chapter 3-american values
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Overview of American ValuesTRANSCRIPT
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
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S E C T I O N 1 : T H E A M E R I C A N V A L U E S S Y S T E M
S E C T I O N 2 : S O C I A L C O N T R O L
S E C T I O N 3 : S O C I A L C H A N G E
CHAPTER 3
CULTURAL CONFORMITY AND ADAPTATION
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES
• Sociologist Robin Williams identified 15 values that
are central to the American way of life.
• Many Americans values these 15 aspects of American life
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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
BASIC VALUES OF AMERICAN CULTURE
• Personal Achievement – built primarily by people that value individual achievement, as in the area of employment
• Individualism – success comes through hard work and initiative
• Work – Americans view discipline, dedication, and hard work as signs of virtue
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Section 1: The American Values System
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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
BASIC VALUES OF AMERICAN CULTURE
• Morality and Humanitarianism –
Americans place a high value on
morality and tend to view the world in
terms of right and wrong; quick to help
the unfortunate
• Efficiency and Practicality – practical and
inventive, every problem has a solution;
judge objects on their usefulness and
people on their ability to get things done
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Section 1: The American Values System
(continued)
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
BASIC VALUES OF AMERICAN CULTURE
• Progress and Material Comfort –
Americans believe that through hard
work and determination living standards
will continue to improve
• Equality and Democracy – to have
human equality, there must be an
equality of opportunity; success is a
reward that must be earned
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Section 1: The American Values System
(continued)
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
BASIC VALUES OF AMERICAN CULTURE
• Freedom – freedom of choice such as
religion, speech, and press and protect
them from government interference
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Section 1: The American Values System
(continued)
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
OUR CHANGING VALUES
• Self-fulfillment – the commitment to the full development of
one’s personality, talents, and potential; includes leisure,
physical fitness and youthfulness• Person’s mindset determines their self-fulfillment
• Narcissism: extreme self-centeredness
• Sociologist Christopher Lasch the emphasis on personal fulfillment
(narcissism) a personality disorder
• Environmental protection
• Education and Religion were deemed important by students
who were polled• Sociologist James Henslin found these to be important
• He also suggested love to be important as well
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Section 1: The American Values System
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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
ENFORCING THE NORMS OF SOCIETY
• Internalization – process by which a norm becomes a part of
an individual’s personality thus conditioning that individual to
conform to society’s expectations• Ex: holding the door open when a woman walks through, fixing a plate for
a guest, or social media
• Sanctions – rewards and punishments used to enforce conformity to the norms
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Section 2: Social Control
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SANCTIONS
• Positive Sanction – action that rewards
a particular kind of behavior such as
good grades or a pay raise
• Negative Sanction – punishment or the
threat of punishment to enforce
conformity such as frowns,
imprisonment, and even death
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Section 2: Social Control
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SANCTIONS
• Formal Sanction – rewards or punishments by a
formal organization or regulatory agency such as
the government and includes promotions,
awards, or low grades
• Informal Sanction – spontaneous expression of
approval or disapproval by an individual or group
such as a standing ovation, gifts, gossip, or ridicule• Blog and the social media are the most popular types
today
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Section 2: Social Control
(continued)
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
MAIN SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
• Informal Sanction– are affected by ideology
spread through social movements
• Technology – knowledge and tools people
use to manipulate their environment
• Population – change in size of population
may bring about changes in the culture
• Diffusion – the process of spreading culture
traits from one society to another
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Section 3: Social Change
HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
MAIN SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
• Physical Environment – the environment may
provide conditions that encourage or
discourage cultural change
• Wars and Conquest – are not common but
bring about the greatest amount of change
in the least amount of time
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Section 3: Social Change
(continued)
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HOLT, RINEHART AND WINSTON
CULTURAL LAG AND VESTED INTERESTS
• Some cultural traits that change happen quickly
while others do not
• Cultural lag
• Sometimes people want things to stay the way they
are within a society
• Called a vested interest
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