Test 2 Flashcards
Culture
The totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior shared by a particular people
Society
A fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area and participate in a common culture
Material Culture
- The physical or technological aspects of our daily lives
- All things human beings make and use
Non-material Culture
- Ways of using material objects
- Customs
- Belifs
- Philosophies
- Governments
- Patterns of Communication
Cultural Lag
Some cultural elements change more quickly than others which may disrupt a cultural system
Material Culture moves faster than elements of non-material culture
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to assume that one’s culture and way of life represents the norm or are superior to all other
Cultural Relativism
The viewing of people’s behavior from the perspective of their culture
evaluate others from own standard
High Culture
Cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite
Popular Culture
Cultural patterns widespread among a society’s people
Fad
A temporary but widely copied activity followed enthusiastically by large number of people
Fashion
A currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance that is longer lasting and more widespread than a fad
Lofland’s 4 Cagetories of Fads/Fashions
- Object
- Activity
- Idea
- Personality
5 Components of Culture
- Symbols - A gesture, object or word that forms the basis of human communication
- Language - An abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture
- Values - A collective conception of what is good, desirable, and proper in a culture
- Norms - An established standard of behavior maintaned by a society
- Material Culture
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Language shapes or interpretation of reality
Values and Norms
Values: serve as broad guidelines for social life
Norms: Rules by which a society guides that behavior of its members
Mores
Norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of society
Folkways
Norms governing everyday behavoir whose violation raises a little concern
Ideal Culture
- Values and norms that are recognized as important
- Culture that is on the books
Real Culture
- Norms and Values that are practiced
- What is actually happening
Culture Shock
The feeling of suprise and disorientation that people experience when they encounter cultural practices that are different from their own
Preston’s 3 Factors influencin culture shock
- Strangeness of culture
- Size of settlement visited
- Length of stay
Preson’s 4 stages of culture shock
- Anticipation
- Depression
- Insulation
- Reorientation - Reverse culture shock
Socialization
The lifelong process in which people learn the attitudes, values and behaviors appropriate for members of a particular culture
3 Outcomes/Goals of Socialization
- Knowledge and Skills
- Norms and Values
- Develop Self and Personality
Self
A distinct identity that sets us apart from others
Personality
A person’s typical patterns of attitudes, needs, characteristics and behavior
Nature vs Nuture
Nature = instinct/biology
Nuture = learned/culture
Looking Glass Self
A concept that emphasizes the self as the product of our social interactions
The Social object the individual comes to see themself as because of interaction with others
Agents of Socialization
- The Family
- School
- Peer groups - a group whose members have interests, social position, and age in common
- Mass Media - Impersonal communications directed to a vast audience
- Workplace
- Religion and the State
6 Areas of Differing Socialization
- Agents of Socialization Differ
- More than listed agents
- Social Location
- Generation cohort
- Interaction with Agents
- Nature vs. Nuture
Freud - Basic Drives
- Eros - Life instinct
- Thanatos - Aggression
Freud - 3 Parts of the Personality
- Id - The human being’s basic drive
- Superego - The presence of culture within the form of internalized values and norms
- Ego - A person’s conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure seeking drives witht he demands of society
Mead - 2 Parts of the self
- “I” - The biological part of the self consisting of inborn impulses - the self as a subject
- “Me” - The part of self consisting of attitudes of significant others/society - the self as object
Mead - 3 Stages of Socialization
- Prepatory stage - Pre-symbolic stage of self - The self is able to simultaneously take the role of no one and engages in only immatation
- Play stage - Child acquires symbols and vocabulary - The self is able simultaneously to take the role of one other in one situation when engaging in play
- Game stage - The self is able simultaneously to take the role of many others in one situation when engaging in games
- Stage of the generalized other
Significant Other
An individual who is most important in the development of the self
Generalized Other
The attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a while that a child takes into account in their behavior
Represents the imagined perspective of the community or society at large
Social Interaction
The ways people respond to one another
Social Structure
The way in which society is organized into predictable relationships
Status
A recognized social position that an individual occupies
Status Set
All the statuses a person holds at a particular time
Ascribred Statuses
A social position assigned to a person by society with out reguard for the person’s unique talent or characteristics
Eg: Queen of England
Achieved Status
A social position that a person attains largely though their own efforts
Eg: President
Master Status
A status that dominates others and thereby determines a person’s general position in society
5 Strategies to Reduce Role Strain (Goode)
- Compartmentalization - segregate different and contradictory aspects of major life roles from one another
- Delegation - pass on some aspect of role set to subordinates
- Elimination - pass on some aspects of role set to peers
- Extension - expand role set obligations in order to reduce involvement tin difficult or strain-producing elements of role set
- Establish Barriers - produce block and requirement for individuals needing your time and energy
Primary Group
A small group characterized by intimate face-to-face association and cooperation
Secondary Group
A formal, imersonal in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding
Characteristics of a Primary Group
- Quality of Relationships – Personal Orientation
- Duration of Relationships – Usually long term and intensive
- Breadth of Relationships – Broad - share many activities
- Subjective Perception of Relationships - as ends in themselves
Characteristics of a Secondary Group
- Quality of Relationships – Goal orientation - Impersonal
- Duration of Relationships – Variable and often short-term
- Breadth of Relationships – Narrow - Involves a few specific activities
- Subjective Perception of Relationships – as a means to an end
2 Types of Group Leadership
- Instrumental Leader - Group leaders who emphasize the completion of tasks
- Expressive Leader - Group leaders who emphasize a collective well being
3 Leadership Styles
- Authoritarian - Focus on Instrumental concerns, make decisions on their own, and demand strict compliance from subordinates
- Democratic - More expressive, include others in decision
- Laissez-Fair - Leaders downplay position and power allowing hte group to funciton on its own
Power
Ability to control and influence others
6 Types of Power
- Reward Power - The power to compensate others for compliance
- Coercive Power - The power to punish others for non-compliance
- Legetimate Power - The power formally granted to acknowledged leaders by their followers
- Expert Power - Power that accrues to people because of their knowledge
- Referrent Power - Power that derives from the attraction followers feel toward their leader
- Information Power - The power that derives from persuasiveness
Formal Organizations
Large, secondary groups organized to achieve specific groups
3 Types of Formal Organizations - Etzoni
- Normative (voluntary) - pursue goals that their members consider morally worthwhile, offering personal satisfaction, perhaps social prestige, but NO monetary reward
- Coercive - Enroll members involuntarily and subject them to punishment - total institutions
- Utilitarian - Pursue income, profit, and wages
3 Types of Voluntary Organizations - Tokfu
- Instrumental - Attain goals external to the organization
- Expressive - Concerned with the internal life and emotions of the members
- Mixed - combine instrumental and expressive concerns
