Society

an autonomous population whose members

are subject to a common political authority,
occupy a common territory, have a common
culture, and have a sense of shared identity
A society is the largest group with which most
people can identify
Members of a society are interdependent
Societies are constantly changing and evolving
No society exists in isolation

Social Structure
the relatively stable and enduring patterns
that organize social relationships and
provide a framework for society
The building block of common experience, it is
essential to all aspects of everyday social
interaction

Elements of Social
Structure
Statuses and Roles
Status-a social position an individual occupies
Roles-the collection of rights, obligations and
expectations that accompany a status

Social Relationships and Networks

Groups and Organizations
Social Institutions
organized patterns of beliefs and behaviors
centered on basic social needs

Culture
a set tangible and intangible elements
that gives shape and meaning to the
everyday lives of a particular group of
people.
Social structure and culture
High vs. Popular culture

Elements of Culture
Materialtangible
Non-Materialintangible
Beliefsshared ideas about how the world operates
Valuesattitudes about what is desirable and moral
Normsrules of conduct, create order
Folkways and Mores and Laws
Sanctions

Rituals

Elements of Culture, cont.

Technologytechnologies help define a
culture
Communicationbasis for shared
understanding of reality
Language
Symbols

Experiencing Other
Cultures
Culture Shockthe feeling of disorientation and
stress people experience when they enter an
unfamiliar cultural setting
Ethnocentrismthe tendency to evaluate other
cultures in terms of our own and to conclude that
the other is inferior
Cultural Relativismthe view that a culture must
be understood in terms of its own meanings,
attitudes and values

Learning Our Own

Culture
Cultural Integrationthe extent to which different
parts of a culture fit well together
Complex, heterogeneous societies vs. Small,
homogenous societies

Socializationlearning about and adopting the

values, norms, beliefs and other non-material
elements of a culture and becoming familiar with
its material elements
Enculturationimmersion in a culture to the point
where it feels natural, second nature

Subcultures,
Countercultures, Cultural
Change
Subculturea set of understandings,
behaviors, practical and symbolic objects,
and vocabulary that distinguish a particular
group from other members of their society
Countercultureagainst the culture
Cultural change has 3 sources
Alterations in the natural environment
Contact with other cultures
Discovery of new knowledge

Socialization
The process by which an individual
becomes a functioning member of the
surrounding society
Nature vs. Nurtureare we who we are
because of heredity or our social
environment?

Theories of Socialization
Functionalistsocialization makes society
possible
Conflictsocialization controls people, insures
that inequalities will be reproduced
Social learning theorysocial learning occurs
through conditioning and observation
Symbolic interactionistfocus on the
development of the self

The Looking Glass Self

Charles Horton Cooley
Our image of ourselves is based on how
others see us and how we believe others see
us
Three parts:
How we imagine others see us
How we imagine people judge what they see
How we feel about peoples reactions to what
they see

Agents of socialization

Family
Schools
Peers
The workplace
Mass media
Social institutions (family, religion,
education, political and economic system)