Chapter Preview Section 1 The Basis of Culture

Chapter Preview Section 1: The Basis of Culture Section 2: Language and Culture Section 3: Norms and Values Section 4: Beliefs and Material Culture Section 5: Cultural Diversity and Similarity

Chapter Preview · Section 1 The Basis of Culture (pages 72– 76) Culture defines how people in a society behave in relation to others and to physical objects. Although most behavior among animals is instinctual, human behavior is learned. Even reflexes and drives do not completely determine how humans will behave, because people are heavily influenced by culture.

Chapter Preview · Section 2 Language and Culture (pages 77– 80) Humans can create and transmit culture. The symbols of language play a role in determining people’s views of reality.

Chapter Preview · Section 3 Norms and Values (pages 81– 91) The essential components of culture are norms, values, beliefs, and material objects. Sanctions are used to encourage conformity to norms. Values, the broadest cultural ideas, form the basis for norms.

Chapter Preview · Section 4 Beliefs and Material Culture (pages 92– 94) Besides norms and values, beliefs and physical objects make up culture. Ideal culture includes the guidelines we claim to accept, while real culture describes how we actually behave.

Chapter Preview · Section 5 Cultural Diversity and Similarity (pages 95– 102) Cultures change according to three major processes. Cultures contain groups within them called subcultures and countercultures that differ in important ways from the main culture. People tend to make judgments based on their own cultures. While apparently very different on the surface, all cultures have common traits or elements that sociologists call cultural universals.

Culture defines how people in a society behave in relation to others and to physical objects. Although most behavior among animals is instinctual, human behavior is learned. Even reflexes and drives do not completely determine how humans will behave, because people are heavily influenced by culture.

• culture • society • instincts • reflex • drive • sociobiology

How much are you are influenced by the culture that surrounds you? A. Very influenced B. Somewhat influenced C. Not very influenced D. Not sure A. B. C. D. A B C D

Culture and Society • The culture you live in refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group. • Material aspects of our culture include skyscrapers, computers, cell phones and cars.

Culture and Society (cont. ) • Nonmaterial aspects include beliefs, rules, customs, family systems and a capitalist economy. • Culture and society are interwoven. • A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture.

Culture and Society (cont. ) • A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture. • Culture is that society’s total way of life.

From the following list, what is the example that best represents your culture? A. Literature B. Music C. Government D. Values A. B. C. D. A B C D

Culture and Heredity • Instincts are genetically inherited patterns of behavior. Humans, unlike animals, cannot rely on instinct alone for survival, so we rely on our culture. • However, culture is not the only influence on our behavior.

Culture and Heredity (cont. ) • Other factors include: – Heredity—genetically inherited traits – Reflexes—simple, biologically inherited automatic reactions to physical stimuli. – Drives—impulses • These expressions of such biological factors can vary depending on the culture.

The desire to eat and drink is an example of which biological factor? A. Heredity B. Reflex C. Drive D. Culture A. B. C. D. A B C D

Sociobiology • Sociobiology is the study of the biological basis of human behavior. • Darwin’s theory of natural selection + modern genetics = Sociobiology • Sociologists believe that behaviors that best help people and animals are biologically based and transmitted in the genetic code.

Sociobiology (cont. ) • Some criticisms of sociobiology: – Certain races could be labeled as inferior or superior. – There is too much variation in societies for human behavior to be based on biology alone.

Sociobiology (cont. ) • Middle ground: – Some sociologists believe that genes work with culture in a complex way to shape and limit human nature and social life.

The following are behaviors that help us further develop as the human race EXCEPT A. Parental affection B. Education C. Shopping D. Sexual reproduction A. B. C. D. A B C D

Humans can create and transmit culture. The symbols of language play a role in determining people’s views of reality.

• symbol • hypothesis of linguistic relativity

Which symbol do you think best represents the culture of the United States? A. Flag B. Eagle C. Apple pie D. Statue of Liberty A. B. C. D. A B C D

Symbols, Language, and Culture • Cultural transmission defines the transmission and creation of culture—or the idea that each generation must be taught about their culture. • Symbols are things that stand for or represent something else. The most important symbols are those that create language. Sign Language

Symbols, Language, and Culture (cont. ) • Language and culture are related because language frees humans from the limits of time and space. • Language allows us to create culture.

