UNDERSTANDING CULTURE,

SOCIETY, AND POLITICS 11

Second Semester
A.Y. 2020 - 2021
2
NAME SECTION
TRACK & DATE
STRAND
LEARNING DIWA Senior High School Series: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics SCOR
RESOURCES E

Module 3

Learning Competency
Explain the context, content , processes, and consequences of socialization
Analyze the forms and functions of social organizations

BECOMING A MEMBER OF SOCIETY

Introduction
Our membership to society is not comparable to acquiring membership to an organization or association. This is because, it
requires total commitment to the roles, tasks, and expectations it puts on our shoulders as bona fide members. These roles, tasks, and
expectations define not only our membership but our very own selves and identities. In other words, we become what society asks us to be.
There are various processes which members of a society have to undergo in order to be equipped with these so called “social
burdens.” But the most intriguing aspect of our membership is that we have little recognition of the social burdens we carry every day as we
manage our social engagements. Society has put in place very intricate and efficient systems whereby our conformity and even deviations
are controlled, managed effectively, and imputed with social functions.

Enculturation and Socialization

The self is a product of social processes. Although people mature as biological entities, the development of their selves is not
a parallel process. That means the self, according to sociologists and anthropologists, emerges from social interactions.
Interactions take the forms of socialization and enculturation. They are not episodic but lifetime, and hence “womb-to-womb,”
experiences.
How is culture ingrained in children? Is it through biological inheritance (nature) or through cultural inheritance (nurture)? The
issue on nature and nurture has been a long-standing debate in the fields of social sciences such as associology and anthropology.
Two primary opposing perspective are held by social learning theorists and sociobiologists.
Proponents of the social learning theory argue that the set of behaviors of an individual is acquired through enculturation and
socialization processes. The variation in human behavior is attributed to the differences in cultural templates of every society that the
individual learns from. Proponents of sociobiology counter this perspective by advocating that humans acquire their behavior
genetically. More specifically, beneficial biological traits are naturally selected and passed on to the next generation. As such,
behavioral traits that are naturally selected and passed on to the next generation. As such, behavioral traits that are linked to biological
traits necessary for survival in a specific environment are naturally selected within a generation and get passed on to the next.
Today, the social learning perspective is more accepted by sociologists and anthropologists in explaining the development of
behavior and attitude among humans. Sociologists use the term socialization to refer to the process by which an individual is oriented
and taught by his or her society’s norms. These norms include beliefs, attitudes, practices, and behaviors. Similarly, this process is
studied in anthropology through the concept of enculturation.

Three Goals of Socialization

In his 1995 paper entitled “ Broad and Narrow Socialization: The Family in the Context of a Cultural Theory,” sociologist
Jeffrey J. Arnett outlined his interpretation of the three primary goals of socialization:
 First, socialization teaches impulse control and helps individuals develop a conscience. The first goal is
accomplished naturally . As people grow up within a particular society, the pick up on the expectations of those
around them and internalize these expectations to moderate their impulses and develop a conscience.
 Second, socialization teaches individuals how to prepare for and perform certain social roles –occupational roles,
gender roles, and the roles of institutions such as marriage and parenthood.
 Third, socialization cultivates shared sources of meaning and value. Through socialization, people learn to identify
what is important and valued within a particular culture.
Identity Formation
You have learned that through enculturation and socialization, an individual learns the norms of his or her society. The
compilation of the values, attitudes, and beliefs that individuals receive from their family, peers, and community enables them to create
a personal identity that simultaneously separates them from the other members of the group and incorporates them in its system. Such
differentiation from the general social template is called individuation. This can be related to the concept of personal identity.
 Social identity is a person’s notion of who he or she is in society. This includes the roles and statuses that he or she performs
in accord to what the society expects of him or her.
Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics 1

There are two primary types of identity that an individual takes on: primary and secondary. Primary identity consists of the
roles and statuses that an individual learns as a child. This includes the core social identities that are often ascribed to an individual
such as sex, age, and ethnicity. As a child gets enculturated and socialized with his or her society’s norm, he or she participates in the
construction of his or her secondary identity. This includes roles and statuses that are achieved such as occupation, educational
background, economic status, and gender.

Norms and Values

The concept of cultural values refers to all those ideas held in society that are considered good, acceptable, and right. Cultural
values inform the types of aspirations that members of society aspire for, and these are labeled as social goals. Using conflict theory, it
can be said that these values and goals are sometimes the source of conflict within a society, as individuals have varying access and
experiences relating to it. Another perspective on values and goals is from the functionalism theory, which argues that values exist to
create unity and harmony within the structure and fulfil the needs of the individuals. Values are created and upheld because they
maintain the structure that promotes social order.

