culture Flashcards
social dynamics
social dynamic focuses on how society changes over time.
social statics
Social static focuses on how order is maintained in the society
symbol
symbols are cultural representations of reality.
instinct
biologically inherited patterns of behavior
taboo
a norm engrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it, evokes feelings of disgust or horror. ex: drugs, cannibalism, suicide
reflex
An action or movement not controlled by conscious thought. A reflex may be anything from a hiccup to the involuntary response of a body part, such as the action that occurs in the knee-jerk reflex.
drive
innate and acquired Energizing forces directed towards a particular goal or objective. Drives may be viewed as innate (physiological) or acquired (learned).
POSITIVISM
positivism is a philosophical system that hold every rationally justifiable assertion, can be scientifically verified or capable of logic
rationalization
rationalization is the action of attempting to explain and justify Behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if not appropriate
Verstehen
Verstehen is a German word meaning to ‘understand in a deep way’ that also refers to an approach within sociology. In this approach, when a researcher aims to understand another person’s experience, he can try to put himself in the other person’s shoes.
sociological perspective
sociological perspective is a perspective on human behavior and its connection to society as a whole
sociological imagination
Social imagination is the practice of being able to think ourselves away from familiar routines
folkway
Folkways refer to everyday habits and conventions people obey without giving it much thought (ex: writing thank you cards)
People who violate folkways may be considered eccentric or rude, but are usually tolerated
cultural universal
Cultural Universals are features that are common to all cultures
Some of the similarity comes from universal need
Other similarities can be found in the dynamics of a group
function
function is the part that a recurrent activity plays in social life as a whole and the contribution it makes to structural continuity
perspective
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conformity
conformity changes in Behavior or belief toward a group standard as a result of the group’s influence on an individual
dysfunction
dysfunction refers to element and process of society that may disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability
role-taking
Assuming the viewpoint of another person and using that viewpoint to shape the self-concept
personality
personality refers to the habits, attitudes and other social traits that are characteristic of a given individual’s behavior.
significant others
Individuals who significantly influence our lives, such as parents or siblings
nonverbal signs
gestures and facial expressions, that do not involve verbal communication but which may include nonverbal aspects of speech itself
internalization of norms
Internalization of norms is the process by which an individual makes society’s norms a part of his or her own set of attitudes and beliefs
acculturation
is the modification of the culture of a group as a result of contact w/a different culture
cultural relativism
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Auguste Comte
Auguste comte was a French philosopher who founded the discipline of praxeology and doctrine of positivism
C. Wright Mills
C. Wright Mills American sociologist, was concerned with the possibilities of intellectuals and World War II. The sociological imagination is defined as an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society.
Karl Marx
Karl Marx said the key to human history is class conflict. He introduced one of the major perspectives in sociology, conflict perspective.
Max Weber
Max Weber used cross-cultural and historical materials in order to determine how extensively social groups affect people’s orientations to life
Herbert Blumer
Herbert blumer coined the term of symbolic interactionism and outlined three assumptions Central to the perspective including how we learn the meaning of a symbol by how people react
