People often make judgements about other cultures according to the customs and values of their own, a practice called ethnocentrism. It can lead to prejudice and discrimination and often leads to the repression of one group by another. Cultural relativism is the recognition that social groups and cultures must be studied and understood on their own terms before valid comparisons can be made.
Culture shock is the difficulty people have adjusting to a new culture that differs markedly from their own. What would you think if you saw a woman in India scooped up cow dung, let it dry, then hang it up over her front steps? You would probably sense a bit of culture shock.
Norms
Norms are rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Norms exist from unimportant to very important. Folkways are socially acceptable but do not have great moral significance attached to them. Mores are norms have moral and ethical significance and their violation is a serious matter. Taboos are the unthinkable violations of morals and ethics.
Values
Values represent not only the things that give meaning and about which human beings feel certain, but also the ideas that make such things so important that humans are willing to fight, to work, or to give up something of their own in exchange for them. They express the ideas or central beliefs common to the members of a group describing what they consider good, right, and desirable.
Silly Laws Still on the Books
Alabama-It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle
Arizona-Hunting camels is prohibited
Florida-If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the fee has to be paid just as it would be for a vehicle.
Illinois-You must contact the police before entering the city in an automobile.
Iowa-Kisses may last for as much as, but no more than, five minutes.
Maine-You must not step out of a plane in flight.
Massachesetts-No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.
Minnesota-A person may not crose state lines with a duck atop his or her head
Vermont-Whistling underwater is illegal.
Washington-It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
Subcultures
Each culture generally contains subgroups that are unique unto themselves. A subculture is part of the dominant culture, but seem to differ in some important aspects.
Countercultures
A counterculture is a subculture that deliberately and consciously opposethe central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture. These groups come in the form of delinquent gangs, certain types of drug groups, rebolutionaries, religions, goths, and punks.
Sapir-Worf Hypothesis
It is the view that language structures the way in which we view the world. Language preceeds thought, thus Benjamin Worf concluded that our ability to think is limited to our vocabulary.
Sanctions
A sanction is a direct social response to some behavior; a negative sanction is one that punishes or otherwise discourages violations of social norms and symbolically reinforces the culture's values and morals. Formal sanctions can only be applied by officially designated persons, such as judges and teachers. An informal sanction can be applied by most members of society.
