4. CULTURE
KINDS OF CULTURE:
– 1) MATERIAL CULTURE
• ALL THE TANGIBLE PRODUCTS OF A SOCIETY
• EXAMPLES: HOUSING, AIRCRAFT, CLOTHING,
ETC.
– 2) NONMATERIAL CULTURE
• ALL THE INTANGIBLE PRODUCTS OF A SOCIETY
• EXAMPLES: LAWS AND PUNISHMENTS, IDEAS,
VALUES, BELIEF SYSTEMS, NORMS, ATTITUDES
....ALL THE BELIEFS, VALUES, BEHAVIOR, AND
MATERIAL OBJECTS THAT DEFINE A PEOPLE’S
WAY OF LIFE AND ARE PASSED ON.
5. CULTURE SHOCK
TRAVELING TO A NEW AND DIFFERENT
LOCATION CAN CAUSE SOME PEOPLE TO
EXPERIENCE SEVERE, PERSONAL
DISORIENTATION, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS....
ONE REASON FOR SUCH A
REACTION....THE FACT THAT
PEOPLE INTERNALIZE THE
ELEMENTS OF THEIR OWN
CULTURE AND THEN COME TO
KNOW THE WORLD ONLY BY
THOSE STANDARDS.
6. THE ELEMENTS OF CULTURE:
ELEMENTS OF CONSTRAINT OR FREEDOM?
• SYMBOLS
• GESTURES
• LANGUAGE
• VALUES AND BELIEFS
• SOCIAL NORMS
I WONDER
IF HUMANS
HAVE CULTURE
TOO????
LET’S EXAMINE EACH ONE.....
7. SYMBOLS 1. SYMBOLS ARE OFTEN
TAKEN FOR GRANTED
- THEY’RE ALL OVER.
2. SYMBOLS CAN BIND
PEOPLE TOGETHER
OR SEPARATE THEM.
3. SYMBOLS ALLOW
PEOPLE TO MAKE
SENSE OF THEIR
LIVES.
ANYTHING THAT CAN
CARRY A MEANING.
8. GESTURES
USING ONE’S BODY TO COMMUNICATE
• GESTURES ARE “CULTURE SPECIFIC”
• WE KNOW WHAT THE ABOVE GESTURES INDICATE
BECAUSE OUR CULTURE TEACHES US TO APPLY
CERTAIN MEANINGS TO THEM..BUT WHAT ABOUT A
STRANGER?
9. LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE ALLOWS “CULTURAL TRANSMISSION” OR
THE PASSING ON OF CULTURE OVER GENERATIONS.
LANGUAGE PROVIDES A PRESENT, PAST AND FUTURE.
LANGUAGE ALLOWS FOR UNDERSTANDING.
LANGUAGE ALLOWS GOAL-ORIENTED BEHAVIOR.
....A SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS THAT ALLOWS
MEMBERS OF A SOCIETY TO COMMUNICATE
WITH ONE ANOTHER.
IS IT THE MOST IMPORTANT
ELEMENT OF CULTURE?
10. OTHER POINTS ON INTEREST:
SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS STATES THAT LANGUAGE
DETERMINES OUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND, THUS, OUR
PERCEPTIONS OF LIFE AROUND US.
A PERSON’S EXPERIENCE
WITH SNOW IS LIMITED
BY THE NUMBER OF
WAYS A PERSON CAN
DESCRIBE IT.
11. VALUES & BELIEFS
....CULTURALLY DEFINED STANDARDS BY
WHICH PEOPLE JUDGE DESIRABILITY,
GOODNESS, AND BEAUTY, AND WHICH SERVE
AS BROAD GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL LIVING.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY,
SCHEMA FORMATION THEORY, AND
THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESSES
PROVIDE INSIGHT AS TO HOW IT IS WE
ADOPT OUR VALUES AND BELIEFS
SOCIAL VALUES AND GENERAL BELIEFS ARE
REFLECTED IN THE NORMS FOUND IN A SOCIETY
SUCCESS, HARD WORK, PROGRESS, FREEDOM, EQUALITY
12. SOCIAL NORMS
• TYPES OF NORMS:
– PROSCRIPTIVE (WHAT NOT TO DO!)
