key concepts and processes of cultural trasmission Flashcards
what is culture
shared way of life of a person or group within society
it is passed on through generation
-includes all aspects that make up a society: norms values beliefs roles status, language religion
explain norms
expectations/ unwritten formal rules on how someone should behave in a certain situation e.g. how we eat,dress, behave
-provide order in society
-they change overtime e.g. commonfor people to smoke in workplace, now its prohibited in public places
how can norms vary
1- different cultures
2-different age
give examples
1- devout muslims will pray at set times throughout the day, when they cant go mosque they may have prayer mat and go somewhere convenient to pray
2- may be appropriate for girls to wear short skirts and crop tops but not elderly ladies
explain values
what is considered worthwhile and worth working for in society
they are learned and shared
they influence the way we behave
a culture has norms to indicate acceptable ways to achieve these values
explain how values vary between different cultures
important value in uk is aquiring wealth= therefore people focus on education or win lottery
-or good health= norms of society e.g. washing hands show ways to achieve this
- contrast= native american tribes value bravery - fighting for land
-monks and nuns give up jobs to care for the sick or elderly
explain status
held by an individual or group, based on a person’s position in society/ amount of respect position has
- jobs are ranked on status e.g professional jobs need qualifications (doctor has more status than labourer)
-given to those who have achieved goals of society/ succeeded at what is valued in society
explain ascribed status
status you have at birth ,
status that can come from your sex
position within your family/ of ur family
e.g. royal family= monarch is given, rest of family is born into this
achieved status
status earned , based or merit/ actions
e.g. getting a particular job or excellling in sport
e.g. alan sugar - self made businessman, success gave him a seat in house of lords giving him the title of a Baron= more status
in britan status is given to wealthy especially achieved wealth
roles
identifiable parts we play in society in daily lives, eg. teacher, mum, shopper
each role has collection of norms to go with that position/ status = defines the way people in that position should behave e.g. dress code
role conflict
when the responsiblities of an indivual clash as they have multiple roles to carry out
e.g. a mother who is a teacher may need to teach their own child
identity
how one views themselves or how others view them
nationality, sexuality
Class
Age
Gender
Ethnicity
identities are socially constructed and people are socialised into idenities by roles of socialisation
how does the family help create identities
point -impacts class identity by culture, attitude, value passed onto children
example- upper/middle class parents in uk more likely to have a form of language/ attitudes/ values to help children to succeed in education=passes way of living to children= then they do good in skl
(eval. working class parents dont have this type of culture=children do less well)
OR encoruages children to have ethnic identity, language spoken, food eaten, festivals, traditions= may send kids to voluntary skl to teach them abt their culture
pr families supporting specific countries in sports = support parents team = national identity
how does school help create identities according to class
point- some sociologists say school influences&reinforces class identity and treats kids of different social groups differently
evidence= middle-class to end up at top of class bc teachers assume theyre ‘clever’/ working class to be put in lower set (different sets taught differently so it disadvantages working class children)
how schools create identities according to ethnicity
p- curriculum biased towards culture of majority of population/ main culture of country
e- racism - unjust treatment against certain groups, teacher labelling
e -some schools may reinforce positive images of ethnicity,
others give ethnic groups negative identity- low expectatins on how theyll do, placed in low ability groups = affects pupils self image
how do schools contribute to national identity
teaching national identity , national language, religion, celebrating national festivals , singing anthems , history of country
how does the media play a role in creating identities
p- media portrays certain groups in positive/ negative light
e- comments in newspapers about unemployed people relying on benefits shown as lazy, working class (esp. youth) gets negative labels e.g. skinheads= shown in a negative fashion
e- presented negatively by media causes problems for rest of population e.g. ethnic groups migrants from eastern europe shown as problems
eval. blamed for unemployment, crime, shortages in nhs. media instead promotes national identity =encourages anti immigration stand and BREXIT
explain social control
society tries to ensure its members keep to the laws,norms,values of that society and approved ways of behaving = done by socialisation and use of sanctions
what is the first method of social control and how does this work
members of society socialised into norms &values of society, & acceptable ways of doing things through their lives
-socialised by family, peer group, school, media, workplace
- most effective as members behave appropriately, the way to behave is ingrained& almost automatic
- children= family most important agent of socialisation=how to talk walk eat , conduct themselves appropriately in society
why are agents of socialisation known as agents of social control
p- they make people conform to acceptable behaviour, use sanctions to make people conform
e- e.g. family socialises members through instruction, role modelling, use of positive/ negative sanctions
ex- sanctions are method of social control, puts pressure on its members to conform as people are not always willing to behave appropriately, designed to encourage and persude us to behave in an acceptable fashion, discourage unacceptable behaviour
explain informal social control
p-refers to the influence of socialisation on us, sanctions used by informal agents of socialisation= family, peer group, media, school
e- families give treats when kids are well behaved, ground them with pocket money
e- this is done with the hope they wont repeat their behaviour or to encourage it
eval- sometimes it does not work and formal control is needed
explain formal social control
p- control enforced by government to make people obey laws , organisations carry this out e.g. police,courts,army
e- if ppl break law, police have formal sanctions they can employ e.g. charges and arrests , courts impose fines
e-just the threat of sanctions being imposed can produce conformity
large organisations have rules written down= applies to everyone as a form of social control e.g. schools have formal rules written down , pupils disobeying formal rules may have sanction e.g. exclusion
explain cultural diversity over time
p- difference in cultures, customs varying between different cultures (over time and between groups)
e- until 1965, as part of british culture, death penalty enforced in britain for serious crimes, abortion against law (some has back street abortion which was dangerous done in secret by someone not qualified)- now death penalty no longer practiced, abortion available for those who want it on nhs
e- variation caused in cultures over time
cultural diversity between groups
p-customs vary considerably between different groups in the same country
e- different cultural practice e.g. sikh culture= turbans worn, cultural practice in britain to wear crash helmet on motorbike clashes with this until law passed to let sikhs ride without helmet
OR SUBCULTURE,different age groups in a culture: young people form groups like mods,goths with certain fashion and music taste the group distinct )
or hippies (subculture) differentcustoms in term of lifestyle,clothing , music e.g. make love not war, flowers to symbolise peace, nature
explain cultural diversity across the world
p- cultural difference between food,dress,custom,families
e- britain norm to eat with knife and fork
china norms to eat with chopstick
middle east india-eat with right hand
explanation- cultures vary throughout the world, on holiday youll notice cultural differences , something that is a norm in one country might be offensive in another
