Sociology Chapter 3 Culture

Culture and Society The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group role of culture is to help explain human social behavior another role of culture is to provide the blueprint that people in a society use to guide their relationships with others Culture and society are tightly interwoven, one cannot exist without the other, but they are not identical. A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture

Sociobiology Sociobiology is the systematic study of how biology influences human behavior. combines Darwin’s theory of natural selection with modern genetics Socio-biologists apply the principle of natural selection to the evolution of social behavior. the behaviors that best help people are biologically based and transmitted in the genetic code over the course of human evolution The major criticism of sociobiology is that the importance placed on genetics could be used as a justification to label specific races as superior or inferior

Symbols, Language, and Culture Both the creation and the transmission of culture depend heavily on the use of symbols Symbols range from physical objects to sounds, smells, and tastes The meaning of a symbol is not based on physical characteristics Equipped with language, humans can pass their experiences, ideas, and knowledge to others

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis According to Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, language is our guide to reality When something is important to a society, its language will have many words to describe it. (Time, American culture) When something is unimportant to people, their language may not have even one word for it. (sin, Chinese culture) Exposure to another language or to new words can alter our perception

Norms Norms are rules that define behavior Norms help explain why people in a society or group behave similarly in similar circumstances William Graham Sumner: stated that anything can be considered appropriate when norms approve of it. Once norms are learned, members of a society use them to guide their social behavior. Norms are so ingrained that they guide behavior without our awareness (lines) identified three basic types of norms: folkways, mores, and laws

Folkways Rules that cover customary ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving but lack moral overtones are called folkways (sleeping in a bed) Some folkways are more important than others, and the social reaction to their violation is more intense

Mores The term mores is based on the word moral Mores are norms of great moral significance and are vital to the well-being of a society Conformity to mores draws strong social approval; violation brings strong disapproval The most serious mores are taboos taboo is a norm so strong that its violation demands punishment by the group

Laws Laws are norms that are formally defined and enforced by officials Folkways and mores emerge slowly and are often unconsciously created, while laws are consciously created and enforced.

Enforcing the Rules Formal sanctions are sanctions that may be applied only by officially designated persons, such as judges and teachers Formal sanctions can take the form of positive as well as negative rewards Informal sanctions are sanctions that can be applied by most members of a group

Values—The Basis for Norms Values are broad ideas about what most people in a society consider to be desirable Values have a tremendous influence on human social behavior because they form the basis for norms Values are so general that they are involved in most aspects of daily life

Basic Values in the United States Achievement and success Activity and work Efficiency and practicality Equality Democracy Group superiority

Beliefs and Physical Objects nonmaterial culture involves beliefs, ideas, and knowledge material culture is about how we relate to physical objects Values, norms, knowledge, ideas (nonmaterial), and physical objects (material) make up a culture. Beliefs are ideas about the nature of reality Beliefs are important because people base their behavior on what they believe, regardless of whether their beliefs are true or false

Cultural Change Culture changes for three reasons discovery, the process of finding something that already exists invention, the creation of something new diffusion, the borrowing of aspects of culture from other cultures

Cultural Diversity Cultural diversity exists in all societies Some diversity is a result of social categories—groups that share a social characteristic such as age, gender, or religion Cultural diversity also comes from groups that differ in particular ways from the larger culture

Subcultures A subculture is part of the dominant culture but differs from it in some important respects San Francisco’s Chinatown Although Chinese residents of Chinatown have been greatly affected by American culture, they have kept many cultural patterns of their own, such as language, diet, and family structure Members of American subcultures can be labeled with negative stereotypes, from both within and outside the society

Countercultures A counterculture is a subculture that is deliberately and consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture A counterculture can be understood only within the context of this opposition

Ethnocentrism Once people learn their culture, they tend to become strongly committed to it They may judge others in terms of their own cultural standards—a practice referred to as ethnocentrism Olympics: A country’s final ranking in this competition for gold, silver, and bronze medals is frequently taken as a reflection of the country’s status on the world stage Regional rivalries in the United States are a source of many humorous stories members of churches, schools, and political parties all over the United States feel that their particular ways of living should be adopted by others

Ethnocentrism: Advantages and Disadvantages ethnocentrism builds group loyalty The patriotism that people feel for the actions of their own country during times of war By supporting traditions and values, ethnocentrism adds to the stability of a society. Extreme ethnocentrism can have a much darker side It can divide people and lead to hatred and violence