Chapter 2 SOC 101

Counter Culture

A Group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles.

Non-Material Culture

A component of culture that consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of society( such as attitudes, beliefs, and values) that influence peoples behavior.

Symbols

Anything that meaningfully represents something else.

Cultural Universals

Appearance (bodily adornment, hairstyles) Activities (sports, dancing, games, joking) Social institutions (family, law, religion) Practices (cooking, folklore, gift giving)

Examples of Counter Culture

Beatniks of the 1950's Flower Children of the 1960's Drug Enthusiasts of the 1970's KKK Skinheads

Values

Collective ideas about what is right or wrong and good or bad.

Material Culture

Consists of the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use, and share

Culture

Culture is essential for survival and communication with other people. Culture is learned through interaction, observation and imitation. Culture is fundamental for the survival of societies. Culture is the "essence" of human social interaction.

Norms

Established rules of behavior or standards of conduct.

Folkways

Everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture. In the United States, folkways include: using deodorant brushing our teeth wearing appropriate clothing for a specific occasion

Formal Norms

Formal norms are written down and involve specific punishments for violators. Laws are the most common type of formal norms.

Laws

Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions. Civil law deals with disputes among persons or groups. Criminal law deals with public safety and well-being.

Informal Norms

Informal norms are unwritten standards of behavior understood by people who share a common identity. When individuals violate informal norms, people may apply informal sanctions.

Cultural Lag

Is a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institutions.

Ethnocentrism

Is the assumption that one's own culture is superior to others.

Nomrs

Prescriptive norms state what behavior is appropriate or acceptable. Proscriptive norms state what behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable.

Culture Shock

Refers to the anxiety people experience when they encounter cultures radically different from their own.

Theoretical Perspective tell us about culture?

See pg 69***

Mores

Strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences. Taboos are mores so strong that violation is considered extremely offensive and even unmentionable. The incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between certain kin, is an example of a nearly universal taboo.

Language

Symbols that express ideas and enable people to communicate.

Cultural relativism

Views and analyzes another culture in terms of that culture's own values and standards.

Taboos

behaviors that bring the most serious sanctions

Subculture

the values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members from the larger culture; a world within a world