Culture Flashcards
- Evolution of societies
Definition: The process in which societies change and grow.
Example: The honor society changed their direction from being a group that purely focused on grades to widening their focus to also include community service.
- Culture shock
Definition: The feeling of uncomfortableness and confusion when entering a new culture.
Example: In Spanish culture it is traditional to get very close during conversation where as that is very different from American culture and can be uncomfortable at first.
- Ethnocentrism
Definition: The action of judging a culture based upon the standards and ideas of ones own.
Example: Judging countries that eat bull testicle simply because its not a common practice in the United States.
- Cultural relativity
Definition: The act of trying to understand another culture and then judging them based upon their own principles.
Example: Taking classes to learn about Spanish culture and then judging someone for not following said culture.
- Material culture
Definition: Things that belong to a certain culture or the people of a certain culture.
Example: For my roommate and I, our material culture consists of stuffed animals and enamel pins.
- Nonmaterial culture
Definition: Attitudes, beliefs and ideas that belong to a certain culture. (Items you cannot physically hold)
Example: In my dorm room we have a strong belief that we are both responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of our room.
- The components of culture
Definition: The definitive ways in which sociologists are able to
define a culture
Example: Language, customs, traditions, religion…
- Beliefs
Definition: Things that people hold to be true. (The things that they BELIEVE in)
Example: Many people hold beliefs that there are certain types of people who are superior to others.
- Values
Definition: Specific ways to see what is perceived as good/bad in a culture
Example: Friends are more likely to be supportive of your endeavors as you chose them to be your support team.
- Symbols
Definition: An image or idea that represents something else.
Example: A blue horseshoe- The Indianapolis Colts
- Status symbols
Definition: An image or an idea that identifies an individual as a part of a group.
Example: The crimson and grey t-shirts at basketball games that identify us as UINDY students.
- Norms
Definition: The Dos and Don’ts of a society
Example: Using a fork and knife at the dinner table is an accepted social norm while stabbing your food with a fork and eating it like a caveman isn’t an accepted social norm.
- Mores
Definition: The medium level of norms. When broken often accompanied with a gasp.
Example: Sleeping with your teacher
- Folkways
Definition: The lightest level of norms. Usually just accompanied with a look of disgust and whispers.
Example: Picking your wedgie in public
- Taboos
Definition: The most critical social norm. People get really upset if these norms are broken.
Example: Cannibalism is considered highly taboo as it contains the process of both killing a fellow human and then eating them.
- Formal and informal sanctions
Definition: Ways to either condone or disapprove of certain behaviors.
Example: Enforcing a fine for parking in front of someone’s driveway.
- Language
Definition: A specific way of communicating that differs between cultures, communities and households.
Example: My roommate and I call the TV remote the “memote” simply because I misspoke one day.
- Cultural transmission
Definition: How components of culture are passed on from generation to generation.
Example: A grandmother sits down and tells her grandchildren of her childhood and then teaches them to make her favorite childhood dish.
- Linguistic relative theory
Definition: The idea that the way we speak impacts how we see the world and think about our realities.
Example: The way something is said in English may differ extremely from the way it is said in Spanish, therefore causing two different view points of the meaning.
- Ideal culture
Definition: The goal standards that a culture aims to hit and succeed at.
Example: No crime, no poverty, no homelessness….
- Real culture
Definition: The current state of society and what actually happens.
Example: Crime, poverty, homelessness…
- High culture
Definition: The culture of the rich and the celebrities. (The top of the caste system)
Example: Yachts, opera, fancy food.
- Pop culture
Definition: The culture of the general population.
Example: Delivery pizza, football games, and a 9-5 job.
- Subcultures
Definition: Smaller cultures that live within the big cultures.
Example: All of the students lived in Indianapolis but belonged to a smaller subculture of the school.
