UNDERSTANDING CULTURE SOCIETY AND POLITICS

Activity, Output, Hand-out and Reviewer

Activity I. Answer the following questions, or provide the necessary data.

1. Macionis’ Four Characteristics of Social Change

Social change is the transformation of culture and social organization/structure over time. In the modern world
we are aware that society is never static and that social, political, economic and cultural changes occur constantly.
There are a whole range of classic theories and research methods available within sociology for the study of social
change.

There are four main characteristics of social change (Macionis, 1996):

a. It happens everywhere, but the rate of change varies from place to place.
For example, the United States would experience faster change, than a third world country that has limited access
to technology and information.

b. Social change is sometimes intentional but often unplanned.

For example, when the airplane was invented people knew that this would increase and speed travel. However it
was probably not realized how this invention would affect society in the future. Families are spread throughout
the country, because it is easier to return for visits. Companies are able to expand worldwide thanks to air travel.
The numerous crashes and deaths related to airplanes was not predicted either.

c. Social change often generates controversy.

For example, the move over the recent years to accept homosexual rights has caused controversy involving the
military, religion, and society overall.

d. Some changes matter more than others do.

For example, the invention of personal computers was more important than Cabbage Patch dolls

2. Identify the causes or sources of social change. Provide a brief explanation.

a. Culture
A discovery adds something new to the culture and becomes a factor in social change only when it is put
to use.  Invention, discovery and diffusion are considered to be the main sources of cultural change.

b. Conflict
Conflict is inevitable that brings about changes that promote social integration and it results in
redistributions of power. The sources of conflict include changes in relationships, power struggles, life
changes, and poor communication.

c. Idealistic Factors
It generally suggests the priority of ideals, principles, values, and goals over concrete realities.

d. The Need for Adaptation

Organisms have to adapt with the environment to survive and these needs for adaptation have to be
achieved because it is the root for social change where among the most important is the sudden increase
in the number and variety of options available in most domains of life, from education and careers to
consumer goods and services.

e. Environmental Factors
Certain geographic changes sometimes produce great social change. Climate, storms, social erosion,
earthquakes, floods, droughts etc., definitely affect social life and induce social change. Human life is
closely bound up with the geographical conditions of the earth.

f. Economic & Political Advantage

These advantages may occur if the government uses their power that may cause for social change because
these are meant to restore balance from mismatched ideas and values between a government and the
people that it leads.
 g. Demographic Change
Some of the many reasons for demographic changes in birth rate, increased life expectancy improved
infant mortality rate and death rates because of these reasons; the society is subject to call for a change.

h. Social Movements and Change

Social movements include those supporting civil rights, gay rights, unionism, environmentalism, and
feminism and these movements are to call for better economic or political position of movement
constituents, growth (including origins) of social movement popular support and acceptance as a normal
part of the political process.

i. Consumerism
The major causes for the evolution of consumerism have been the continuous rise in prices,
underperformance of product, quality of the service, shortage of product and deceptive advertising.

j. The Role of Values and Ethics

Ethics serve as a guide to moral daily living and helps us judge whether our behaviour can be
justified. Ethics refers to society's sense of the right way of living our daily lives. It does this by
establishing rules, principles, and values on which we can base our conduct. The family, school, state and
religion are the major institution that provides the basic sources of value and ethics.

k. Religion
Religions promote social change by guiding their followers to share or "live" their views. By encouraging
the outward expression of religious views, the views become a vehicle for social change. The acceptance
or rejection of the social changes is often tied to personal belief as well.

l. Technology and Information

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to the making of tools to solve specific
problems. Technological advances such as automobiles, airplanes, radio, television, cellular phones,
computers, modems, and fax machines have brought major advances and changes to the world.

3. Factors in Personality Development, explain briefly.

a. Heredity
It is the transmission of genetic characteristics from parents to children. It also plays an important role in
shaping human personalities by setting limits on individuals. Inherited characteristics place limits on what
is possible, but they do not determine what a person will do. No one factor alone determines what kind of
personality someone will have.

b. Birth Order
Personalities are also influenced by whether we have brothers, sisters, both, or neither. Children with
siblings have a different view of the world than do children who have no brothers or sisters. The order in
which we are born into our families also influences our personalities. People born first or last in a family
have a different perspective than people born in the middle.

c. Parental Characteristics
Personality development in children is also influenced by the characteristics of their parents. Personality
can influenced by what are the parents are showing and that can be adopted by their children.

d. The Cultural Environment

Culture has a strong influence on personality development. Generally, the cultural environment
determines the basic types of personalities that will be found in a society.

