Exam #2 Flashcards
Social Constructs
shared interpretation of reality that vary across time and space
- binary, signifier, categories, associations, sequences, hierarchies
Culture
way of life, language, food, beauty standards, hand gestures, styles, food, music
Cultural objects
the stop sign
Cultural cognition
red means stop
Cultural practices
facing the elevator door
Cultural bodies
move foot to break when approaching intersection
Material culture
tools, buildings, utensils, artwork
Symbolic culture
Values, norms, languages, gestures, signs/symbols, sanctions
Sanctions
positive or negative reactions to the ways people follow or disobey norms
like a smile or nod, or a parking ticket
Dominant culture
practiced by the group most powerful in terms of wealth, prestige, status, and influence
Subculture
group that is differentiated by distinct values and norms
Counterculture
openly rejects and opposes societies and values
Ethnocentrism
People use their culture as a way to evaluate another group often leading to the view as abnormal
Cultural relativisms
the idea that cultures have their own values and beliefs, and that these should be understood within their own cultural context
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
the structure of a language/thought process determines ones perception and categorization of experience
Dramaturgy
theoretical POV based on the analogy the face-to-face interactions are like a theatrical performance
Sign Vehicles
various elements of a person’s personality, appearance, behavior, and social setting used to convey info to others
Interaction
the reciprocal influence of individuals upon one another’s action when in one another’s immediate physical presence
Performance
all the activity of a given occasion which serves to influence in anyway any of the other participants
Front-stage
part of performance that functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance
Back-stage
impression fostered by the performance is knowingly contradicted as a matter of course
Miscegenation
Negative term describing
sexual relationships or reproduction between people of different ethnic groups, especially when one of them is white
Disciplined preferences
internalized romantic tastes produced through social practices
Border patrolling
discrimination that stems from the belief that people should stick to their own race
Types of norms
Folkway: expected but not punished for violating
More: carries moral significance related to core values that offer repercussions for violators
Taboo: engrained so deeply that violating it invokes disgust or horror
Gesture
any act that elicits a response
Significant Gesture
a deeper meaning beyond the movement itself
I
the agent-actor, self that actually acts, impulsive and natural
Me
self that imagines the responses of others to our conduct, who we think we are
Impression management
present ourselves in ways designed to manage the impressions we give others
Dramaturgical analysis + 6 elements
we are all actors playing roles in social interactions
Front, backstage, performer, audience, defensive/protective practices
The personal front
Age, sex, looks, posture, speech patterns, body language, etc
Defensive Practices
excusing yourself for burping at the dinner table
Protective Practices
not laughing at someone for burping at the dinner table
Socialization
4 main agents
process of learning and internalizing beliefs, values, and norms of our social group
Family, school, peers, mass media
Status
position in society that comes with specific expectations
Roles
set of behaviors expected from the specific status
Ascribed status
born with and unlikely to change
Achieved status
earned through individual efforts or imposed by others
Role conflict
roles associated with one status class collide with another
ex: a mother being a student
Role strain
roles associated with a single status crashed
ex: student who needs to study gets invited to a party
Role exit example
student needing to study goes to party instead
Identity
master status that overrides all others and affects all other statuses we posses
Binary (SC)
categories seen as opposites
Signifiers (SC)
things that can stand for other things
Categories (SC)
categories of similar things
Associates
ideas that have nothing in common but connected
Sequences
ideas arranged arranged into a specific chronological order
Hierarchies
ideas placed into rankings
