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Chapter 2

Culture

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Culture

The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society.

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Culture

Material culture Physical or tangible creations (such as

clothing shelter, and art) that members of a society make, use, and share.

Nonmaterial culture Abstract or intangible human creations of

society (such as attitudes, beliefs, and values) that influence people’s behavior.

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Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies

“Hook ‘em Horns”

or“Your spouse is

unfaithful”

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Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies

“He’s crazy”or

“You have a telephone

call”

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Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies

“Okay”Or

“I’ll kill you”

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Components of Culture

Symbol Anything that meaningfully represents something else.

LanguageSymbols that express ideas and enable people to communicate.

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Components of Culture

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

NormsEstablished rules of behavior or standards of conduct.

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Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis

According to this theory, language shapes the view of reality of its speakers.

If people are able to think only through language, then language must precede thought.

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Ten Core American Values

1. Individualism2. Achievement and Success3. Activity and Work4. Science and Technology5. Progress and Material Comfort

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Ten Core American Values

6. Efficiency and Practicality7. Equality8. Morality and Humanitarianism9. Freedom and Liberty10. Racism and Group Superiority

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Norms

Norms are established rules of behavior or standards of conduct. Prescriptive norms state what

behavior is appropriate or acceptable. Proscriptive norms state what

behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable.

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Formal and Informal Norms Formal norms are written down and

involve specific punishments for violators. Laws are the most common type of formal

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Technology, Cultural Change, And Diversity

Changes in technology continue to shape the material culture of society.

Cultural lag is a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institutions.

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Cultural Diversity

Cultural differences between and within nations are caused by: Natural circumstances

Climate, geography Social circumstances

Technology, composition of the population

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Cultural Diversity of U.S. Society: Religion

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Cultural Diversity of U.S. Society:Race/Ethnicity

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High Culture

Classical music, opera, ballet, live theater, and other activities patronized by members of the upper-middle and upper classes, with time, money, and knowledge assumed necessary for its appreciation.

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Popular Culture

Activities, products, and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to the middle and working classes.

These include rock concerts, spectator sports, movies, and television.

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Example of an American value: Consumerism

“You are what you buy.”Advertising

Television watchingGrowing debt

How might this be viewed by other cultures?

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The Old Order Amish Subculture

Strong faith in God. Rejection of worldly concerns. Rely on horse and buggy for

transportation.

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Examples of Countercultures

Beatniks of the 1950’s Flower Children of the 1960’s Drug Enthusiasts of the 1970’s

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Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism, and Cultural Relativism

Culture shock refers to the anxiety people experience when they encounter cultures radically different from their own.

Ethnocentrism is the assumption that one’s own culture is superior to others.

Cultural relativism views and analyzes another culture in terms of that culture’s own values and standards.

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Sociological Analysis of Culture

FunctionalistCulture helps people meet biological, instrumental and expressive needs.

ConflictIdeas can be used by the ruling class to affect members of other classes.

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Sociological Analysis of Culture

Symbolic Interactionist

People create, maintain, and modify culture during their everyday activities.

PostmodernCulture is based on simulation of reality rather than reality itself.