Chapter 4- Culture and Society Flashcards
Norms (Social Norms)
Formal and informal rules of conduct and social expectations of behavior. Can change depending on Culture, age, race, status.
Values
Ideas and beliefs shared by people in a society about what is important and worthwhile. They are learned through our own interactions with different societal institutions. (Family, friends, media)
Cultural Relativism
Through knowledge and understanding another culture different than your own. (To relate to another culture)
Material culture
Houses, architecture, art, clothes, toys, tools. All the things that are produced by a certain culture.
Non-material culture (99)
Laws, language, norms, values, beliefs, ideas, and customs. Things created by cultures that are not material but distinctive to a certain culture.
Status quo
The existing state of affairs particularly with regards to social or political issues. (In a sentence-To keep the status quo high, all men decided to vote this year). (In my own words- the level, position, or standard that is socially expected).
Ascribed status
A status that is not achieved but a person is born into (examples: son,brother, male, female,Hispanic).
Achieved Status
A status that has to be achieved. (Father, student, fireman, leader)
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
The hypothesis that societies with different languages perceive the world differently because their members interpret the world through the grammatical forms, labels, and categories their language provides.
Ethnocentrism
The attitude that our own culture is superior to others, that our beliefs, values, and behaviors are more correct than others, and that other people and cultures do things wrong compared to our own culture.
Mores (norms)
Considered more important than folkways and reactions to their violation are more serious. (Examples. A punch in the face signifies anger, conflict. A universal More)
folkways
Customs and conventions that different cultures have (examples. Using chopsticks, praying at dawn, a hug.)
Taboo
Mores or actions that society deem out of the norm. (Examples: like for some cultures intercourse before marriage, incest, treason. Are considered wrong but are only frowned upon.
Laws
Are Things that are not only wrong but have a corporal punishment. These are a higher degree of wrong and usually have a specific written warning.
Deviance
The process of violating norms beyond the range of group acceptability.
