Sociology important thingies from book that one should note
The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical
objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group.
It is a human creation.
Culture defines how people in a society behave in relation to others and to physical
objects. Although most behavior among animals is instinctual, human behavior is
learned. Even biological drives don’t fully determine human behavior as a whole, as
humans are greatly influenced by culture.
One role of culture is to help explain human social behavior. What people do and
don’t do, etc. Another role of culture is to provide the blueprint that people in a
society use to guide their relationships with others. For example, It is from culture
that teenage boys come to believe that “pumping iron” is a gateway to masculinity.
Culture and society are tightly interwoven. One cannot exist without the other, but
they are not identical. A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory
and participate in a common culture. All the different elements of culture—
knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects—form a whole
culture that defines that society’s total way of life.
My overview for the paragraph above: Basically, in Sociology, Culture is seen as
a guideway or blueprint that influences people in each society to act as they do;
build up the society’s overall way of life.
Hence, Human behavior, is based on culture. Since people are not born knowing
their culture, human cultural behavior must be learned. People develop schemas, or
mental outlines based on their experience or memory.
Instincts are genetically inherited patterns of behavior. Nonhuman animals,
especially insects, are highly dependent on instincts for survival. However, instincts
are not enough to solve the problems that humans face (compared to mere insects).
Most social scientists view the role of instincts in human behavior as quite
limited. They would argue that the underlying mental rules for language are present
at birth. They would not, however, argue that people have an innate ability for a
specific language. People learn specific languages in a cultural context.
If humans were controlled by instincts alone, they would all behave in the same way
with respect to those instincts. If, for example, women had an instinct for
mothering, then all women would want children, and all women would love and
protect their children.
Without driving instincts, humans are forced to create and learn their own ways of
thinking, feeling, and behaving. Even for meeting basic needs such as those
involving reproduction, food, and survival, humans rely on the culture they have
created.
Of course, culture is not the only influence on human behavior. Genetic inheritance
plays a role too. This does not mean that individuals inherit specific personality
traits and patterns of behavior. Rather, heredity sets broad parameters for the
, Sociology important thingies from book that one should note
development of some behaviors and traits. People’s actual behaviors and traits are
formed by the interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
Psychologists have used twin studies to try to determine the relative effects of
genetics and environment on human behavior. By including all four groups,
researchers were better able to determine the influence of genetics versus
environment. These studies found that about 40–50 percent of people’s personality
traits are influenced by genetics.
reflex—simple, biologically inherited, automatic reactions to physical stimuli. Ex.
our eyes’ contraction in presence of the sun, etc.
We also have biologically inherited drives, or impulses, to reduce discomfort. We
want to eat, drink, sleep, and associate with others.
You should remember, however, that genetically inherited personality traits,
reflexes, and drives do not control human social behavior. Culture channels the
expression of these biological characteristics. Genetics and environmental factors
work together to influence behavior. For instance, a son’s genes may be influenced
by intelligence due to him having very intelligent parents. Usually, however, such
intelligent parents, however, often provide an intellectually stimulating environment
(ex. intellectual, useful, high-level activities) for their children, and this environment
helps that son excel academically.
My overview for the couple paragraphs above: overall, instincts are important,
but we as humans cannot fully rely on instincts for survival and must take action
through different means, which is where culture comes in. Additionally, both genes
and environment play a role in shaping us as individuals in society: some
characteristics are gained genetically, but are advanced or wasted depending on
the surrounding environment.
Sociobiology is the systematic study of how biology influences human behavior.
Applying evolutionary theory to human behavior, however, is controversial and
sociobiology has many critics.
According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, organisms evolve through natural
selection. Through the process of natural selection, plants and animals best suited
to an environment survive and reproduce while the rest perish.
Sociobiologists apply the principle of natural selection to the evolution of social
behavior. They assume that the behaviors that best help people are biologically
based and transmitted in the genetic code over the course of human evolution.
Sociobiologists do not draw a sharp line between human and nonhuman animals.
They claim that nonhuman animals also act on knowledge
The major criticism of sociobiology is that the importance placed on genetics could
be used as a justification to label specific races as superior or inferior. Critics of
sociobiology also point out that there is too much variation in societies around the
world for human behavior to be explained on strictly biological grounds. They
The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical
objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group.
