Social Structure and Norms Review
Blackhurst
Agenda
It’s been a while… so let’s review what we’ve learned. 
1
Norms
More, Folkways, Laws
5
American Values
2
Culture
6
Culture Change
3
Sanctions
7
Subculture
4
Values
8
Components of Culture
Material and Non-material culture
Formal, Informal, Positive, Negative
How can we tell what a society values?
Robin Williams’
Diffusion, Discovery and Invention
and Countercultures
Taboos, Symbols, Language
Norms
Mores, Folkways, Laws
MORES
Laws are
mores
formalized
into laws.
Have a greater moral
significance
 Violations of Mores
endangers the well-being &
stability of society
 Do not kill other people
 Do not steal
 Do not hurt children
 Keep your promises
 Pay back borrowed money

FOLKWAYS
Rules that cover customary
practices without a moral
concern
 Males—take off hats inside a
building
 Sending “Thank You” notes
 Using proper table manners
 Do not eat peas with your
fingers
 Shake hands when you are
introduced to someone
 Get to class on time
 Do your homework
 Do not cut in line

Culture
Material and Non-material
Material Culture.
•
•
Can you come up
with more
examples of
material/nonmaterial culture?
The concrete, tangible objects of a culture.
All of these physical aspects of a culture help to define its members‘
behaviors and perceptions.
Ex: Art pieces, sculptures, computers
Non-Material Culture.
•
Non-Material Culture---ideas, knowledge, and beliefs that influence
people’s behaviors
Sanctions
Formal, Informal, Positive and Negative
What are the possible sanctions for someone who received a D in
Sociology on their report card?
•
•
•
•
Negative – Having a “D” bring your gpa down.
Positive – none
Formal – Teacher calls home.
Informal – Your friends make fun of you because they know sociology is
an easy class.
Values
How can we tell what a society values?
Societies values show up in their norms.
If a culture values a specific set of rules for it’s
people, it will impose those rules upon the
people by making them conform to norms.
American Values
Robin Williams
(1) Achievement and
Success
(2) Individualism
(3) Activity and Work
(4) Efficiency and
Practicality
(5) Science and
Technology
(6) Progress
(7) Material Comfort
(8) Humanitarianism
(9) Freedom
(10) Democracy
(11) Equality
(12) Racism and
Group Superiority
(13) Education
(14) Religiosity
(15) Romantic Love
Culture Change
Diffusion, Discovery and Invention
Diffusion - process of spreading culture traits from
society to society. Technology and material traits
diffuse faster than beliefs and ideas.
 Discovery – societies creating culture based on
discovery for new uses of former ways to conform

Ex:
Light bulb (There was always a way to light a room
with a candle. They discovered a new way.)
Invention – Creation of culture traits and patterns
from new elements in a society

Subculture
And counterculture.
•
•
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
Culture Components
Culture
Patterns
combination of a number of
culture complexes into an
interrelated whole
Culture
Complexes
individual culture traits combine
to form culture
Culture Traits
individual tool, act, or belief that’s related to a
particular situation or need
Culture
Symbols, Language

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


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Symbols stand for or represent something else.
Some symbols have greater meaning than others.
Language affects culture in different ways.
It helps define reality by restricting thought to available
words.
It shapes behavior in the same manner.
Equipped with language, humans can pass their
experiences, ideas, and knowledge to others.
Arapesh v. Mundugumor
What did we learn about their personalities compared with their culture?
Who studied these cultures?
Margaret Mead
Where did she study?
New Guinea
When did she study?
1930s
Why did she study these people?
Her purpose was to determine whether differences in personal
temperament results mainly from inherited characteristics or cultural
influences.