacceptable. (Like laws that prohibit us from driving over the speed limit).

Real Culture

Real Culture refers to the values and standards of behavior that people actually follow. (Basically the stuff people actually do. Like on Housewives, they can say they're all friends, but in reality, they just yell at each other).

Taboos

The strongest Mores are referred to as Taboos. They're so strong, that their violations are considered to be extremely offensive, even unmentionable. (For example, a man practices murder and cannibalism. Murder is a Mores, while Cannibalism is a Taboo).

Value Contradiction

Value Contradiction is when your values contradict. (An example of this is the fact that people were willing to give money away to individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina, but individuals are not willing to help homeless people everyday).

Values

Values are collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable in a particular culture.