It is a human creation.
Culture defines how people in a society behave in relation to others and to physical
objects. Although most behavior among animals is instinctual, human behavior is
learned. Even biological drives don’t fully determine human behavior as a whole, as
humans are greatly influenced by culture.
One role of culture is to help explain human social behavior. What people do and
don’t do, etc. Another role of culture is to provide the blueprint that people in a
society use to guide their relationships with others. For example, It is from culture
that teenage boys come to believe that “pumping iron” is a gateway to masculinity.
Culture and society are tightly interwoven. One cannot exist without the other, but
they are not identical. A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory
and participate in a common culture. All the different elements of culture—
knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects—form a whole
culture that defines that society’s total way of life.
My overview for the paragraph above: Basically, in Sociology, Culture is seen as
a guideway or blueprint that influences people in each society to act as they do;
build up the society’s overall way of life.
Hence, Human behavior, is based on culture. Since people are not born knowing
their culture, human cultural behavior must be learned. People develop schemas, or
mental outlines based on their experience or memory.
Instincts are genetically inherited patterns of behavior. Nonhuman animals,
especially insects, are highly dependent on instincts for survival. However, instincts
are not enough to solve the problems that humans face (compared to mere insects).
Most social scientists view the role of instincts in human behavior as quite
limited. They would argue that the underlying mental rules for language are present
at birth. They would not, however, argue that people have an innate ability for a
specific language. People learn specific languages in a cultural context.
If humans were controlled by instincts alone, they would all behave in the same way
with respect to those instincts. If, for example, women had an instinct for
mothering, then all women would want children, and all women would love and
protect their children.
Without driving instincts, humans are forced to create and learn their own ways of
thinking, feeling, and behaving. Even for meeting basic needs such as those
involving reproduction, food, and survival, humans rely on the culture they have
created.
Of course, culture is not the only influence on human behavior. Genetic inheritance
plays a role too. This does not mean that individuals inherit specific personality
traits and patterns of behavior. Rather, heredity sets broad parameters for the
, Sociology important thingies from book that one should note
development of some behaviors and traits. People’s actual behaviors and traits are
formed by the interplay between genetic and environmental factors.
Psychologists have used twin studies to try to determine the relative effects of
genetics and environment on human behavior. By including all four groups,
researchers were better able to determine the influence of genetics versus
environment. These studies found that about 40–50 percent of people’s personality
traits are influenced by genetics.
reflex—simple, biologically inherited, automatic reactions to physical stimuli. Ex.
our eyes’ contraction in presence of the sun, etc.
We also have biologically inherited drives, or impulses, to reduce discomfort. We
want to eat, drink, sleep, and associate with others.
You should remember, however, that genetically inherited personality traits,
reflexes, and drives do not control human social behavior. Culture channels the
expression of these biological characteristics. Genetics and environmental factors
work together to influence behavior. For instance, a son’s genes may be influenced
by intelligence due to him having very intelligent parents. Usually, however, such
intelligent parents, however, often provide an intellectually stimulating environment
(ex. intellectual, useful, high-level activities) for their children, and this environment
helps that son excel academically.
My overview for the couple paragraphs above: overall, instincts are important,
but we as humans cannot fully rely on instincts for survival and must take action
through different means, which is where culture comes in. Additionally, both genes
and environment play a role in shaping us as individuals in society: some
characteristics are gained genetically, but are advanced or wasted depending on
the surrounding environment.
Sociobiology is the systematic study of how biology influences human behavior.
Applying evolutionary theory to human behavior, however, is controversial and
sociobiology has many critics.
According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, organisms evolve through natural
selection. Through the process of natural selection, plants and animals best suited
to an environment survive and reproduce while the rest perish.
Sociobiologists apply the principle of natural selection to the evolution of social
behavior. They assume that the behaviors that best help people are biologically
based and transmitted in the genetic code over the course of human evolution.
Sociobiologists do not draw a sharp line between human and nonhuman animals.
They claim that nonhuman animals also act on knowledge
The major criticism of sociobiology is that the importance placed on genetics could
be used as a justification to label specific races as superior or inferior. Critics of
sociobiology also point out that there is too much variation in societies around the
world for human behavior to be explained on strictly biological grounds. They