– PRESCRIPTIVE (WHAT TO DO!)
• OTHER WAYS TO BREAK DOWN NORMS:
– MORES (OF GREAT MORAL SIGNIFICANCE)
– FOLKWAYS (OF LITTLE MORAL SIGNIFICANCE)
– TABOOS (VIOLATIONS WHICH ARE HORRIFIC)
....RULES AND EXPECTATIONS BY WHICH A
SOCIETY GUIDES THE BEHAVIOR OF ITS MEMBERS.
13. THE TENDENCY TO JUDGE
OTHER CULTURES BY THE
STANDARDS OF ONE’S OWN
CULTURE
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
ETHNOCENTRISM:
14. SOCIAL CONTROL
• SOCIAL CONTROL - MEANS BY WHICH MEMBERS
OF SOCIETY ENCOURAGE CONFORMITY TO NORMS.
WHY DO WE CONFORM?
15. SOCIAL CONTROL UPON US
• THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SANCTIONS:
– POSITIVE SANCTIONS (REWARDS)
– NEGATIVE SANCTIONS (PUNISHMENTS)
– FORMAL AND INFORMAL AS WELL
• HOW DO WE KNOW THAT SOCIAL
CONTROL IS IN EFFECT?
– GUILT (PERSONALIZED DISCOMFORT)
– SHAME (PUBLIC DISAPPROVAL)
– “DEGRADATION CEREMONIES”
16. SOCIAL CONTROL:
HOW IT IS CARRIED OUT?
FORMAL INFORMAL
NEGATIVEPOSITIVE
THE COURT
SYSTEM;
PRISON
WAVING OF
A FINGER; A
“LOOK”
RECEIVING A
REWARD OR
AN AWARD IN
PUBLIC
A FAVORING
LOOK, OR AN
INFORMAL
COMMENT
17. IN A DIVERSE CULTURE....IN A DIVERSE CULTURE....
THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES IN DEGREES OF ACCEPTANCE AND
CONFORMITY WITH WIDER HELD NOTIONS
• SUBCULTURES
– groups whose members are
different enough to set
themselves apart from the
wider society
– not necessarily bad, but just
different
– clubs, youth groups,
bodybuilders, etc.
18. IN A DIVERSE CULTURE....IN A DIVERSE CULTURE....
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE DEEP DIVISIONS AMONG
SOCIAL GROUPS
• COUNTERCULTURES
– groups whose specific culture
components are often at great
odds with the wider society,
often resulting in conflict
– often perceived as threats to the
social order
– the KKK, some Skinhead
groups, and so forth
19. IDEAL VS. REAL CULTURE
WE TEND TO IDEALIZE AMERICAN CULTURE WHICH ACTUALLY
DISTORTS SOCIAL REALITY.....BUT THINGS SELDOM ARE THAT GOOD!
• IDEAL CULTURE
– CULTURAL IDEALS HELD OUT AS
EXAMPLES OF HOW THINGS SHOULD
(OR COULD) BE.
• REAL CULTURE
– WHAT THINGS ARE REALLY LIKE FOR
A PEOPLE IN A GIVEN CULTURE.
• EXAMPLES:
– MARRIAGES OFTEN FALL SHORT FROM
WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO
BELIEVE
– FRIENDSHIPS OFTEN FAIL US WHEN
MOST NEEDED
– EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IS A VALUE, BUT
SELDOM REALITY WHEN EXAMINED
20. CULTURE CHANGE
• INVENTION
– PROCESS OF CREATING NEW CULTURE
• DISCOVERY
– UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING NOT FULLY
UNDERSTOOD BEFORE
• DIFFUSION
– SPREAD OF ELEMENTS FROM ONE
CULTURE TO ANOTHER
CULTURAL LEVELING - PROCESS IN WHICH CULTURES
BECOME SIMILAR DUE TO EXPANDING INDUSTRIALIZATION
AND THE SPREAD OF TECHNOLOGY.
