60CHAPTER 3 Culture TABLE 3.1 ELEMENTS OF CULTURE Cu l t u r e i n Ou r He a d s : Values: Deeply held principles or standards by which people make judgments about the world, especially in terms of what is desirable or worthwhile (for example, wealth equals success, family is important) Beliefs: Convictions or opinions that people accept as true (for example, my country is good, God exists, the gods exist) Knowledge: Information, awareness, and understanding that helps people navigate the world (for example, language, mathematics, sociological insight) Norms: Rules and expectations for “appropriate” behavior (for example, how to dress, what standards of hygiene to maintain) Behaviors: The actions associated with a group that help reproduce a distinct way of life (for example, “appropriate” sexual practices, the pursuit of formal education) Objects and artifacts: The physical items that are created and associated with a culture (for example, food, clothing, music) Symbols: Anything—a sound, a gesture, an image, an object—that represents something else (for example, a handshake, a corporate logo) Language: An elaborate system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another in complex ways (for example, English, Spanish, Chinese, American Sign Language) Values, B e l i e fs, K n owledge, and Norms Let’s look more closely at the ideas of culture—the particular values, beliefs, knowledge, and norms that lend a culture its unique character. Together, they shape how people think, behave, and view their world. VALUES: WHAT IS DESIRABLE? A value is a deeply held principle or standard that people use to make judgments about the world, especially in deciding what is desirable or worthwhile. For example, U.S. culture is highly individualistic. That is, people in the United States generally value individual freedom and autonomy above collective responsibility and commitment to community (Bellah et al. 2007). In contrast, some cultures place much more value on family well-being or some broader collective good than on individual achievement. The Japanese, for instance, emphasize group solidarity and loyalty, and this kind of collective orientation shapes ideas about what it means to be successful (Hofstede 1980; Silver 2002). China, too, has had a strong collective tradition, but recent research shows its values in the twenty-fi rst century to be shifting. The Chinese now have a more favorable view of competition than do the Japanese and even, according to the World Values Survey, than do people in the United States (Marsh 2009; World Values Survey 2005–2008). Cultures develop different ideas about what constitutes a desirable appearance. These seem perfectly “normal” from the perspective of those inside a culture but can seem odd from the outside. Which hairstyles appear strange to you? Are there appearance norms in your culture that might seem unusual to outsiders?
Croteau_Experience_Sociology_ch03
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