Why do you use deodorant?

Why do girls carry purses? Why do you take your hat

off when you eat? Why do you put your hand

over your mouth when you yawn?

Norms Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members

Prescriptive Norms

What we should do

Ex. - You should practice safe sex

Proscriptive norms

Mandating what it is we should not do

You should not have casual sex

Mores A society’s

standards of proper moral conduct

Apply to everyone all the time – often they are our LAWS !

Folkways Society’s customs of

routine, casual interaction

The line between right and rude

Will vary place to place

Internalization of Norms

Process by which a norm becomes a part of an individual’s personality, thus conditioning that individual to conform to society’s expectations.

Sanctions

Rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms. They can be positive or

negative They can also be formal or

informal And many times sanctions

are a source of conflict!

Positive vs. Negative

Positive sanction An action that rewards a

particular kind of behavior Negative sanction

A punishment or a threat of punishment used to enforce conformity

Formal vs. Informal

Formal sanction A reward or punishment given

by a formal organization, business, or government

Informal sanction A spontaneous expression of

approval or disapproval given by an individual or group

Positive Formal Sanction

Graduation certificate

Pay raise Promotion Any award or

medal

Positive Informal Sanction

Standing ovation Compliment Smile Pat on the back Gift

Negative Formal Sanction

Low grades Suspension from

school Fired from a job Fine Imprisonment

Negative Informal Sanction

Frown Gossip Rebuke (turned away) Insult Ridicule Ostracism

Conflict with sanctions

Norms of different groups (subculture; counterculture) clash

Subculture – holds unique values Counterculture – rejects and replaces Seen as a challenge to authority

No universality – ex. School rules applied differently to groups

Don’t understand folkways

How do sociologists study a changing society?

They break culture down into levels and study them separately. Traits Complexes Patterns

Culture traits An individual tool,

act, or belief that is related to a particular situation or need

You will say “Hey” to friends and acquaintances, but “Hello” or “Hi” to your boss

Using a knife, fork, or spoon when eating is a culture trait

A football, cleats, helmets, pads, first-aid kits are all culture traits

Culture complex A cluster of

interrelated traits If the football is a

trait, what then is the complex?

Culture pattern A combination of a

number of culture complexes into an interrelated whole

If the game of football is a complex, what is the culture pattern?

How does culture change?

How does culture change?

Values and beliefs Technology Population Diffusion Physical environment Wars and conquest

Values and beliefs

From a Structural Functional view A change in ideology can

change some or all aspects of society

Social Movements

Technology

When people find new ways to manipulate their environment Invention Discovery

Population The arrival of new groups with

different cultural traits. This impacts . . . Food, language, clothing, ideas,

etc. Relationship with government Closeness of relations with

others Average age of population

Diffusion

Spread of cultural traits from one society to another Mass transportation,

media, communication Material more readily Reformulation

Physical environment Environment can

encourage or discourage cultural change Local vs. imported foods Natural disasters Change in natural

resources

Wars and conquests Greatest change in the

shortest amount of time. Disastrous like natural

calamities Foster ingenuity Power shifts

Cultural Lag Not all cultural traits change at

the same rate. Some traits change rapidly, and the transformation of others may take considerable time.

Material culture usually changes faster and nonmaterial culture lags behind.

Give me three examples