THINK Sociology Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. THINK Sociology, Second Edition John D. Carl CHAPTER Second Edition Culture:

THINK Sociology

Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

THINK Sociology, Second EditionJohn D. Carl

CHAPTER

Second Edition

Culture: A Framework for the Individual

3

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• In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, professor and social commentator Neil Postman sounds a sociological alarm, warning readers that a culture based purely on technology and TV is not necessarily a culture worth enjoying. 8:10/9:40



Culture

• Culture includes– Language– Beliefs– Values– Norms– Behaviors– Material objects - that are passed on from

generation to generation• 8:12/9:42



Material Culture

• Material culture includes items that you can taste, touch or feelExamples are:– buildings– cars– computers– clothing– crafts and artifacts

• 8:14/9:44



Nonmaterial Culture

• Nonmaterial culture includes the nonphysical products of societyExamples are: – language– values– norms– laws– symbols– 8:16/9:46



Language

• Language is a system of speech and/or written symbols used to convey meaning and communication– Language may be oral or both oral and written– There are over 6,000 different languages– Two main factors determine the size of a

language group: population size and colonial history

– 8:18/948



Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

• The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis says that the structure of a language influences a native speaker’s perception and categorization of experience– For example, the US has many words for

advanced communication

– 8:20/9:50



Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (2)

• After studying many languages the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis proposes two key points:1. The differences in the structure of language

parallel differences in the thinking of the people who speak the language

2. The structure of a language strongly influences the speaker’s worldview

8:22/9:52



Values

• Values represent cultural standards by which we determine what is good or bad, right or wrong– Value pairs help us define values, usually in

terms of opposites– Value clusters are two or more values that

support each other8:24/9:54



VALUES



U.S. Values according to Robin Williams

1. Achievement and Success

2. Activity and Work

3. Moral Orientation

4. Humanitarianism

5. Efficiency and Practicality

6. Progress

7. Material Comfort8. Equality 8:26/9:56



U.S. Values according to Robin Williams

9. Freedom

10.External Conformity

11.Science and Secular Rationality

12.Nationalism and Patriotism

13.Democracy

14.Individual Personality

15.Racism and Related Group Superiority8:30/9:00



Additional Values

1. Physical Fitness and Youthfulness

2. Sexuality and Romance

8:35/10:05



Norms

• Norms are rules developed for appropriate behavior based on specific values that are conditional, they can vary from place to place– Norms provide the justification for sanctions

8:37/10:07



Mores

• Mores are norms that represent a community’s most important values– In literate societies mores are often in the

code of law– Individuals who violate mores are given more

serious sanctions than individuals who violate folkways

8:39/10:09



Folkways

• Folkways are informal norms. They are based on social expectations.– Folkways often involve etiquette and

manners.– Because folkways are less severe types of

norms, the sanctions applied are less severe then for other types of norms.

8:41/10:11



Symbols

• Symbols represent, suggest or stand for something else.Examples of symbols are:– national flags– Wedding rings– Swastika– Each culture determines the meaning of its

own symbols and uses them to share thoughts and concepts with others 8:43/10:13



Cultural transmission

• Cultural transmission refers to the fact that culture passes from one generation to another through language– Cultures are therefore able to use information

others have learned– Cultural transmission also helps spread

technology

8:45/10:15



Gestures

• Gestures are symbols we make using our bodies– Gestures differ according to different cultures– Examples of gestures include facial

expression, hand movements, eye contact, and other types of body language

8:47/10:17



Sanctions

• A sanction is a prize or punishment you receive when you either abide by a norm or violate it.– If you do what you are supposed to do, you

get a positive sanction– If you break the rules (norms) you earn a

negative sanction– Sanctions can be informal or formal8:49/10:19



Taboo

• A taboo is an act that is socially unacceptable– Taboos are the strongest form of norms,

these are prohibitions viewed as essential to the well being of the community

8:51/10:21



Ethnocentrism

• Ethnocentrism occurs when a person uses his or her own culture to judge another culture– There is a fine line between patriotism and

ethnocentrism– Ethnocentrism is potentially dangerous when

it leads to forcing ones way of life on other cultures

8:53/10:23



Perspectives of aCentral American Hotel Room



Xenophobia

• Xenophobia refers to fear and hostility toward people who are from other countries or cultures. – For example this occurred after the U.S.

entered World War II, and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Japanese Americans were locked in internment camps, often without cause

8:55/10:25



Cultural Relativism

• Cultural relativism consists of a deliberate effort to appreciate a group’s ways of life in its own context without prejudice– In contrast to this position some groups argue

that there are universal human rights and values which should be used to evaluate cultures

8:57/10:27



Cultural Lag

• Cultural lag occurs when social and cultural changes occur at a slower pace than technological changes– Cultural lag often occurs when new

technology enters and changes the society

9:00/10:30



Culture shock

• Culture shock occurs when a person encounters a culture foreign to his or her own and has an emotional response to the differences between the cultures– An example would be a U.S. soldier sent to

Iraq who feels oriented by the unfamiliar way of life



Ideal Culture versus Real Culture

• Ideal culture represents the values to which a culture aspires– For example the U.S. aspires to be a true

democracy

• Real culture is the culture as it really is– Turn-out for many elections, however, show

that many individuals do not vote or are in some ways limited in their right to vote



Subcultures and Countercultures

• Subcultures consist of groups with a common interest that has distinct values, beliefs and norms– Examples are religious groups and ethnic

groups

• Countercultures are subcultures that express values or beliefs in direct opposition to the dominant group’s values



Multiculturalism

• Multiculturalism is a concept that supports the inherent value of different cultures within society– Proponents of multiculturalism believe

immigrants and ethnic groups should be able to maintain aspects of their original culture such as religion, language, cultural beliefs and traditions



Assimilation

• Assimilation is the process by which minority groups adopt the patterns of the dominant culture.– Assimilation can be forced or voluntary– Many Native Americans were forced to attend

boarding school to teach them ‘white ways’– The children of immigrants sometimes give up

their native language to learn English in the U.S.



Global Village

• Global village was popularized by Marshall McLuhan– He refers to the ‘shrinking’ of the world

through electronic communication– For example, email, Twitter, texting, Facebook– However, has the internet really made the

world smaller?



Symbolic Interactionismand Culture

• Symbolic interactionists explore how language, gestures, or values affect a cultureSymbolic interactionists ask questions such as: – How are values defined in the U.S.?– Are U.S. values weakening?– Is the U.S. experiencing a moral decline?



Functionalism and Culture

• When functionalist analyze culture they ask how culture works to hold society togetherFunctionalists ask questions such as: – What relationships are necessary to hold

society together?– To what degree is a sense of community

necessary for the operation of society?– To what degree are common values

necessary?



Conflict Theory and Culture

• Conflict theorists suggest that society is united in a struggle for scare resources. There are winners and losers in societyConflict theorists would ask questions such as:– Who benefits from the arrangements of the

society?– What groups are winners or losers in the

society?– How does the culture promote inequality in

the society?

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THINK Sociology Copyright ©2011 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. THINK Sociology, Second Edition John D. Carl CHAPTER Second Edition Culture: