Sociology Chapter 2
the cyberpunk movement, anarchists, organized crime families, and the hippie movement are examples of
countercultures
work
discipline, dedication, and hard work are signs of virtue
what are some examples of mores?
dishonesty, fraud, murder
personal achievement
doing well at school and at work is important. gaining wealth and prestige is a sign of success
the tendancy to view one's own culture and group as superior is called
ethnocentrism
efficiency and practicality
every problem can be solved through efficiency an practicality. getting things done well in the shortest time is very important
equality and democracy
everyone should have an equal chance at success and the right to participate freely in government
culture universals
feature of society common to all cultures
traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, and art forms preserved among a people are known as
folklore
individualism
hard work, initiative, and individual effort are the keys to personal achievement
progress and material comfort
history is marked by ongoing progress, and this progress improves people's lives
morality and humanitarianism
judgements should be based on a sense of right and wrong. this sense of morality also involves helping the less fortunate
how do material culture and nonmaterial culture differ?
material culture are physical objects that people create and use (ex. automobiles, books) whereas non-material culture are abstract human creations (ex. beliefs, family patterns)
______, or extreme self-centeredness
narcissim
folkways
norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have great moral significance attached to them
freedom
personal freedoms, such as freedom of religion, speech, and the press, are central to the American way of life
_______ is a commitment to the full development of one's personality, talents, and potential
self-fulfillment
values
shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
norms
shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations
how do sociologist distinguish between society and culture?
society consists of people and culture consists of the material and non-material products that people create
sociologists today recognize age, gender, ethnic, religious, political, geographic, social-class, and occupational
subcultures
cultural relativism
the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture
cultural leveling
the process in which cultures become more and more alike
cultural diffusion
the spreading of culture traits-ideas and beliefs as well as material objects-from one society to another
cultural lag
the time between changes, when ideas and beliefs are adapting to new material conditions
laws
written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government
culture
all the shared products of human groups