Values and Beliefs

Culture SOCI 1306 Values and Beliefs Values and beliefs are the first, and maybe most important, aspect of culture that we will talk about. In sociology, value refers to ideas, or norms and values that people of a community hold in high esteem, rather than monetary worth. Any society's majority of cultures place a high value on "knowledge," or education. Deeply ingrained values are essential for understanding a culture's beliefs, or the principles or convictions that individuals adhere to. Within a civilization, cultures have shared common values in addition to their own particular views. To demonstrate the distinction, consider the belief that everyone in the United States may achieve success and prosperity through hard work—the American Dream. The American notion that wealth is significant lies at the core of this idea. In some cultures, having a large number of healthy children is more indicative of success than riches. A civilization is shaped by its values, which indicate what is desirable or undesirable, good and evil, and beautiful and ugly. Think about how much the United States values young. Young adults indicate sexuality, whereas children stand for purity and innocence. Motivated by this ideal, people spend millions of dollars annually on plastic surgery and cosmetic items in an attempt to seem young and attractive. Individualism is highly valued in American society, as seen by the country's unique culture. Many other cultures, on the other hand, are collectivist, which means that the good of the collective comes before the well of the individual. A society's principles might be hard to uphold. Although many couples commit adultery, monogamy in marriage is highly regarded. Although the United States values cultural diversity and fair opportunity for all, white males have historically held the majority of the nation's governmental positions. Values frequently offer recommendations for behaviour, but they don't always correspond to actual behaviour. Values present the idealised culture that society aspires to adopt and uphold. Yet actual culture is not the same as ideal culture. There wouldn't be any racial conflict, poverty, traffic accidents, or murders in a perfect society. However, in actual society, law enforcement officials, legislators, teachers, and social workers labour nonstop to stop or deal with these problems. Teenagers in America are urged to cherish being single. But the sheer frequency of adolescent births indicates that the ideal is insufficient to protect them from the possible negative effects of having sex. Reward and punishment systems are one method civilizations work to uphold their ideals. People who respect society's ideals and conventions are frequently rewarded for doing so. A child could get a grin and a "thank you" if he assists an old woman getting on a bus. A quarterly incentive might be awarded to a business manager who increases profit margins. Individuals impose penalties or withdraw support, approval, or permission in order to penalise undesirable or improper behaviour. Although the word "sanction" conjures up bad images in our minds, sanctions really serve as tools of social control, pushing people to follow rules or cultural standards. People occasionally follow the rules in the hope of receiving favourable consequences. For example, getting high marks might result in praise from instructors and parents. Sanctions may not always be beneficial. Other passengers may scowl or even rebuke a kid who pushes an older woman aside to enter the bus first. A management of a firm that loses clients will probably lose their job. Deviating from convention and disregarding moral principles may result in legal repercussions like fines, jail time, or traffic infractions, as well as cultural penalties like being called "lazy." The majority of individuals are encouraged to comply by the use of social control, independent of the presence of authoritative figures like law enforcement. Values change throughout time. As individuals assess, discuss, and alter societal norms, they shift over time and among groups. Cultures also differ in their values. Cultural norms vary, for instance, regarding the appropriateness of physical proximity in public spaces. In the United States, where holding hands is frequently associated with love sentiments, it is uncommon to witness two male acquaintances or coworkers doing so. However, public displays of manly physical closeness are accepted in many countries. People's reactions to pictures of the former president George W. Bush shaking hands with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in 2005 exposed this disparity in cultural standards. Simple actions like holding hands have quite different cultural meanings.