4. Identify the different Japanese blood type and personality.

a. Blood Type A
According to the Japanese blood type personality chart, it is said that people with blood type A are known
to be diplomatic and friendly, however due to their sensitive natures, they prefer staying alone to being in
a group; therefore they may feel uncomfortable in crowded areas or parties.

b. Blood Type B
According to the Japanese blood type personality chart, it is said that B types are the most outgoing
compared to other blood types. Also they are independent and are passionate about the things that they
are interested in.

c. Blood Type O
 They are known to be energetic, practical and friendly. Also blood type O is labeled as a natural leader.
They are experts at expressing their opinions in a constructive way, making sure that everyone listens to
them, while still being friendly to everyone. They know how to control their emotions very well, giving
others a great impression of being stable and under control. 

d. Blood Type AB
They are the most interesting type compared to the others because this blood type is labelled as either
genius or psycho. They are unpredictable because they often jump around from one activity to the next
and their temperament is mixture of blood type A and B, therefore their personalities change quickly
depending on their mood and the situation, and sometimes they don’t have control over it.

5. Define 6 Filipino Character Traits.

a. Bahala Na Attitude
Filipinos usually say “Bahala na” when they are unable to decide their next course of action or when they
have no idea what will happen next. They say this phrase as if all they want is to go with the flow, not
minding what the outcome might be.

b. Hospitable and Peaceful

Filipinos in the country and around the globe can be expected to extend a warm welcome to their guests
regardless of where they come from, how well they know their host, and why they’re visiting someone’s
home.

c. Religiosity
Spirituality is deeply ingrained in Filipinos. A form of animism was already being practiced in many pre-
colonial societies and Islam has been firmly established in the southern islands even before the Spanish
brought Catholicism to the country. These days, religion still plays a big part in society and in the
everyday lives of Filipinos.

d. Loyalty and Gratitude

This is the tendency to feel grateful to a person who has extended a kindness to them. The term indicates
deep gratitude towards the person who has extended kindness, and the heartfelt wish to repay for the
kindness. Mendez & Jocano (1974) state that one will feel utang na loob, that is, inner debt of gratitude in
the following everyday life situations: borrowing money, receiving food, getting employed or being
promoted, free diagnosis made by a doctor.

e. Adaptability and Resiliency

They are highly adaptable to different people, cultures, and situations that generally make them well-
rounded beings. While overseas, they not only connect with fellow Filipinos but they also adjust easily to
different cultures and diverse people. They tend to make do with what little we have and find pleasure in
the simple things. They adapt well in difficult situations that likewise showcase their resilience as a
nation.

f. Respect for Elders

Respecting elders is a big part of the Philippine culture. Even as children, Filipinos are taught family
values, discipline and respect, especially for elders. The first thing you would notice Filipino do when
they are in the presence of their parents or elders is they give them a kiss or mano. This is how they
acknowledge someone older than they are is with them. A kiss or mano is done when greeting their
parents or their elderly. They also do this before they go to school or someplace else.

6. Theories of Socialization

a. The Tabula Rasa

The Tabula Rasa (Latin: "scraped tablet", though often translated "blank slate") is the notion that
individual human beings are born "blank" (with no built-in mental content), and that their identity is
defined entirely by events after birth

b. The Looking-Glass Self

The looking-glass self is a social psychological concept created by Charles Horton Cooley in 1902. It
states that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others.

c. Role-Taking
Role-taking theory, or social perspective taking, is the sociological theory that one of the most important
factors in facilitating social cognition in children is the growing ability to understand others’ feelings and
perspectives, an ability that emerges as a result of general cognitive growth.

