chapter 3-american values

HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON

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S E C T I O N 1 : T H E A M E R I C A N V A L U E S S Y S T E M

S E C T I O N 2 : S O C I A L C O N T R O L

S E C T I O N 3 : S O C I A L C H A N G E

CHAPTER 3

CULTURAL CONFORMITY AND ADAPTATION


TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES

• Sociologist Robin Williams identified 15 values that

are central to the American way of life.

• Many Americans values these 15 aspects of American life

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BASIC VALUES OF AMERICAN CULTURE

• Personal Achievement – built primarily by people that value individual achievement, as in the area of employment

• Individualism – success comes through hard work and initiative

• Work – Americans view discipline, dedication, and hard work as signs of virtue

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Section 1: The American Values System

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• Morality and Humanitarianism –

Americans place a high value on

morality and tend to view the world in

terms of right and wrong; quick to help

the unfortunate

• Efficiency and Practicality – practical and

inventive, every problem has a solution;

judge objects on their usefulness and

people on their ability to get things done

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(continued)


PICTURE D

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• Progress and Material Comfort –

Americans believe that through hard

work and determination living standards

will continue to improve

• Equality and Democracy – to have

human equality, there must be an

equality of opportunity; success is a

reward that must be earned

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(continued)



• Freedom – freedom of choice such as

religion, speech, and press and protect

them from government interference

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(continued)


OUR CHANGING VALUES

• Self-fulfillment – the commitment to the full development of

one’s personality, talents, and potential; includes leisure,

physical fitness and youthfulness• Person’s mindset determines their self-fulfillment

• Narcissism: extreme self-centeredness

• Sociologist Christopher Lasch the emphasis on personal fulfillment

(narcissism) a personality disorder

• Environmental protection

• Education and Religion were deemed important by students

who were polled• Sociologist James Henslin found these to be important

• He also suggested love to be important as well

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ENFORCING THE NORMS OF SOCIETY

• Internalization – process by which a norm becomes a part of

an individual’s personality thus conditioning that individual to

conform to society’s expectations• Ex: holding the door open when a woman walks through, fixing a plate for

a guest, or social media

• Sanctions – rewards and punishments used to enforce conformity to the norms

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Section 2: Social Control


DIFFERENT TYPES OF SANCTIONS

• Positive Sanction – action that rewards

a particular kind of behavior such as

good grades or a pay raise

• Negative Sanction – punishment or the

threat of punishment to enforce

conformity such as frowns,

imprisonment, and even death

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF SANCTIONS

• Formal Sanction – rewards or punishments by a

formal organization or regulatory agency such as

the government and includes promotions,

awards, or low grades

• Informal Sanction – spontaneous expression of

approval or disapproval by an individual or group

such as a standing ovation, gifts, gossip, or ridicule• Blog and the social media are the most popular types

today

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(continued)


MAIN SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

• Informal Sanction– are affected by ideology

spread through social movements

• Technology – knowledge and tools people

use to manipulate their environment

• Population – change in size of population

may bring about changes in the culture

• Diffusion – the process of spreading culture

traits from one society to another

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Section 3: Social Change


MAIN SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

• Physical Environment – the environment may

provide conditions that encourage or

discourage cultural change

• Wars and Conquest – are not common but

bring about the greatest amount of change

in the least amount of time

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Section 3: Social Change

(continued)

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CULTURAL LAG AND VESTED INTERESTS

• Some cultural traits that change happen quickly

while others do not

• Cultural lag

• Sometimes people want things to stay the way they

are within a society

• Called a vested interest

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