Culture Vocab

Human Behavior

CultureCulture is a system of beliefs, values, and attitudes about life

What culture(s) are you apart of?

Enculturation

Occurs when each generation passes along what it has learned to the next as the culture is carried on

When a person takes on the customs and language of a new culture and puts aside some habits and patterns of the old culture- it can be forced due to ethnocentrism

Assimilation

PrejudiceWhen we prejudge a person or group without having all the info and facts

Everyone has prejudices, sometimes they are positive—How?

Stereotype

Preconceived, inaccurate, rigid beliefs about individuals or groups of peoples

Often oversimplified

Self-fulfilling prophecyWe see what we want to see; we become what others expect of us

Examples of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy -You think a certain race dislikes your race so you treat them poorly, therefore they treat you as though they dislike you-You expect your new roommate to be shy so you don’t speak much to him after he moves in, and he therefore does seem shy -A coach expects his freshmen to be uncoordinated and unskilled so he does not play them often, and when he does they are rusty and do not perform well -Your teacher expects you to do well and she spends extra time with you preparing for the exam, so you get an A

Subculture

A group of people with similar customs or language who live within a larger group with a different culture

Examples?

Culture ShockThis is experienced when language and customs are unfamiliar to a person

When have you experienced culture shock?

Ethnocentrism

People who believe that their culture is the most natural or the best, which can lead to hatred and violence

Why are some people ethnocentric?

PerceptionHow we perceive,

evaluate, categorize, or form judgments of people or things