C+I - norms, values, cultures

• Customs are regular and patterned ways of behaving that are characteristic of a certain culture
• Customs describe how members of a culture are expected to behave in social situations
• Cultural diversity describes the variety of norms, values, customs, and traditions in different societies
• Tipping 10-20% in the US is a custom
• Kissing one another upon greeting is a norm in France
• Finishing your plate in China is considered rude and assumes the host didn't provide enough food
• Values are basic rules shared by most people in a culture, reflecting what people think should happen in society
• Shared social values in British culture include democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance
• Norms are shared expectations of behaviors in a specific culture, representing standard behaviors
• Types of norms include:

  • Folkways: socially approved behaviors without moral significance
  • Mores: norms of morality often based on religion
  • Taboo: widely prohibited and forbidden behaviors within a culture
  • Laws: formal rules enacted into law
• Values are beliefs that reflect what people think should happen in society
• Values are set beliefs, for example, holding the door open for someone or teaching children good manners
• Culture is the way that people live in society in relation to shared beliefs, language, and traditions
• Norms are guidelines on how to behave and how to live in a culture
• Subcultures like Mods and Rockers can be labeled as folk devils, leading to moral panics in society
• Societal reaction to deviance can amplify that deviance, as seen in the Mods and Rockers case study
• There is a sociological debate on whether people are influenced by genetics or their environment
• Biologists favor the nature argument, while sociologists favor the nurture argument
• A more contemporary view suggests that human behavior is a combination of biological and environmental influences
• Feral children are children who have not been socialized into human society from an early age
• Cases like Genie Wiley highlight the importance of primary socialization in human development