Culture is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material
Objects that together form a people’s way of life. Culture includes what we think,
how we act, and what we own. Culture is both our link to the past and our guide to the
future.
Nonmaterial culture the ideas created by members of a society.
Material culture the physical things created by members of a society.
Culture shock personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life.
Symbol anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture.
The fact that different meanings can come to be associated with the same symbol [for example, a
wink of an eye] shows the human capacity to create and manipulate symbols.
• Societies create new symbols all the time [for example, new computer technology has sparked the
creation of new cyber-symbols].
Language is the symbolic system by which people in a culture communicate with one another.
• People use language—both spoken and written—to transmit culture from one generation to the
next. • Because every culture is different, each language has words or expressions not found in any
other language.
Sapir-Whorf thesis the idea that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of
language.
Values culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful
and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.
Beliefs specific ideas that people who share a culture hold to be true.
Norm’s rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members. Norms are of
two types, Mores and folkways.
Mores norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance. For example, sexual
taboos.
Folkways norms for routine or casual interaction, which are matters of everyday politeness. For
example, greetings or dining etiquette.
Social control attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior.
Technology knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings.
Cultural Diversity
cultural universals traits that are part of every known culture sociobiology a theoretical approach
that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture
We live in a culturally diverse society. • This diversity is due to our country’s history of immigration. •
Diversity reflects regional differences. • Diversity reflects differences in social class that set off high
culture [available only to elites] from popular culture [available to average people].
A number of values are central to our way of life. But cultural patterns are not the same throughout
our society.
Subculture is based on differences in interests and life experiences. • Hip-hop fans and jocks are two
examples of youth subcultures in the United States.
Multiculturalism is an effort to enhance appreciation of cultural diversity. • Multiculturalism
developed as a reaction to the earlier “melting pot” idea, which was thought to result in minorities’
losing their identity as they adopted mainstream cultural patterns.