Culture and Socialization

Components of Culture

Material culture is physical (technology, clothing, tools); non-material culture is ideas -- values (abstract ideals), norms (behavior rules), symbols, and language. Cultural lag occurs when non-material culture (law, ethics) trails material change, as when genetic testing outpaces privacy law. Subcultures are distinct but not opposed to the dominant culture; countercultures actively oppose it.

Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards; cultural relativism understands a culture on its own terms. Theoretical lenses: functionalism sees shared culture as value consensus creating cohesion; conflict theory sees cultural hegemony (Gramsci) making elite values feel like common sense; symbolic interactionism sees culture built through everyday shared symbols.

Socialization

Primary socialization (family) teaches basic norms and language; secondary socialization (school, work) teaches role-specific behavior. Anticipatory socialization rehearses future roles; resocialization strips old norms in total institutions (Goffman: prisons, boot camps). Schools also transmit a hidden curriculum -- punctuality, obedience, competition -- beyond academics.

Key Takeaways

• Distinguish values, norms, symbols; material vs. non-material culture
• Cultural lag: ethics and law trail technology
• Ethnocentrism judges; cultural relativism contextualizes
• Know primary, secondary, anticipatory socialization and resocialization in total institutions