Chapter 3, Culture

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Chapter 3, Culture

• Key Terms

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• CultureThe complex system of meaning and
  behavior that defines the way of life for a given
  group or society.
• SymbolsThings or behaviors to which people give
  meaning.

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• Cultural relativismThe perspective that allows
  people to understand and judge cultural practices
  in context.
• LanguageA set of symbols and rules, which, put
  together in a meaningful way, provides a complex
  communication system.

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• NormsSpecific cultural expectations for how to
  behave in a given situation.
• FolkwaysGeneral standards of behavior adhered to
  by a group.

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• MoresStrict norms that control moral and ethical
  behavior often upheld through rules or laws.
• LawsWritten set of guidelines that define right
  and wrong in society.

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• Social sanctions Mechanisms of social control
  that enforce norms.
• Ethnomethodology A technique for studying human
  interaction by deliberately disrupting social
  norms and observing how individuals respond.

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• BeliefsShared ideas held collectively by people
  within a given culture.
• ValuesAbstract standards in a society or group
  that define ideal principles.

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•  Dominant culture The culture of the most
  powerful group in society, the cultural form that
  receives the most support from major institutions
  and that constitutes the major belief system.
• SubculturesThe cultures of groups whose values
  and norms of behavior differ from those of the
  dominant culture.

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• CounterculturesSubcultures created as a reaction
  against the values of the dominant culture.
• EthnocentrismSeeing things only from the point
  of view of ones own group.

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• AndrocentrismModes of thinking centered only in
  mens experiences.
• Global cultureThe diffusion of a single culture
  throughout the world.

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• Popular cultureBeliefs, practices, and objects
  that are part of everyday traditions.
• Nonmaterial cultureThe norms, laws, customs,
  ideas, and beliefs of a group of people.

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• Material cultureObjects created in a society
  buildings, art, tools, toys, print and broadcast
  media, and other artifacts.
• Reflection hypothesisContends that the mass
  media reflect the values of the general
  population.

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• Cultural hegemonyThe pervasive and excessive
  influence of one culture throughout society.
• Cultural capitalThe cultural resources that are
  socially designated as being worthy and that give
  advantages to groups possessing such capital. 

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• Culture lag The delay in cultural adjustments to
  changing social conditions.
• Cultural diffusionThe transmission of cultural
  elements from one society or cultural group to
  another.