Culture
things we share with a group of people in society, it is learned and it influences everything we do and believe; does NOT mean country
2 elements of culture
Material culture
Nonmaterial culture
Material Culture
the tangible elements of a culture; the objects
Nonmaterial culture
the intangible elements of a culture
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
we all live in distinct, somewhat narrowed, worlds due to the language of our cultures; this is because when translated, language loses or changes meanings
Ways of Viewing/Elevating Other Cultures
Ethnocentricism
Cultural Relativisim
Xenocentrisim
Ethnocentricism
you evaluate another culture by using the elements of your culture as a benchmark, so the other culture doesn't seem as good as your own
Your culture is what you know
Cultural pride - positive
Narrow minded view: prejudice and discrimination
Cultural Relativisim
you elevate another culture by attempting to learn about, and understand the elements of that culture
Xenocentrisim
you evaluate another culture and decide that some elements of that culture are superior to those of your own
Diminish pride of own culture
Improve own culture
Immigration is proof
Norms
social rules of expectations of behavior
Folkways
little moral significance/consequence
Connected to informal norms
People get morally outraged
Everyday norms
Mores
strong moral significance/consequence
Connected to formal norms
People get morally outraged
Rape, murder, cannibalism, etc.
Informal norms
not written, unwritten
Formal norms
written norms (laws, procedures)
Sanctions
rewards for following a norm or punishments for violating a norm
Formal sanctions
Positive - certificate, a raise
Negative - citation, less hours at work
Informal sanctions
Positive - "good job", candy
Negative - frowning, yelling
Cultural shock
a feeling of disorientation that you experience when you first encounter a culture very different from your own
Subcultures/countercultures
groups that are distinct in some way from the larger, more dominate culture
Subcultures
members also share in, or are part of, the larger culture
Professionals (dentists), truckers
Argot
Argot
jargon; different use of the language
Countercultures
members go against the larger culture
Communists, White supremist
Cultural lag
there is a change in the material culture but there is a period of time, or lag, before there are corresponding changes in the nonmaterial culture
Cultural diffusion
elements from one culture are introduced to another culture; they then become part of the second culture
2 reasons for cultural diffusion
Global telecommunications (tv and internet)
Global corporations (products and presence, McDonalds)
Cultural hegemony
control of the culture by elites
Traditionally by governments (dictatorships etc.)
70% of media owned by 12 large corporations
Global corporate media
Socialization
the lifelong process of learning through interaction with other humans
Nature V Nurture
both views of how human personality is shaped or developed
Nature
born with personality, biological
Nurture
shaped by social interaction (socialization)
Dynamic interplay between nature and nurture
Born with neurons (nature) and stimulation with interaction (nurture)
Feral (socially isolated) children
If they do not have language, it is the most difficult skill to learn
They have shorter than average life expectancy
They are small in stature (physical size)
They do not engage in normal childlike behaviors
Mead: Theory of the social self - 2 parts and interactions
the development of the social self involves a constant feedback loop between the I and the Me
Mead: I
active self; self as subject; the less socialized part of the self
Mead: Me
reactive self; self as object; the more socialized part of the self
Mead: 4 stages of development of the social self
Imitation
Play
Games
Generalized Other
Mead: Imitation
no social self exists because the person is only able to mimic, not understand; a baby
Mead: Play
you can see the emerging social self as the person imagines the responses of, or takes on the roles of, one other person
Mead: Games
the person imagines the responses of, or takes on the roles of, many others but in a single situation; gambling and team sports
Mead: Generalize other
the person no longer imagines the responses of, or evaluates their actions in terms of specific others; instead they evaluate their actions in broad cultural terms based on learned norms and values
Agents of socialization: Family
- Teaches us our gender roles
- Gives us our ascribed characteristics
- Teaches us our values, beliefs, and attitudes
- "inherit" the social class position of our family
Agents of socialization: school
First exposure to an impersonal bureaucracy
Hidden curriculum
Hidden curriculum
