Culture Chapter 3

What is culture? Culture refers to the learned and shared behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and materialistic objects that characterize a particular group or society. Culture influences what you eat, how you were raised, how you will raise your children, what you wear, etc. Even people who feel they are individualist, conform to most cultural rules. Society is a group of people who share a culture. Society and culture are often used interchangeably

Characteristics of Culture Culture is learned— learn customs, attitudes, and beliefs Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next— We learn through family, relatives, friends, media and formal settings Culture is shared— brings members of a society together with a sense of belonging Culture is adaptive and always changing— new inventions, changes in attitudes

Culture reflects who we are, but it’s people who create culture.

Material Culture- consist of the physical objects that people make, use and share Examples: jewelry, internet, hairstyles, music, furniture Nonmaterial culture- consists of the ideas that people create to interpret and understand the world Examples: beliefs and attitudes, customs, rules of behavior Cultural Lag: When material culture changes faster than non-material culture

Building Block of Culture Symbols Language ValuesNorms Rituals

Symbols Anything that stands for something else and has a particular meaning for people who share a culture Represents a thing or an aspect Holds a specific meaning for people who share a culture Helps people engage in symbolic interaction Take many forms Distinguish one culture from another Unify or divide a society Change over time

Language A system of shared symbols that enables people to communicate with each other. Invention of human thought that people have endowed with meaning Determines thoughts and behaviors Influences how people perceive genders, races, and ethnicities Words create and reinforce positive and negative images about race and ethnicity Dynamic and changes with society Cultural and technological changes in the vocabulary are represented by various words Sexting, ebook, tweet, staycation, twerk, unfriend, and selfie

Language is important….. Helps people understand various aspects Daily experiences, ideas, communication and attitudes and behavior Directs thinking and controls actions Shapes expression of emotions Gives people a sense of belonging to a group

Values Standards by which people define: Good or bad Moral or immoral Proper or improper Desirable or undesirable Beautiful or ugly Provide guidelines for daily behavior Change due to technological advances, immigration, and contact with outsiders Shift over time

Norms Specific rules of right and wrong behavior Tell us what we should, ought, and must do, as well as what we should not, ought not, and must not do Make lives orderly and predictable Characteristics Unwritten - Passed down orally from generation to generation Instrumental- serve a specific purpose Change over time- Conditional - Apply in specific situations Rigid or flexible- based on situations

Types of Norms Folkways: Involve everyday customs, practices, and interaction (ought to dos) Exemplified by etiquette rules Vary from one country to another Change in response to macro-level changes Mores: Maintain morals and ethics (must dos) Considered to be important by people Define must behavior Taboos: Strong prohibitions of any act that is forbidden because it’s considered to be offensive Laws: Formally defined norms about what is permissible or illegal (must dos) Defined by political authority holding the power to punish violators Deliberate, formal, and enforced Change over time Vary across societies Sanctions: Rewards for appropriate behavior and/or penalties for inappropriate behavior Mild when people violate folkways Severe for violating mores and laws Inconsistent in nature

Rituals Formal and repeated behavior that unite people Have transmission and reinforcement of norms Unites people and strengthens relationships Outward symbol of value

Cultural Similarities Cultural universals: Customs and practices that are common to all societies Specific behaviors vary across cultures, among groups in the same society, and over time Ideal culture: Beliefs, values, and norms that people say they hold Real culture: People’s everyday behavior

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Ethnocentrism: Belief that one’s culture, society or group is superior to others Functional - Promotes loyalty and cultural unity Reinforces conformity and maintains stability Dysfunctional - Generates hatred, discrimination, and conflict Discourages intergroup understanding and cooperation Cultural relativism: Belief that no culture is better than another Maintains that culture should be judged by its own standards

Cultural Variations Subculture Group within a society that has distinctive norms, values, beliefs, lifestyle or language Existing in U.S. society are based on: Ethnicity Religion Politics Sex, gender, and age Occupation and social class Music, art, and Recreation Counterculture Groups that oppose and/or reject the dominant culture’s norms, values, or laws Emerge when people believe they can not achieve their goals within the existing society Most are law-abiding Some are extreme and violent

Multiculturalism Coexistence of several cultures without dominating each other in a same geographical area Otherwise known as cultural pluralism Encourages intercultural dialogue Aims to decrease ethnocentrism, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination Culture Shock Confusion, disorientation, or anxiety that accompanies exposure to an unfamiliar way of life Affects each person in a different way Involves differences of food, clothes, punctuality, ideas, language, the pace of life, and a lack of privacy

High Culture and Popular Culture High Culture Cultural expression of a society’s highest social classes Popular Culture Beliefs, practices, activities, and products that are widespread among a population Cultural Capital Resources such as knowledge, verbal and social skills, education, and other assets that gives a group advantages

Cultural Change Diffusion - Spreads components of culture from one society to another Direct and interpersonal - Trade, tourism, immigration, intermarriage, or invasions Indirect and impersonal in nature - Internet transmissions Invention - Creating new things Innovation - Turning inventions into mass-market products Discovery - Involves exploration and investigation Results in new products, insights, ideas, or behavior Requires dedication and commitment Serendipity effect - Discoveries that occur by chance External pressures Direct form - Dominant group uses force to bring cultural change in other groups Indirect form - Involves criticism

Sociological Perspective on Culture