Applying Forest and the Trees
Dan Costa
Sociology 100
28 September 2012
Applying The Forest and the Trees In Allan Johnson’s book, The Forest and the Trees, Johnson explains the importance of culture and structure in society and how it influences the way we live. Johnson’s ideas are clearly shown in the film Far from Heaven. The Forest and The Trees also helps a question I had at the beginning of this semester, “What makes me act the way I do and what has influenced my behavior?”
In Allan Johnson’s The Forest and the Trees, Johnson (2008:38-62) defines culture as the way we construct reality within a social system, using ideas and symbols to assign meaning, and it’s the way we habitually behave to the meaning we have constructed. Those ideas can be put into four categories. Those four categories are beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes. Beliefs are defined as ideas that society has defined as true (Johnson 2008:45). Values are a type of a belief that people believe to right or wrong, they are rankings that help people make decisions (Johnson 2008:48). Norms are values that have consequences or rewards from society (Johnson 2008:53). Lastly, attitudes are knee-jerk reactions based on someone’s beliefs, values and norms. An example of Johnson’s ideas can be shown at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, it is a belief that Michigan and Ohio State are rivals, it is a value that Michigan is better than Ohio State, and a norm is that if someone were to support Ohio State while in Ann Arbor, that person would receive dirty looks. Those dirty looks that are given are examples of attitudes, because the emotional reactions towards Ohio State are not beliefs, values, or norms.
In addition to beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes, Johnson believes that material culture also defines culture (2008:66). Material culture is everything that someone owns. One can find sociological trends with material culture. For example, in the United States, it is important to keep up with
Sociology 100
28 September 2012
Applying The Forest and the Trees In Allan Johnson’s book, The Forest and the Trees, Johnson explains the importance of culture and structure in society and how it influences the way we live. Johnson’s ideas are clearly shown in the film Far from Heaven. The Forest and The Trees also helps a question I had at the beginning of this semester, “What makes me act the way I do and what has influenced my behavior?”
In Allan Johnson’s The Forest and the Trees, Johnson (2008:38-62) defines culture as the way we construct reality within a social system, using ideas and symbols to assign meaning, and it’s the way we habitually behave to the meaning we have constructed. Those ideas can be put into four categories. Those four categories are beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes. Beliefs are defined as ideas that society has defined as true (Johnson 2008:45). Values are a type of a belief that people believe to right or wrong, they are rankings that help people make decisions (Johnson 2008:48). Norms are values that have consequences or rewards from society (Johnson 2008:53). Lastly, attitudes are knee-jerk reactions based on someone’s beliefs, values and norms. An example of Johnson’s ideas can be shown at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, it is a belief that Michigan and Ohio State are rivals, it is a value that Michigan is better than Ohio State, and a norm is that if someone were to support Ohio State while in Ann Arbor, that person would receive dirty looks. Those dirty looks that are given are examples of attitudes, because the emotional reactions towards Ohio State are not beliefs, values, or norms.
In addition to beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes, Johnson believes that material culture also defines culture (2008:66). Material culture is everything that someone owns. One can find sociological trends with material culture. For example, in the United States, it is important to keep up with
Cited: Johnson, Allan G. 2008. The Forest and the Trees. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press