cultural lag
Summary
Cultural lag is the gap that arises when nonmaterial culture (norms, values, laws) changes more slowly than material culture (technology). Proposed by William Ogburn, it explains social problems that appear while rules and beliefs catch up with new technology.
Detail
Meaning: Sociologist William Ogburn proposed that material culture (tools, inventions, technology) tends to change faster than nonmaterial culture (beliefs, values, norms, laws, institutions). The mismatch between the two is the lag. Until customs and laws adapt, people face confusion, conflict or outdated rules. The idea fits the functionalist picture of society as parts that need to stay in balance, with technology often acting as the driver of change. Example: social media and genetic testing spread widely before privacy norms and regulations were settled.
On the MCAT: A passage describes a new technology, such as file sharing, reproductive technology or automation, and then laws, ethics or workplace customs that have not yet adapted. You are asked to name the pattern as cultural lag, to sort the elements into material and nonmaterial culture, or to predict that debate, tension or revision of laws will follow. The element that changed first is usually the material one.
Common confusion: Students mix it up with culture shock (disorientation in an unfamiliar culture), cultural diffusion (spread of traits between societies) or assimilation. Cultural lag happens inside one society and concerns uneven speed of change between its parts. It is also a general tendency, not a rule without exceptions: it does not claim technology is harmful, and a law or value can sometimes change before the technology that relates to it.
Sources
- Sociology: A Brief Introduction
- Introduction to Sociology
- Essentials of Sociology
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.