Lesson 2 Keywords Flashcards
counterculture
a group whose values, beliefs, and related behaviors place its members in opposition to the broader culture
cultural diffusion
the spread of cultural characteristics from one group to another
cultural lag
Ogburn’s term for human behavior lagging behind technological innovations
cultural leveling
the process by which cultures become similar to one another; specifically refers to the process by which U.S. culture is being imported and diffused into other nations
cultural relativism
the practice of trying to understand a culture on its own terms; being non-judgmental toward a culture
culture
the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material objects that are passed from one generation to the next
culture shock
the disorientation that people experience when they come in contact with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on their taken-for-granted assumptions about life
ethnocentrism
the use of one’s own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors
folkways
norms that are not strictly enforced
gestures
the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another
ideal culture
the ideal values and norms of a people; the goals held out for them (as opposed to real culture)
language
a system of symbols that can be combined in an infinite number of ways to represent not only objects but also abstract thought
material culture
the material objects that distinguish a group of people, such as their art, buildings, weapons, utensils, machines, hairstyles, clothing, and jewelry
mores
norms that are strictly enforced because they are considered essential to core values
negative sanction
an expression of disapproval for breaking a norm, ranging from a mild, informal reaction such as a frown to a formal reaction such as a prison sentence or an execution