7. Theories on the self and socialization

 a. George Herbert Mead (Theory of Social Behaviorism)
Sociologist George Herbert Mead believed that people develop self-images through interactions with
other people. He argued that the Self, which is the part of a person’s personality consisting of self-
awareness and self-image, is a product of social experience. He outlined four ideas about how the self
develops:

 The Self Develops Solely Through Social Experience. Mead rejected Freud’s notion that personality
is determined partly by biological drives.
 Social Experience Consists Of The Exchange Of Symbols. Mead emphasized the particularly
human use of language and other symbols to convey meaning.
 Knowing Others’ Intentions Requires Imagining The Situation From Their Perspectives. Mead
believed that social experience depends on our seeing ourselves as others do, or, as he coined it,
“taking the role of the other.”
 Understanding The Role Of The Other Results In Self-Awareness. Mead posited that there is an
active “I” self and an objective “me” self. The “I” self is active and initiates action. The “me” self
continues, interrupts, or changes action depending on how others respond.

Mead believed that the key to self-development is understanding the role of the other. He also outlined
steps in the process of development from birth to adulthood:

b. Charles Cooley (Theory of the Looking-Glass Self)

Like Mead, sociologist Charles Horton Cooley believed that we form our self-images through interaction
with other people. He was particularly interested in how significant others shape us as individual.
A Significant Other is someone whose opinions matter to us and who is in a position to influence our
thinking, especially about ourselves. A significant other can be anyone, such as a parent, sibling, spouse,
or best friend.

Cooley’s theory of socialization involves his notion of the looking-glass self. The Looking-Glass Self
refers to a self-image that is based on how we think others see us. He posited a three-step process in
developing this self:

Step 1: We imagine that a significant other perceives us in a certain way.

Step 2: We imagine that he or she makes a judgment about us based on that perception.
Step 3: We form a self-image based on how we think our significant other sees us.

c. Erving Goffman (The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life )

Goffman's theory is the idea that people, as they interact together in social settings, are constantly
engaged in the process of "impression management," wherein each tries to present themselves and behave
in a way that will prevent the embarrassment of themselves or others. This is primarily done by each
person that is part of the interaction working to ensure that all parties have the same "definition of the
situation," meaning that all understand what is meant to happen in that situation, what to expect from the
others involved, and thus how they themselves should behave.

8. Primary Agents of Socialization, explain each agent on how it affects the person’s socializing skills.
a. The Family – Parents as Socializing Agents
For some years the family has to teach children values, norms and beliefs, this teaching is not always
intentionally, children also learn from their surroundings/type of environment that parents create. The
family also gives children an identity (social race and class play al large part in shaping the child’s
identity.

b. The Peer Group

By the time children go to school they have also found out about peer groups (a social group whose
members have interests, social position and age in common). Peer group allows children to escape
supervision of adults (which are often concerned who their children are friends with). Adults (parents)
will always have a strong more lasting influence than peers (who have influence on short-term things like
music taste and TV-programs). Any neighborhood has several peer groups and every member of every
group finds their own group the best. People are also influenced by the groups they want to join, this
process is called: anticipatory socialization.

c. The School
Schooling will enlarge the social world of a child. They get to know people with different backgrounds.
They also begin to understand the importance of class and race. As they are exploring the importance of
these factors, they are most likely to do so in clusters with other children that have their class, race and
 gender.

d. The Mass Media

Not only important because they are so powerful but also because the influence of mass media is most
likely to differ from that of the family, the school or the peer group. Mass media introduces people to
ideas and images that reflect the larger society and the entire world.

e. Church
Humans are inclined by nature to be religious; it is clearly the case that tastes for religion is cultivated
within families and the social environment. The socialization of children often gives rise to higher levels
of religious engagement, particularly in traditions where congregational styles of worship predominate.

f. Government / Politics
The government/politics may affect one’s socializing skills since it encompasses the way in which people
acquire values and opinions that shape their political stance and ideology.

Activity II. Provide the meaning of the following terms.

1. Invention
It is the act of bringing ideas or objects together in a novel way to create something that did not exist
before.
2. Discovery
It is the process of finding information, a place, or an object, especially for the first time, or the thing that is
found.
3. Diffusion
It is the act of dispersing something, spreading it out from a central point. When an idea catches on, that's a type
of diffusion.
4. Identity Politics
It is politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend
to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger
political group
5. Tradition
It is an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a
social custom)
6. Folkways
It is the traditional behaviour or way of life of a particular community or group of people.
7. Beliefs
It is an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
8. Laws
It is the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its
members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
9. Socialization
It is the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.
10. Personality
It is the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.
11. Persona
It is the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others.
12. Social Self
It is a multifaceted analysis of the self-concept based on the social nature of the self.