Soc Chp. 3

Characteristics of Culture

1. Culture is learned---it is not innate; it shapes how we think, feel, and believe 2. It is transmitted from one generation to another---we learn culture from family and workplaces 3. Culture is shared---it brings members of society together; beliefs are shared 4. Culture is adaptive and always changing---new generations get rid of things that have become obsolete

Taboos

One of the most powerful types of mores; strong prohibitions of any act that is considered to be extremely offensive and forbidden because of social customs; ex: cannibalism, incest

Society

a group of people who have lived and worked together along enough to become an organized population and to think of themselves as a social unit society and culture are mutually dependent and cannot exist without each other

Culture Shock

a sense of confusion, uncertainty, or anxiety that accompanies exposure to an unfamiliar way of life or environment; familiar cues of how to behave retreat to some degree, everyone is culture bound, because we have internalized culture norms and values

Language

a system of shared symbols that enables people to communicate with one another 1. It makes us human and helps us to understand our everyday experiences 2. It shows gender inequality 3. It shows racial and ethnic inequality; it can unite or divide ethnically 4. It changes over time

Symbol

anything that stands for something else and has a particular meaning for people who share a culture 1. They take many forms---most common symbols are written words 2. Symbols distinguish one culture from another 3. Can unify or divide a society 4. They can change over time

Mores

are norms that members of society consider very important because they maintain moral and ethical behavior emphasize "must" behavior they can change

Values

are standards by which members of a particular culture define what is good or bad, moral or immoral, proper or improper, desirable or undesirable, beautiful or ugly; they are the general guidelines for everyday behavior Major U.S. Values 1. Achievement and Success 2. Activity and Work 3. Humanitarianism (helpfullness, kindness) 4. Efficiency and practicality 5. Progress 6. Material Comfort (new products) 7. Freedom and equality 8. Conformity- no one wants to be labeled as strange 9. Democracy 10. Individualism (independent, creative)

Cultural Relativism

belief that no culture is better than the other, and that a culture should be judged by its own standards

External Pressures

can cause cultures to change direct form: war, conquest, or colonization indirect form: some countries have reduced sex trafficking because of criticism

Ideal Culture

comprises the beliefs, values, and norms that people say they hold or follow; in every culture, however, these standards differ from the society's real culture

Conflict Theory

conflict theorists maintain that many culture values and norms benefit some members of society more than others (inequality) points out that technology benefits primarily the rich; people in power determine culture, which leaves the poor powerless critics say that they downplay cultural benefits

Cultural Integration

consistency of various aspects of society, promotes order and stability

Material Culture

consists of the tangible objects that members of society make, use, and share

Functionalism

culture is the cement that binds societies; norms and values serve as guides for everyday behavior and creates stability and order culture can also be dysfunctional (counterculture and subculture)

Cultural Universals

customs and practices that are common to all societies; however, behaviors do vary across cultures

Counterculture

deliberately opposes and consciously rejects some of the basic beliefs, values, and norms of the dominant culture it usually emerges when people believe that they cannot achieve their goals within the existing culture can be a large or small group

High Culture

describes the cultural expression of society's elite or highest social classes

Mass Media

forms of communication designed to reach large numbers of people, have enormous power in shaping public perceptions and opinions

Subculture

group of people who distinctive ways of thinking, feeling, and acting differ somewhat from those of a larger society; it is part of the dominant culture, but still retains its own properties to survive, most adapt to the larger society but maintain some of their traditional customs

Nonmaterial Culture

includes the shared set of meanings that people in a society use to interpret and understand; ex: symbols, values, customs

Laws

most rigid forms of norms; formal rules for behavior that are defined by a political authority that has the power to punish violators; they change over time and vary across societies

Folkways

norms that members of a society see as not critical for a society's survival and that, consequently, are not severely punished when violated they vary from one country to another they change in response to macro-level changes (growth of technology) emphasize "ought" behavior ex: cover your mouth when sneezing

Real Culture

people's actual everyday behavior

Multiculturalism (cultural pluralism)

refers to the coexistence of several cultures in the same geographic area, without one culture dominating the other; it encourages intercultural dialogue opponents believe that multiculturalism can destroy a country's national tradition, heritage, and identity

Cultural Lag

refers to the gap when nonmaterial culture changes more slowly than material culture ex: looking at a cellphone during dinner

Culture

refers to the learned and shared behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and material objects that characterize a particular group or society; it shapes a person's total way of life

Popular Culture

refers to the practices, beliefs, activities, and products that are widely shared within a population in everyday life ex: TV, music, magazines, radio, advertising, sports, hobbies, fads, fashions

Discovery

requires exploration and investigation, and results into new products, insights, ideas, or behavior usually requires dedicated work and years of commitment, but some occur by chance (serendipity effect)

Sanctions

rewards for good or appropriate behavior and or penalties for bad or inapropriate behavior; the reason why most people conform to norms negative sanctions vary in degree of punishment they aren't always consistent

Norms

society's specific rules of right and wrong behavior; tells us what we should do; shared expectations amongst a society Most are unwritten, instrumental, and explicit, change over time, conditional, and rigid or flexible

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one's culture and way of life are superior to those of another group it reinforces conformity and maintains stability it is usually dysfunctional because viewing other countries as inferior generates hatred

Cultural Imperialism

the cultural values and products of one society influence or dominate those of another (many people say U.S. culture dominates globally; internet makes us large globally

Invention

the process of creating new things; changes culture

Diffusion

the process through which components of culture spread from one society to another; causes culture to change occurs through trade, tourism, immigration, intermarriage

Feminist Theories

they agree with conflict theories that material culture creates considerable inequality, but they focus on gender differences Gendered subcultures experience culture differently critics respond that they ignore integration and downplay class differences

Symbolic Interactionism

they are more interested in understanding how people create, maintain, and modify culture they explain how culture influences our everyday lives critics say that they do not offer a systematic framework, and they do not address the linkages between culture and institutions

Innovation

turning inventions into mass-market products