# CUTURE Flashcards
culture
Cultures = beliefs, values, norms, assumptions, language, symbols, taboos
are passed from person to person and from 1 generation to the next in a society
thanks to -> uphold your parents’t religion or follow the unspoken rules in your own society.
2 major part of culture
- Material culture ~ physical and tangible
2. Non-material culture ~ abstract and intangible
- Material culture -> consists of physical and tangible creations
The material culture group (what can see, taste, smell, touch, hear)
=> little things put together constituting as particular culture.
ex: Pagoda -> see Statues of Buddhists, fake money.
ex: Pho
Non-material culture
is abstract or intangible human creations od society that influence peo’s behavior (can’t see, touch…) like Language, beliefs, values, rules of
behavior, family patterns, and political systems, even gestures
Religion or we treat parents with utmost respect think of how you talk to your mom or dad), is a part of culture
different components of culture
- SYMBOLS
- LANGUAGE
- VALUES
- NORMS (Revisited)
- SYMBOLS (important)
meaningfully represents
something else -> not exist without sym. => produce either love or
hate or loyalty
ex: Nazi symbol, VNese flag -> simple but convey sth meaningful shared with peo. *flag stands for
patriotism and nationalism.
A heart-shape symbol ->
represent love
A dove -> peace
A siren -> an emergency situation
can affect thoughts ab’ class. ex: drive a Mercedes car with its symbol => be thought to be rich & successful
- LANGUAGE
2 forms: - verbal lang ~ spoken language
- non-verbal lang ~ written or gestured
use to express ideas and
communicate with one another.
- create visual images in our mind
- help us distinguish ourselves from people
from China
=> SHAPES the reality we
perceive and experience
If not use properly, hard to perceive the reality.
Peo with no vocab. can express and understand nothing simply cuz’ they can’t call it.
- VALUES
-> what is perceived as
right or wrong in a particular
culture
(collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable
in a particular culture)
- traditional values (ex: parent value in r’country => value helping other people or value treating older people with more respect than younger ones or value our the reverence of religion or value the love to animals
what’s right or wrong in your opinion
===> core values
Americans value individualism
express themselves more openly cuz’ they value their OWN opinion
=> cuz’: believe they are responsible for their own
success and failure by what they do (dispositional factors) rather than blaming to situational factors.
individualism
means independence and self reliant
Americans value material possessions like expensive clothes or cars or houses
cuz’ symbols of success and personal achievement (although not always true)
ex : Hard-working trait is perceived as good
laziness is perceived as bad.
Americans have a great deal of faith in science
and technology
> < Peo from some other regions of the world think differently => attribute the development to religions or surreal things.
Americans value practicality and efficiency
are less likely to daydream => work (work better and faster)
- concern about waste => wanna minimize it (efficiency).
Americans also value morality and humanitarianism
helping other peo in need even from different parts of the world.
Individual freedom is highly valued in the US
Privacy is taken seriously
Basic human rights are highly protected (by the Constitution)
value contradictions
values that conflict with one another or are mutually exclusive
Mutually exclusive
means they are separate, can’‘t be
merged
NORMS (Revisited)
established rules of behavior or standards of conduct (what is perceived as normal and what is not).
ex: goin’to pagodas and wearing shorts is considered not normal => violates the norms.
sth more serious than norm is LAWS
if violate a norm, laught at you or think u’re stupid or crazy.
if violate a law, get a fine or go to jail
Taboos
some serious norms
If violate them, serious
consequences may ensue.
If violate them, serious consequences may ensue.
(experience) the
cultural diversity
the wide range of cultural differences found between and within nations.
heterogeneous societies ~ very diverse
Countries with high
cultural diversity
homogeneous societies ~ less diverse
less diverse
(like Vietnam or China
subculture
Within a big culture, there are subcultures
ex:
Although we are coming from the same country,
the culture of your class is different from mine.
The culture of your company is different from mine.
Even within a company, the culture of different
departments differ. Or even within a class, they are different groups of boys and girls with different subcultures.
the variety of ethnic backgrounds in Vietnam or ethnic subcultures
when observing people from other cultures, many of us use our own culture as a ruler by which we judge their behavior
ex: see an American guy acts quite oddly
=» called ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism
based on the assumption that your own way of life and thinking is superior to all
others.
hard to avoid-> at least , 1 thing we can do is to not judge too early
patronize
treat with kindness and care
Culture and social class :
1. high culture ~ like opera, fine arts
Although people like opera does not
necessarily mean they are smart or superior to
others, we refer this to the concept of HC
People with high culture patronize things like fine arts, opera, or ballet
- pop culture or popular culture >< HC
~ popular music or movies
consists of activities, products and services that appeals primarily to members of middle and working classes
two forms of popular culture
- Fads
2. Fashion
- Fads
a temporary, short-lived thing or activity
followed by a lot of enthusiastic people
ex: detox water or haivl.com
- Fashion
lasts longer than a fad.
a valued style of behavior, thinking or appearance
ex: korean music
