culture
the entire way of life of a group of people that acts as a lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next
ethnocentrism
principle of using ones own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than ones own are abnormal or inferior
cultural relativism
principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to ones own culture
material culture
objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, buildings, and art; any physical object to which we give social meaning
symbolic culture
ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions), and behavior norms, interactions, and communication)
folkways
loosely enforced norm involving common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interactions and acceptance
law
common type of formally defined norm providing an explicit statement about whats permissible and whats illegal in a given society
mores
Norm that carries great moral significance, is closely related to the core values of a cultural group, and often involves severe repercussions for violators
taboos
Norm ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust/horror/revulsion
norm
ritual/guideline regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a culture
sanction
positive or negative reactions to the ways people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for norm violations
dominant culture
values norms and practices of the group within society thats most powerful
values
ideas about way is desirable and contemptible and right or wrong in a particular group
hegemony
term developed by Antonio Gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control, whereby the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society
subculture
group within society thats differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle
sapir-whorf hypothesis
idea that language structures though and that ways of thinking and looking at the world are embedded in language
counterculture
group within society that openly rejects and or actively opposes societies values and norms
culture wars
clashes within mainstream society over the aloes and norms that should be upheld
language
system of communication using sounds, gestures, and symbols
ideal culture
norms, values, and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed in principle
real culture
norms, values, and patters of beaver that actually exist in society
technological determinism
theory of social change that assumes change in technology drive changes in society, rather than vice versa
cultural imperialism
cultural influence caused by adopting
game stage
third stage in meads development of self where children play organized games and take on the perspective of the generalized other
generalized other
perspectives and expectations of a network of others (or society in general) that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping her or her own behavior
play stage
second stage in meads development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other
dual nature of the self
belief that we experience the self as both subject and object- the "I" and the "me
dramaturgy
approach pioneered by Erving Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance to understand how individuals present themselves to others
preparatory stage
first stage in meads theory of the development of self wherein children mimicc or imitate others
definition of the situation
agreement with other about "whats going on" in a given circumstance. This consensus allows us to coordinate our actions with those of others and realize goals
impression management
effort to control the impressions we make on others so they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self-presentation and performance tactics
nature vs. nurture
discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits
socialization
process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society
Feral Children
children who have had little human contact and may have lived in the wild from a young age
resocialization
process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as part of a transition in life
total institution
institution in which individuals are cut off from the rest of society so their lives can be controlled and regulated for the purpose of systematically stripping away previous roles and identities in order to create new ones
status
position in social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations
ascribed status
inborn status
achieved status
status earned through individual effort or imposed by others
master status
status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess
looking-glass self
notion that the self develops through our perception of others evaluations and appraisals of us
psychoanalytic theory
associated with freud and emphasizes childhood and sezual development as indelible influences on an individuals identity
group
collection of people who share an attribute, identify with one another, and interact with one another
in-group
group that one identifies with and feels loyalty toward
out-group
group an individual feels opposition, rivalry, or hostility toward
reference group
group that provides a standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves
group cohesion
sense of solidarity or loyalty onward a group to which they belong
groupthink
in very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members, creating a demand for unanimous agreement
social influence
influence of ones fellow group members on individual attitudes and behaviors
compliance
mildest type of conformity, undertaken to gain rewards or avoid punishments
identification
type of conformity stronger than compliance and weaker than internalization, caused by a desire to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or group
internalization
strongest type of conformity, occurring when an individual adopts the beliefs or actions of a group and makes them their own
Asch experiment
study of groups of students to measure conformity- if they'd lie about the answer because everyone else said the wrong answer-onoly 25% were independent
Milgram Experiment
tested how people listened to authorities when told to shock someone- only 1 resisted completely, and 65% did it to the highest level
Stanford Prison Experiment
study of healthy students assigned to either prisoner or guard and took on their roles and took it too far so it was shut down
deviance
behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction
structural strain theory
Robert Mertons argument that in an unequal society the tension and strain between socially approved goals and an individuals ability to achieve these goals through socially approved means will lead to deviance as individuals reject either the goals or mea
innovators
accept societies approved goals but not societies approved means to achieve those goals
ritualists
given up hope of achieving societies goals, but continue with the means to achieve them
retreatists
reject both societies goals and means of achieving them
rebels
reject societies goals and means of achieving them, and instead create and work toward their own goals using new means
social control
formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion
differential association theory
sutherlands hypothesis that we learn to be deviant through our associations with deviant peers
labeling theory
beckers idea that deviance is a consequence of external judgements and levels that body the individuals self-concept and change the way others respond to the labeled person
primary deviance
in labeling theory, the initial act or attitude that causes one to be labeled deviant
secondary deviance
subsequent deviant identity or career that develops as a result of being labeled deviant
tertiary deviance
redefining the stigma associated with a deviant label as a positive phenomenon
self-fulfilling prophecy
an inaccurate statement or belief that, by altering the situation, becomes accurate; a prediction that causes itself to become true
stigma
Goffmans term for any physical or social attribute that devalues a person or groups identity and that may exclude those who are devalued from normal social interaction
passing
presenting yourself as a member of a different group than the stigmatized group you belong to
in-group orientation
among stigmatized individuals, the rejection of prevailing judgements of new standards that value their group identity
outsiders
according to Becker, those labeled deviant and subsequently segregated from "normal" society
deviance avowal
process by which an individual self-identifies as deviant and initiates his or her own labeling process
crime
violation of a norm thats been codified into law
violent crime
crimes in which violence is either the objective or the means to an end
property crime
crimes that don't involve violence, including burglary, theft, and arson
white collar crime
crime committed by a high stats individual in the course of his occupation
deterrence
an approach to punishment that relies on the threat of harsh penalties to discourage people from committing crimes
retribution
approach to punishment that emphasizes retaliation or revenue for crime as the appropriate goal
incapacitation
approach to punishment that seeks to protect society from criminals as part of their penalty
rehabilitation
approach to punishment that attempts to reform criminals as part of their penalty
positive deviance
actions considered deviant within a given context but are later reinterpreted as appropriate or even heoric
the "foreground" of deviance
the deviants own in-the-moment experience of committing a deviant act
Structural-functionalism approach to culture
values and norms are widely shared and agreed upon; they contribute to social stability by reinforcing common bonds and constraining individual behavior
conflict theory approach to culture
values and norms are part of the dominant culture and tend to represent and protect the most powerful groups in society
symbolic interactionalism approach to culture
values and norms are social constructions; meaning is created, maintained, and changed through ongoing social interaction
structural functionalism approach to deviance
deviance clarifies moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion
conflict theory approach to deviance
definitions and rules of deviance are applied unequally based on power
symbolic interactionalism approach to deviance
deviance is learned through interactions with others who break the rules
psychoanalysis approach to the self and interaction
frauds theory of the unconscious mind as composed of an interrelated system (id, ego, superego) that underlies human behavior; personality develops through psychosexual stages
looking-glass self approach to the self and interaction
cooleys theory of the self concept as derived from how we imagine others see us, and the feelings about ourselves based on the perceived judgement of others
mind, self, and society approach to the self and interaction
meads theory of the self that develops though three stages; in role taking we learn to see ourselves as others do
dramaturgy approach to the self and interaction
goffmans theory of the presentation of self; were like actors on a stage whose performance strategies aid in impression management