the teaching of cultural values and norms (Patriotism, waiting your turn)
Functionalist - necessary to maintain stability and balance in society
Conflict - negative because it reproduces inequality, teaching people their unequal positions in society
Agents of socialization: peer groups
Foster independence and autonomy (No direct adult supervision)
Begin to engage in anticipatory socialization
Anticipatory socialization
you adopt the attitudes and behaviors of a group with the intention of becoming a member of that group
Agents of socialization: workplace (occupational)
Career choice
Anticipatory socialization
Conditioning and commitment
Continuous commitment
If commitment outweighs conditioning
The job becomes an integral part of your personal identity
workplace (occupational): phase 1
Career choice - Career itself and training/education
workplace (occupational): phase 2
Anticipatory socialization
workplace (occupational): phase 3
Conditioning and commitment
While in career
Conditioning - how you feel as you encounter the unpleasant aspects of the job
Commitment - how you feel as you encounter the pleasant aspects of the job
If conditioning outweighs commitment have career change a
workplace (occupational): phase 4
Continuous commitment - If commitment outweighs conditioning
The job becomes an integral part of your personal identity
Resocialiation - 2 step process
You get rid of some of the original socialization
You put something new and different in its place
Goal of Total institutions
resocialization
Total institutions
places that take total control over daily life, 24/7
Society
the people in a society share a geographic territory
Elements of a society
Social Group
Status
Roles
Social institutions
Social Group: 3 characteristics
- Members have a sense of belonging
- Members interact on a regular basis
- Members are aware of their commonality
Ex: our class, a church
Status
any recognized, unranked position in society
Family position (mother, father, kid, aunt, etc), workplace (manager, checker)
Ascribed status
a status that is over which a person a no control, it is given to them (sister, aunt, daughter, son)
Achieved status
a status over which a person has some element of control
Does not mean it takes hard work; just holding the position
Master status
of all our statuses, it is the most important one, or the one we think most clearly defines us
Roles
the parts you play, or things you do, in a status
More roles than statuses
Role strain and role conflict
both indicate contradiction between roles; fulfilling one role makes it difficult to fulfill another role or other roles
Role strain
the contradiction between the roles in one status
Mother - Disciplinarian/nurturer
Student - study for exam/write a paper
Role conflict
the contradiction between the roles of 2 or more statuses
Mother/employee
Social institutions
relatively stable clusters of values, norms, statuses, roles and groups that develop around basic social needs (G - Government, R - Religion, Ec - Economy, Ed - Education, F - Family)
Social Institutions: 4 characteristics
- They tend to be resistant to change
- They tend to be interdependent
- They tend to change together
- They tend to be the site of major social problems
Sociocultural evolution
theory of how societies (socio) and cultures (cultural) have changed throughout the course of the history of humanity
Key Driving Force Of Sociolocultural Evolution
technology
Including both objects (material culture) and stores of knowledge and information (nonmaterial) culture
Hunting and Gathering: Tech
No technological advances
Hunting and Gathering: GREEF
G - no
R - no
Ec - no
Ed - no
F - yes, the only institution; responsible for addressing all basic social needs
Horticultural/Pastoral Societies: Tech
knowledge of planting crops using hand tools (horticultural) and knowledge of herding, breeding, and domestication animals (Pastoral)
Horticultural/Pastoral Societies: GREEF
G - beginning , full time tribal leader to make rules and settle disputes
R - beginning, full time religious leader to pray and heal
Ec - beginning, barter and trade of social surplus
Ed - no
F - kinship system/clans
Agrarian (Agricultural) societies: Tech
animal drawn plow
Agrarian (Agricultural) societies: GREEF
G - complete, monarchs and their advisors, military, written laws, governmental buildings
R - complete, religious hierarchy, churches, temples, mosques, books of religious instruction
Ec - complete, money and many new jobs
Ed - beginning, only for the eli
Industrial Society: Tech
machines
Industrial Society: GREEF
G - increasing democracy based on increased voter participation
R - increasing diversity based on increased choice
Ec - large middle class
Ed - complete, public/universal
F - nuclear (2 generations)
Postindustrial Society: Tech
thinking machines