Culture terms
What is culture?
a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them–that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. Culture is symbolic communication
cultural borrowing
the taking of aspects of culture from other cultures
cultural imperialism
The deliberate imposition of one’s own dominant cultural values onto another culture
what is a norm?
rules for conduct that tell us how to behave according to what society tells us is right, good, important/what’s appropriate or inappropriate (can be invisible or written)
What is a reflex and give an example.
Reflexes-simple responses of an organism to a specific stimulus-biologically inherited, unlearned, automatic reactions to physical stimuli (pupils dilate in dark and contract in light) These are reactions to things around us.
What is the difference between ideal and real culture?
Ideal Culture-cultural guidelines publicly embraced by members of a society.
Real Culture-actual behavior patterns, which often conflict with ideal culture.
another name for cultural borrowing
acculturation
evaluating and judging another culture based on how it compares to one’s own cultural norms
ethnocentrism
What are the two categories of norms and what is the difference?
Formal norm- established, written rules that are agreed upon by members of the society
Informal norms-invisible or unwritten rules about casual behaviors people generally conform to--breaching experiments show our discomfort over these being violated
What is the difference between an instinct and a drive? Give an example of each
Instincts-genetically inherited complex patterns of behavior that exist in most members of the species like sleeping and eating. Others are more specific, like nest building by birds, hive construction by wasps, and pack hunting by wolves.
Drives-biologically inherited impulses (desire to eat, sleep, etc) to reduce discomfort-to satisfy some feeling inside us
What is the difference between high culture and pop culture? Give an example of each along with the definition
High Culture-pattern of cultural experiences and attitudes held by the most elite, top social class segments of a society (opera)
Pop Culture-widely accessible and commonly shared aspects of culture (books, movies, TV shows) consumed by all classes (the masses), but typically associated with lower and middle classes
the time that elapses between the introduction of a new item of material culture and its acceptance as part of nonmaterial culture
cultural lag
xenocentrism
the preference for the cultural practices of other cultures and societies
What are laws and folkways? What's the main difference?
Laws-a type of formal norm where the rules are formally written and enforced by officials
Folkways-norms without moral underpinnings/direct appropriate behavior and expression of cultures/not considered to be of moral significance
--laws are a type of formal norm (written) and folkways are informal norms (unwritten)
What is the Functionalist perspective on culture?
acknowledges that there are many parts of culture that work together as a system to fulfill society’s needs and to promote stability
Describe the difference between subculture and counterculture
Subculture is a group of people that is part of the dominant, larger culture, such as a country, who have something in common that differs from the dominant culture in important ways
But Counterculture is a group that deliberately and consciously opposes or rejects the larger culture’s norms, beliefs and values
the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time
diffusion
not judging others by our own standards, but understanding cultural practices of other groups in its own cultural context
cultural relativism
What is the name for the reactions (rewards and punishments) that are used to encourage or discourage someone else's behaviors in accordance with social norms? And what are the two categories?
sanctions
formal sanctions-reactions that are only applied by an officially designated person such as a judge or teacher-can be positive or negative
informal sanctions-reactions that can be applied by most members of the group-can be positive or negative
What is the Conflict perspective on culture?
focuses on populations that may be systematically disadvantaged while other groups are advantaged with a focus on power and inequality
The taking/adopting of aspects of culture from other cultures is called ______ (otherwise known as ______) and this happens through a process known as ___________. This takes some time between when the new idea is first introduced and when it becomes accepted and this amount of time is called _______.
cultural borrowing
acculturation
diffusion
cultural lag
an ongoing process that involves interconnected changes in the economic, cultural, social, and political spheres of society
globalization
People experience their world through their language, and understand their world through the culture embedded in their language (give both names)
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis/linguistic relativity
what is the difference between a taboo and a mores?
mores-rules or norms that embody the moral views and principles of a group/violating them can have serious consequences
taboo-a rule of behavior (a norm) that is so serious that when violated, calls for strong punishment
--a taboo is a type of mores--a very serious one--incest is the only cross-cultural taboo--
What is the Symbolic Interactionist perspective on culture?
primarily interested in culture as experienced in the daily interactions between individuals and the symbols that have meaning in that culture