Readings in the Behavioral Sciences

(Final Exam)

GLEALYN D. GAMONGAN-MST Soc. Sci. Tabuk City

1. What are the various theoretical concepts and perspectives in the behavioral and
social sciences? Discuss how these perspectives affect the understanding of
social realities.

ANSWER
A. Functionalist theory
 The views on social problems weakens a society’s stability but do not reflect
fundamental faults in how the society is structured. Solutions to social
problems should take the form of gradual social reform rather than sudden
and far reaching change. Despite their negative effects, social problems
often also serve important functions for society.

B. Conflict Theory
 The views on social problems arise from fundamental faults in the structure
of a society and both reflect and reinforce in equalities based on social
class, race, gender and other dimensions. Successful solutions to social
problems must involve for reaching change in the structure of society.

C. Symbolic Interactionist Theory

 The views on social problems arise from the interaction of individuals.
People who engage in socially problematic behaviors often learn these
behaviors from other people. Individuals also learn their perceptions of
social problems from other people.

2. Explain the relevance of Indigenous concepts and methodologies in explaining and

understanding following social realities: a) Poverty b) Crimes c) Prostitution and e)
corruption consequence
Answer

a) POVERTY- It is the incidence of material poverty for communities more

serious than other sectors of the national population.
Indigenous communities that have been relocated from their traditional
communities and have lost access to their land, natural resources and other
assets, are likely to bear the burden of material poverty as well as socio-
cultural deprivation.
(b) CORRUPTION- The form of political organization based on kinship ties,
decentralized political structural and overlapping spheres of territorial
control-diverge from the dominant modules operation of government which
is based on hierarchical and centralized patterns of authority and exclusive
territorial domain.
Disproportionate impact on the poor in terms of inequalities, access and
essential services and resource distribution.
It creates bias on the composition of and undermines effectiveness in public
spending.
It negatively affects the cost, availability and quality of public services on
which socially disadvantaged groups are reliant for survival

(c) CRIMES- the indigenous people they see themselves as part of the
“crime problem”, a segment of the problem population whose criminality
needed explanation. Human rights apparently had nothing to do with their
offending behavior.

(d) PROSTITUTION- There is no one single reason for the widespread

prevalence of prostitution in the Philippines. Poverty is but one reason, as
cultural factors and the attitude or people toward money and the social
acceptance of prostitution play major role.

(e) INSURGENCY- It is an insurgent peace of dynamic processes rooted

upon a refusal and disruption of the spatial logics of violence imposed by
competing structures of power of state non-state armed actors upon civilian
communities.
(f) SUBVERSION- It may help to identify practices and tools that are not
subversive. Institutions and morals can be subverted, but ideology on the
other hand cannot.