Chapter Preview · Section 5
Cultural Diversity and Similarity (pages 95–102)
Cultures change according to three
major processes. Cultures contain
groups within them called subcultures
and countercultures that differ in
important ways from the main culture.
People tend to make judgments
based on their own cultures. While
apparently very different on the
surface, all cultures have common
traits or elements that sociologists call
cultural universals.
Cultures change according to three major
processes. Cultures contain groups within them
called subcultures and countercultures that
differ in important ways from the main culture.
People tend to make judgments based on the
values of their own cultures. While apparently
very different on the surface, all cultures have
common traits or elements that sociologists call
cultural universals.
Which trait do you think we have in
common with other cultures?
A. Religion
B. Commerce
C. Government
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Cultural Change
• Culture changes for three reasons:
– Discovery—the process of finding
something that already exists.
– Invention—the creation of something
new.
– Diffusion—the borrowing of aspects of
culture from other cultures.
Finding hamburgers on a menu in
Japan is an example of
A. Discovery
B. Invention
C. Diffusion
D. Culture
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Cultural Diversity
• Cultural diversity exists in all societies.
• Social categories are groups that share a
social characteristic such as age, gender,
or religion.
• Subculture is part of the dominant culture
but differs from it in some important
respects.
Cultural Diversity (cont.)
• Counterculture is a subculture deliberately
and consciously opposed to certain beliefs or
attitudes of the dominant culture.
In your opinion, is cultural diversity
beneficial to society or does it harm
society?
A. Beneficial to society
B. Harms society
C. Not sure of its effects
0%
A
A. A
B. B
0%
C. C
B
0%
C
Ethnocentrism
• Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging
others in terms of one’s own cultural
standards.
• Advantages:
– People feel good about themselves and
others.
– Stability is promoted.
Ethnocentrism (cont.)
• Disadvantage:
– Inflexibility
In your opinion, does ethnocentrism
help or hurt society?
A. Helps society
B. Hurts society
C. Neither
D. Not sure
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
Cultural Universals
• Cultural universals are traits that exist in
all cultures, such as sports, cooking, and
education.
• Cultural particulars are the ways that each
culture expresses the universals.
Immigration to the
United States
Cultural Universals (cont.)
• Cultural universals exist for three main
reasons:
– The biological similarity shared by all
human beings.
– The physical environment affecting all
human beings.
– Many countries face the same social
problems.
Cultural Universals
Which of the following is NOT a
category that cultural universals fall
under?
A. Economy
B. Beliefs
C. Language
D. Democracy
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
Closing
Early this morning your best friend calls you on the phone crying. You eventually
understand why she’s upset. Her parents have told her she is expected to follow the
Philippino tradion of marrying a boy who was chosen for her at birth; a marriage to
her current boyfriend is strictly forbidden. It would be taboo for her to continue to
think about him. As soon as she turns 21, she is expected to marry Manuel, a young
man she has never met.
Determine the extent of loyalty to a tradition as well as following one’s heart. Should
Philippino traditions rule behavior in America? Whose values should be taken into
consideration? Fashion a solution to this difficulty, and evaluate its effectiveness in
keeping peace in the family.
• social categories
• subculture
• counterculture
• ethnocentrism
• cultural universals
• cultural particulars
Cultural Universals
Immigration to the United States
Source: Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services: 2004 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.
social categories
groupings of persons who share a social
characteristic
subculture
a group that is part of the dominant culture
but that differs from it in some important
respects
counterculture
a subculture deliberately and consciously
opposed to certain central beliefs or
attitudes of the dominant culture
ethnocentrism
judging others in terms of one’s own
cultural standards
cultural universals
general cultural traits that exist in all
cultures
cultural particulars
the ways in which a culture expresses
universal traits