Do you agree that language frees us from the limits of time and space? A. Agree B. Disagree C. Not sure 1. 2. 3. A B C

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis • The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis or the hypothesis of linguistic relativity— Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf believe that our perceptions of the world depend in part on the particular language we have learned. • For example, when something is important to a society, its language will have many words to describe it.

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (cont. ) • We can learn other languages, or learn more about our own, to expand our view of the world.

Native American languages that are spoken in the Arctic Circle most likely include many words describing which of the following? A. Money B. Snow C. Oil D. Trees A. B. C. D. A B C D

Two essential components of culture are norms and values. There are several types of norms—folkways, mores, and laws. Sanctions are used to encourage conformity to norms. Values, the broadest cultural ideas, form the basis for norms.

• norms • informal sanctions • folkways • values • mores • taboo • law • sanctions • formal sanctions

In your opinion, which of the following values most closely identifies with American culture? A. Belief in God B. Achievement and success C. Democracy D. Equality A. B. C. D. A B C D

Norms: The Rules We Live By • Norms are rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Norms are so engrained in humans that they guide behavior without awareness. Cultural Etiquette

Which of the following is a norm that affects behavior in the classroom? A. Showing respect B. Completing classwork C. Sitting still D. All of the above A. B. C. D. A B C D

Folkways, Mores, and Laws • There are three types of norms: – Folkways—rules that cover customary ways of thinking, feeling and behaving but lack moral overtones. – Mores—norms of great moral significance. – Taboo—a norm so strong that its violation demands punishment by the group. Patterns of Tourism

Folkways, Mores, and Laws (cont. ) • Laws are norms that are formally defined and enforced by officials. Silly Laws Still on the Books

Which of the following do you think has the most influence on our laws? A. Mores B. Folkways C. Taboos A. A B. B C. C

Enforcing the Rules • Sanctions are rewards and punishments used to encourage conformity to norms, either formally or informally. • Formal sanctions are sanctions that may be applied, for positive or negative reasons, only by officially designated persons, such as judges and teachers.

Enforcing the Rules (cont. ) • Informal sanctions can be applied by most members of a group, also for positive or negative reasons.

Is earning the Congressional Medal of Honor a formal or informal sanction? A. Informal B. Formal C. Not sure A. A B. B C. C

Values—The Basis for Norms • Values are broad ideas about what most people in a society consider to be desirable. • Different groups in the same society can have different norms based on the same value.

Values—The Basis for Norms (cont. ) • Values have a tremendous influence on human social behavior because they form the basis for norms. The Norm Kite

Which list follows the “Norm Kite” diagram (from top to bottom)? A. Norms—Values—Folkways, Mores, Laws—Sanctions B. Sanctions—Norms—Folkways, Mores, Laws—Values C. Sanctions—Folkways, Mores, Laws—Values D. Values—Sanctions—Folkways, Mores, Laws—Norms A. B. C. D. A B C D

Basic Values in the United States • According to sociologist Robin Williams (1970), some of the important values that guide the values of most people in the United States are as follows: – Achievement and success – Activity and work – Efficiency and practicality – Equality – Democracy – Group superiority

Basic Values in the United States (cont. ) • Although many of these values have remained the same over the years, some have changed.

Which of Williams’s values do you feel is the least influential in American society? A. Achievement and success B. Activity and work C. Efficiency and practicality D. Equality A. B. C. D. A B C D

Besides norms and values, beliefs and physical objects make up culture. Ideal culture includes the guidelines we claim to accept, while real culture describes how we actually behave.

• nonmaterial culture • beliefs • material culture • ideal culture • real culture

Which do you think is a more accurate representation of our culture? A. Nonmaterial culture which includes beliefs, ideas, and knowledge B. Material culture which includes tangible objects C. None of the above A. A B. B C. C

Beliefs and Physical Objects • The nonmaterial culture involves beliefs, ideas, and knowledge. • The material culture is about how we relate to physical objects. It consists of the concrete, tangible objects within a culture.

Beliefs and Physical Objects (cont. ) • Beliefs are ideas about the nature of reality. • People base their behavior on what they believe, even if their belief might not be true. • The uses and meanings of physical objects can vary among societies depending on the beliefs, norms and values people hold with regard to the object.

