Chapter 2: Cultural Diversity And Conformity Flashcards
Physical objects that people create
Material culture
All the shared products of human groups.
- Physical objects
- Values
- Beliefs
- Behaviors
Culture
Abstract human creations (feelings or emotions)
Nonmaterial culture
Group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity
Society
Combination of objects and rules for using those objects
Technology
Anything that represents something else (has shared meaning)
Symbol
Organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system
Language
Shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
Values
Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations
Norms
Norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have great moral significance attached to them
Folkways
Rules that have great moral significance attached to them
Mores
Written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by government
Laws
Features common to all cultures that ensure their fulfillment
Cultural universals
A. Arts and leisure B. Basic needs C. Beliefs D. Communication and education E. Family F. Government and economy G. Technology
George Murdock 7 categories
Group that shares values, norms, and behaviors not shared by larger society
Subculture
Subgroup that challenges values of society and wants to replace them with new ones
Counterculture
Tendency to view ones own culture and group as superior
Ethnocentrism
Helps to build group unity
Functionalist perspective
Results in one group or society seeing others as inferior
Conflict perspective
Belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards
Cultural relativism
Spreading of cultural traits from one society to another (food, language, clothing, religion)
Cultural diffusion
Time between changes when ideas and beliefs are adapting to new material (gay rights, slavery, women’s rights, texting, sexting)
Cultural lag
Recognize new uses for existing elements (prescription drugs, food preparation, aloe Vera, CDs DVDs)
Discovery
Create something that did not previously exist (flying cars, robots, phone, wheel)
Invention
Process in which cultures become more and more alike
Cultural leveling
Doing well at school and at work is important. Gaining wealth and prestige is a sign of success
Personal achievement
History is marked by ongoing progress and this progress improves people’s lives
Progress and material comfort
Discipline, dedication and hard work are signs of virtue
Work
Hard work, initiative and individual effort are the keys to personal achievement
Individualism
Can help solve every problem. Getting things done well in the shortest time is very important
Efficiency and practicality
Judgments should be based on a sense of right and wrong. Can also include helping those less fortunate
Morality and humanitarianism
Everyone should have an equal chance at success and the right to participate freely in government
Equality and democracy
Personal freedoms, such as freedom of religion, speech and the press, are central to the American way of life
Freedom
Commitment to the full development of ones personality, talents and potential
Self-fulfillment
Extreme self centeredness
Narcissism
