INTERACTIONIST THEORY:
Speakers of different languages think about the world in quite different ways.
This view is sometimes called the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, after the linguists who made it famous - that
we know the world only in terms of our language.
Language then determines our cultural reality
Values are defined as the standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty; they are
broad principles
Beliefs - specific statements that people hold to be true. Beliefs are learned through socialization and
help shape how we perceive our surroundings and how our personality develops.
Sociologists describe two interrelated aspects of human culture: the physical objects of the culture
(Material Culture) and the ideas associated with these objects. (Non-material Culture).
Material Culture: Homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques,
offices, factories and plants, tools, means of production, colleges, cars, boots, purses, phones, clothes,
furniture, goods and products, stores, and so forth.
Non Material Culture When considering non-material culture, sociologists refer to several processes
that a culture uses to shape its members' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Four of the most important of these are symbols, language, values, and norms.
Norms vary in their degree of importance. Mores distinguish between right and wrong
Folkways distinguish between right and rude.
Norms are defined as rules that guide behavior.
Proscriptive Norms: mandate what we should not do
Prescriptive Norms: stating what we should do. They can change over time, as illustrated by norms
regarding sexual behavior
IDEAL CULTURE: Values and norms are not descriptions of actual behavior but rather reflect how we
believe members of a culture should behave.
Give an example of this…for example, smoking is unhealthy and leads to health problems. Nobody
should smoke.
Rewards conformity and punishes deviance.
Deviance: deviating from the norm
Through socialization we internalize cultural norms and impose constraints on our own behavior.
The "breaking" of an internalized norm results in guilt and shame.
Deviance is relative to time and place because what is considered deviant in one social context may be
non-deviant in another (e.g., fighting during a hockey game vs. fighting in a nursing home).
Killing another human is considered wrong except when governments permit it during warfare or selfdefense.
The Whorf-Sapir hypothesis states that we know the world only in terms of our language.
Values are defined as the standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty; they are
broad principles
Beliefs - specific statements that people hold to be true.
Culture is defined as the values, beliefs, behavior, and material objects that constitute a people's way of
life. Material Culture is the objects we use and Non-material Culture is the values we give them. Mores
distinguish between right and wrong
Folkways distinguish between right and rude
Proscriptive Norms: mandate what we should not do
Prescriptive Norms: stating what we should do.
Deviance: not conforming to the “norm”. Relative to time and place.
Ideal Culture: The way things SHOULD be...not how they are.
Subcultures are groups within a group whose values and behavior are distinctly differently from the
dominant culture.
Different way of looking at life, but still compatible with the main culture
Occupations, (police, fire, corrections, medical), Social interests, (Boy Scouts, hunters, fraternities),
Religions,(Catholics, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses), Politics, (gun rights, pro-life, environmentalists.
Ethnicities,(Irish, Native American, Latino)
Countercultures include groups of people whose values and norms are in opposition to the dominant
culture.
Challenge the dominant culture – often confrontational. Some are negative:
Satanists, Skinheads, Hell’s Angels, KKK
Some are positive: Hippies contributed civil rights, environmental reforms while being criticized by the
dominant culture by their “deviant” appearance.
Studies performed by those who believe that some religious groups do practice mind control have
identified a number of key steps in coercive persuasion
People are put in physical or emotionally distressing situations;
Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized;
They receive what seems to be unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader
or group;
They get a new identity based on the group;
They are subject to isolation from friends, relatives and the mainstream culture and their access to
information is severely controlled
Studies performed by those who believe that some religious groups do practice mind control have
identified a number of key steps in coercive persuasion
People are put in physical or emotionally distressing situations;
Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized;
They receive what seems to be unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader
or group;
They get a new identity based on the group;
They are subject to isolation from friends, relatives and the mainstream culture and their access to
information is severely controlled
Deviance is any behavior that violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to warrant
disapproval from the majority of society.
Deviance can be criminal or non-criminal
The sociological discipline that deals with crime (behavior that violates laws) is criminology (also
known as criminal justice).
Americans consider such activities as alcoholism, excessive gambling, being nude in public places,
playing with fire, stealing, lying, refusing to bathe, purchasing the services of prostitutes, and crossdressing—to name only a few—as devia
How people learn deviance.
DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY: According to this theory, the environment plays a major role in
deciding which norms people learn to violate.
People also learn their norms from various socializing agents—parents, teachers, ministers, family,
friends, co-workers, and the media.
Example: Gangs glorify violence, retaliation, and crime as means to achieving social status
ANOMIE THEORY: Anomie refers to the confusion that arises when social norms conflict or don't even
exist
Example: The differences between socially accepted goals and the availability of means to achieve
those goals.
Attaining wealth is a major goal of Americans, but not all Americans possess the means to do this.
Those who find the “road to riches” closed to them experience anomie, because an obstacle has
stopped their pursuit of a socially approved goal.
When this happens, these individuals may employ deviant behaviors to attain their goals, retaliate
against society, or merely “make a point.”
CRIME:
Any discussion of deviance remains incomplete without a discussion of crime, which is any act that
violates written criminal law.
Society sees most crimes, such as robbery, assault, battery, rape, murder, burglary, as deviant.
But some crimes, such as those committed in violation of laws against selling merchandise on
Sundays, are not deviant at all.
Social Structure: network of interrelated statuses and roles
Status: Defines where you fit in society
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Ascribed Status: assigned
Achieved Status: role you achieve through your own efforts
Master Status: One rank that determines your social identity.
Role: you play - bring statuses to life
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Reciprocal Roles: define interaction with others
Role Expectations: Socially determined expected behaviors
Role Conflict: conflict between statuses.
Role Strain: difficulty meeting the role of a single status.
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When you play a role – you are interacting with others
Some interactions stabilize the social structure
Some interactions promote change.
There are five (5) types of interaction that takes place in society
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Interacting in an effort to receive a reward or return for actions.
Most common form of interaction Example: Working, dating, family life, friendship, politics.
Reciprocity: you do something – other person owes you. Basis for Exchange.
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Example: a “Thank You” from your parents when you wash the dishes.
Exchange Theory: Belief that people are motivated by self interest. Cost/Benefit analysis.
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When two or more people oppose each other to achieve a goal only one can have.
Competition: Example: College applications, Football Games, Contests
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Positive: Rules of accepted proper conduct are followed.
Negative: Can lead to stress, lack of cooperation, inequality and conflict
Competition is about achieving a goal – but with Conflict, the emphasis is on defeating the opponent.
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Deliberate attempt to control a person by force, oppose or harm someone.
Conflict: Four major sources of Conflict: wars, disagreements, legal disputes, ideology
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Sometimes competition becomes conflict
Example: Business undercuts another business on price to force them into bankruptcy.
Can be negative, but also Positive: reinforces loyalty by focusing on outside threat, draws
attention away from internal problems, can lead to social change
Cooperation: Two or more people work together to achieve a goal that benefits more than one person.
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Example: Employees of a company work together to increase sales.
Gets things done. No group can achieve its goals with cooperation.