Transcript Culture and Society Lecture Notes

Culture- the total way of life in a
society
Material Culture
• Concrete, tangible objects
Nonmaterial Culture
• Non physical ideas, knowledge, and
beliefs that influence human behavior
Sociobiology- study of basic
human behavior
Instinct- genetically inherited patterns of
behavior
Reflexes- biological, automatic reactions to
physical stimuli
Drive- biological impulses which reduce
discomfort
Ideal culture is what society claims
they do and believe in, but real
culture is what society actually does
Subculture- part of dominant
culture but differs in some aspects
Counterculture- a subculture
deliberately opposed to central
beliefs of a society
• Culture Universals- general culture
traits that exist in all cultures
–Language, Laws, Beliefs,
Cooking…
• Culture Particulars- traits that make
a culture unique or separate it
–Chops sticks vs. Utensils
• Ethnocentrism- judging others in terms of
ones own cultural standards
• Hidden Curriculum- the informal and unofficial
aspects of culture that children are taught in
school
Society- people who live a defined
territory and have a common culture
• Social Solidarity- ties in a society that
bind people to one another
– Family, religion, occupations
• Social Categories- grouping of people
who share a common social characteristic
– Classes: Upper, middle, lower
Socialization
• Desocialization- process by which previous
socialization is undone
– Brainwashing
• Resocialization- the process learning new
attitudes and norms required for new social role
– New military recruits, released prisoners
• Anticipatory Socialization- informal adoption
of behavior for a status not yet achieved
– Children anticipate parenthood by observing
parents
Role- an expected behavior
• Role Performance- the actual behavior of an
individual
– “Mother” or “Father”
• Role conflict- the performance of one role
interferes with that of another role
– Heart surgeon/father- has to do surgery on sons birthday
and miss the party
• Role Strain- condition in which the role you are
performing places too many demands on you
– Mother who worries about germs and finds she does not
have enough hours in the day to keep her house clean
• Obligation- a behavior that individuals are
expected to perform
– Stand for national anthem
• “Me”- a persons sense of self
– I know who I am
• “I”- a persons response to the attitude of
those around him/her
Norms- rules defining appropriate
behavior
• Values- ideas about what
is good, right, fair, and just
• Folkways or Moresinformal norms
characterized by being
followed through imitation
and mild social pressure
but not strictly enforced or
put into law.
• Taboo- a rule of social behavior in which the
violation calls for a strong punishment
– Adultery, using drugs, child pornography
• Laws- norms that is formally defined and
enforced by officials
Sanctions- rewards and
punishments used to encourage
people to follow norms
• Formal Sanctionssanctions imposed by
persons of authority
• Informal Sanctionsform of controls, such
as, shame, ridicule,
sarcasm, which lead
to conformity