3. Culture Flashcards
culture
the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life
nonmaterial culture
the ideas created by members of a society
material culture
the physical things created by members of a society
culture shock
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life
symbol
anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture
language
a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another
cultural transmission
the process by which one generation passes culture to the next
Sapir-Whorf thesis
the idea that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of language
values
culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that serve as broad guidelines for social living
beliefs
specific ideas that people hold to be true
norms
rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members
mores
norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance
folkways
norms for routine or casual interaction
social control
attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior
technology
knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings
high culture
cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite
popular culture
cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population
subculture
cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population
counterculture
cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society
multiculturalism
a perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions
Eurocentrism
the dominance of European (especially English) cultural patterns
afrocentrism
emphasizing and promoting African cultural patterns
cultural integration
the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system
cultural lag
the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system
