Cultural Diversity and Conformity

Cultural Leveling

the process through which cultures become more and more alike

Laws

written rules of conduct that are enacted and enforced by the government

Culture Shock

A condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes

Society

a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common region and culture and who have a feeling of unity

Counterculture

a group that rejects the values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (anarchists, the mafia, punk rockers, hippies, militia groups, etc.)

Subculture

a group with its own unique values, norms, and behaviors that exists within a larger culture (a sub-group within the bigger society: teens, ethnic groups, political parties, social classes, elderly, gender groups, etc.)

Cultural Lag

a situation in which some aspects of the culture change less rapidly, or lag behind, other aspects of the same culture; Happens when social and cultural changes occur at a slower pace than technological changes.

Non-Material Culture

abstract human creations, such as language, ideas, beliefs, rules, skills, family patterns, work practices, and political and economic systems

Taboos

mores so strong that their violation is considered to be extremely offensive and even unmentionable (incest, cannibalism, pedophilia, etc.)

Mores

norms that are widely observed & have great moral significance (often have consequences for non-compliance, like jail, divorce, loss of job, etc.)

Examples of traditional American values

personal achievement, work, progress & material comfort, individualism, morality & humanitarianism, freedom, equality & democracy, efficiency & practicality

Material Culture

physical objects created by human groups (buildings, books, tools, clothes, art, etc.)

Values

shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable

Culture

shared products of human groups, which include both physical objects and the beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by the group

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to view one's own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups

Personality Disorder

--A long-term and deeply ingrained pattern of socially unacceptable behavior --It is harmful to the person who displays it AND to others.

Norms

--Expectations for the way group members will behave while in a group. --2 Types of Norms: Folkways and Mores

Folkways

Informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture

Cultural Relativism

a belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards (not comparing to others); viewpoint that behavior in one culture should not be judged by the standards of another culture

Self-fulfillment

a commitment to the full development of one's personality, talents, and potential (Maslow called it "self-actualization)

Cultural Universals

common features that are found in all human cultures (ex: beliefs, family, arts/leisure, government, education, etc.)

Narcissism

the feeling of extreme self-centeredness

Cultural Diffusion

the process of spreading cultural traits from one society to another