All of the following are representative of material culture EXCEPT A. Books B. Art C. Religion D. Cars A. A B. B C. C

Ideal and Real Culture • A gap exists between cultural guidelines and actual behavior, captured by the following two concepts: – Ideal culture refers to cultural guidelines publicly embraced by members of a society. – Real culture refers to actual behavior patterns, which often conflict with these guidelines.

Do you believe that a gap exists between ideal and real culture? A. Yes B. No C. Not sure A. A B. B C. C

Cultures change according to three major processes. Cultures contain groups within them called subcultures and countercultures that differ in important ways from the main culture. People tend to make judgments based on the values of their own cultures. While apparently very different on the surface, all cultures have common traits or elements that sociologists call cultural universals.

• social categories • subculture • counterculture • ethnocentrism • cultural universals • cultural particulars

Which trait do you think we have in common with other cultures? A. Religion B. Commerce C. Government A. A B. B C. C

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.

Finding hamburgers on a menu in Japan is an example of A. Discovery B. Invention C. Diffusion D. Culture A. A B. B C. C

Cultural Diversity • Cultural diversity exists in all societies. • Social categories are groups that share a social characteristic such as age, gender, or religion. • Subculture is part of the dominant culture but differs from it in some important respects.

Cultural Diversity (cont. ) • Counterculture is a subculture deliberately and consciously opposed to certain beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture.

In your opinion, is cultural diversity beneficial to society or does it harm society? A. Beneficial to society B. Harms society C. Not sure of its effects A. A B. B C. C

Ethnocentrism • Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging others in terms of one’s own cultural standards. • Advantages: – People feel good about themselves and others. – Stability is promoted.

Ethnocentrism (cont. ) • Disadvantage: – Inflexibility

In your opinion, does ethnocentrism help or hurt society? A. Helps society B. Hurts society C. Neither D. Not sure A. A B. B C. C D. D

Cultural Universals • Cultural universals are traits that exist in all cultures, such as sports, cooking, and education. • Cultural particulars are the ways that each culture expresses the universals. Immigration to the United States

Cultural Universals (cont. ) • Cultural universals exist for three main reasons: – The biological similarity shared by all human beings. – The physical environment affecting all human beings. – Many countries face the same social problems. Cultural Universals

Which of the following is NOT a category that cultural universals fall under? A. Economy B. Beliefs C. Language D. Democracy A. A B. B C. C D. D

Sign Language: How to Speak with Your Hands

The Norm Kite

Cultural Universals

Immigration to the United States Source: Bureau of U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: 2004 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.

Patterns of Tourism Adapted from the Student Atlas: DK Publishing, Inc.

Sociology Chapter Transparencies Top Ten Languages by Population Top Languages by Distribution New Words in English

culture knowledge, values, customs, and physical objects that are shared by members of a society

society a specific territory inhabited by people who share a common culture

instincts innate (unlearned) patterns of behavior

reflex automatic reaction to physical stimulus

drive impulse to reduce discomfort

sociobiology the study of the biological basis of human behavior

symbol a thing that stands for or represents something else

hypothesis of linguistic relativity theory stating that our idea of realty depends largely upon language

norms rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior

folkways norms that lack moral significance

mores norms that have moral dimensions and that should be followed by members of the society

taboo a rule of behavior, the violation of which calls for strong punishment

law a norm that is formally defined and enforced by officials

sanctions rewards and punishments used to encourage people to follow norms

formal sanctions imposed be persons given special authority

informal sanctions rewards or punishments that can be applied by most members of a group

values broad ideas about what is good or desirable shared by people in a society

nonmaterial culture ideas, knowledge, and beliefs that influence people’s behavior

beliefs ideas about the nature of reality

material culture the concrete, tangible objects of a culture

ideal culture cultural guidelines that group members claim to accept

real culture actual behavior patterns of members of a group

social categories groupings of persons who share a social characteristic

subculture a group that is part of the dominant culture but that differs from it in some important respects

counterculture a subculture deliberately and consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture

ethnocentrism judging others in terms of one’s own cultural standards

cultural universals general cultural traits that exist in all cultures

cultural particulars the ways in which a culture expresses universal traits

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