The Basis of Culture
Sociology: Chapter 3, Section 1
Culture and Society
• Culture is the knowledge, language, values,
customs, and physical objects that are passed
from generation to generation as members of
a group.
• What family customs do you have?
• What physical objects do you have that are
inherited from a parent or grandparent?
• I have my wife’s grandmother’s piano, which
was built 100 years ago. It is special, because
it has been a part of her family.
One way society passes down its traditions
is through family customs
Culture and Society
• Our family also teaches us how to see the
world; they affect our religious beliefs, how
we treat other people, what kind of careers
are worthwhile, etc.
• How has your family affected how you see the
world?
Culture and Society
• There are material and nonmaterial aspects to
culture
• The material side of culture includes the
physical objects around us.
• What are some physical objects that are in the
United States that would seem out of place in
a culture that lives on a remote island?
• Shopping malls, cars, cell phones, computers
Culture and Society
• The nonmaterial side of culture includes
beliefs, rules, customs, family systems, and a
system of economy.
• In what ways is the culture of University Prep
different than Victor Valley High School or
Silverado?
• In what ways are the cultures similar? (either
materially or nonmaterially)
Culture and Society
• Culture is one of the factors that affects how
we behave.
• Why might the same people behave
differently while attending church than when
they attend a football game?
• They are still the same people, but the culture
of each place is different.
• Do you act differently at school than you do at
home?
Are these people at a game or at a funeral?
How can you tell?
Culture and Society
• Culture and Society are two related words, but
they are not the same.
• A society is a group of people who live in a
defined territory and participate in a common
culture
• Culture is that society’s total way of life.
• How could University Prep be considered a
society?
Certain areas of this country have an ethnic group that is in a
higher proportion to the general American population. These
are unofficial borders, but they are fairly stable
Culture and Heredity
• Instincts are genetically inherited patterns of
behavior that are innate (not learned).
• What instincts do animals have?
• Birds fly south for winter, bees signal to other
bees where the good flowers are, dogs bark at
intruders. They did not have to learn these
behaviors.
• Humans have instincts too– eat food, reproduce,
find shelter. These instincts help humans survive.
Human beings display several instinctive motor behaviors, often
right at birth. They are called behavioral reflexes, such as when a
newborn firmly holds a rope and he can be lifted.
This behavior could come from evolution among the primates,
so that infants could hold on to their mothers’ hair and do not
fall off when she moves briskly.
Culture and Heredity
• Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring
from its parents or ancestors.
• How does heredity affect behavior?
• Some things, like alcoholism, autism, and
depression, can be inherited, just like blue
eyes and brown hair is inherited from parents
and ancestors.
How can heredity affect not only physical
aspects, but also personality aspects that
eventually affect a culture?
Culture and Heredity
• How much of a personality do you think is a result
of heredity and how much is a result of the
environment that that person lives in?
• This is sometimes called the “nature vs. nurture”
argument
• What happens if two twins grow up in different
places? Are they very similar in personality?
• People have studied these kinds of twins and found
that personality traits are determined by both
genetic makeup and environmental factors at about
a 50/50 ratio.
Culture and Heredity
• Twins: Is it All in the Genes? - Our America
with Lisa Ling - Oprah Winfrey Network
• https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5Y3-F79LY
• Discuss Nature vs. Nurture Case Study
Worksheet
Culture and Heredity
• Additionally, people have reflexes, which are
simple, biologically inherited automatic reactions
to physical stimuli
• What are some examples of reflexes?
• A baby will cry when pinched, the pupils of the
eyes will contract when in bright light, your leg
will kick a little bit when your knee is hit in a
certain place.
• People also have biologically inherited drives or
impulses, such as eating, drinking, sleeping, or
associating with others and making friends
Reflexes in general exist to help us stay alive and avoid injury.
The knee-jerk reflex is a great example. The doctor hits your
patellar tendon just below your knee, suddenly stretching the
tendon and the quadriceps muscle. Your quadriceps senses
the sudden increase in length and automatically sends the
message to contract your quadriceps in order to prevent
injury and over-stretching
Culture and Heredity
• Genetically inherited personality traits, reflexes and
drives do not control human social behavior.
• A person’s culture channels the expression of these
biological characteristics.
• Some cultures teach boys not to cry when in pain,
while others allow boys to express discomfort more
openly.
• When have you felt that the culture around you has
shaped what you would or would not do?
Some cultures discourage crying
Sociobiology
• Sociobiology is the study of the biological
basis of behavior. It combines Darwin’s theory
of natural selection (evolution) with the
science of genetics
• The best behaviors that help the human race
survive are genetically passed on.
• These include a desire to reproduce, care for
their children, friendship, and educate their
children.
Sociobiology
• In contrast, “Darwin Awards” are given to people
who do such dumb things, they end up killing
themselves in some accident, thus reducing their
chance to reproduce and create more dumb
people.
• An example is this one from the year 2000: “Iraqi
terrorist Khay Rahnajet, didn't put enough
postage on a letter bomb, and it came back
marked ‘return to sender.’ He opened the
package and was blown away.”
• He will not be reproducing.
Sociobiology
• Sociobiologists do not draw a heavy line
between human and nonhuman animals.
• They point to a baboon or a raven using tools
to get what they need, or dolphins’ ability to
use language, as blurring the line for what it
means to be human.
• Do you think humans are just another kind of
animal, or are they set apart in some way? If
they are set apart, what is it that makes
humans special?
When it was discovered that certain animals
were able to invent and use tools, we had to
redefine what it means to be human
Sociobiology
• Some people criticize sociobiology because it
does not account enough for why people
would be so much the same across hereditary
boundaries.
Assessment
• Write your answers to the six questions on
page 75.