Reinforcing the continuity of values and goals in society are the norms that are established. These consist of the rules and
regulations on behavior. Although societies may have similar values and goals, the norms that are created in reference to these values
may vary. For example, the values placed on family are displayed differently across cultures. The act of placing an aging family
member in a nursing home may be a norm in Western societies, but it is almost unacceptable , or even unthinkable , in most Asian
societies.
There are four categories of norms: folkways, mores, taboos, and laws. Folkways are the socially approved behaviors that
have no moral underpinning. This includes a variety of actions that constitute acceptable or expected behavior drawn from customs and
conventions. For example, some societies (e.g., Americans) consider it rude for a visitor to make slurping sounds when consuming
soup, whereas others (e.g., Chinese ) encourage it. Mores are the norms related to moral conventions. These includes behaviors that
are considered acceptable in relation to religious practices. The use of artificial contraceptives, such as condoms and birth control pills,
is frowned upon in highly religious societies, whereas it is accepted, and even encouraged, in others that do not strictly implemented
than the others, which make them taboo. Taboos are behaviors that are absolutely forbidden in a specific culture. Performances of
taboos are met with stricter punishments. Examples of taboos are cannibalism and incest. It must be noted that taboos are not
universal. Some societies do allow behaviors that are considered repugnant in others. Reinforcing the nonpractice of tabooed
behaviors are the laws that are enacted by the state. Laws consist of the rules and regulations that are implemented by the state,
making them the prime source of social control. Violations of laws are met with punishments, fines, ostracism, and imprisonment.

Status and Role

Our forms of social interaction are always within the context of our status and that of the people we are interacting with. This is
to say that we speak and behave differently toward different sets of people. You have a set of vocabularies and nonverbal cues that
you use for your parents, which you may not use with your peers. A status is an individual’s position in his or her society, which carries
with it a set of defined rights and obligations. Your status as a student comes with obligations and rights, which are defined as your
roles.
Roles are sets of expectation from people who occupy a particular status. From the vocabulary that they would use to their
performance of their statuses, these are all within the framework of roles. The behavior of an individual within a social space in
accordance to his or her status is called role performance. Sometimes, a status has multiple roles attached to it. This multiplicity of
roles within a given status is called a role set. Hence, your teacher’s role is not just to educate you. He or she also has the role of being
your guardian while you are away from your parents.

Conformity and Deviance

Do you act differently from what others expect of you? How do they respond to your statements and actions? These are
questions that must be considered when discussing the concept of deviance and conformity.
Conformity is the act of following the roles and goals of one’s society. This behavior is often met with rewards and acceptance
from other members of the society.
Deviance is the act of violating the prescribed social norms. Acts of deviance are often associated with a stigma. A stigma is a
strong sense of disapproval on nonconforming behavior from members of a society. When deviance is within the context of legal
structures, it may even be considered a crime or a violation of a law.

Social Control
To maintain social order and stability, social control is needed. The two elements that promote social control are internalization
and sanctions. Internalization is an integral part of communicating and incorporating social norms to an individual’s personality. It is in
this process that an individual is made to automatically conform to the dictates of his or her society through a cost –benefit orientation.
One key element in ensuring that individuals are able to internalize social norms is the establishment of sanctions.
Sanctions are powerful in leading an individual to conform to social norms. Despite an individual’s disinclination to conform,
when the sanction is strong, there is a high possibility that he or she will decide to follow the norm. Sanctions can be categorized into
four types:
 Formal sanctions – These are the rewards or forms of punishment that are formally awarded by an institution such as a
government, a council, or an establishment.
  Informal sanctions – These are the rewards and forms of punishment that are spontaneously given by an individual or a group
of people as a response to a behavior that was either accepted or disapproved.
 Positive sanctions – These are actions or statements that reward a particular behavior which reinforce its repetition.
Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics 2

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

Organizations are created by individuals to foster a more direct relationship in secondary group setting. When a secondary
group is directed by its goals, it is referred to as a formal organization. This would include groups such as political parties ,
and academic and professional organizations. These types of organizations are driven by their goals that define their programs and
activities. Within these formal organizations are informal organizations that are characterized by the informal relations between
members. Hence, a professional organization such as a medical practitioners association can be considered a formal organization
because the ties that the members have in general are defined by the objectives of the organization, whereas a subgroup created
through camaraderie among colleagues can be called an informal organization. In most cases, informal organizations cater to the
personal needs of individuals as opposed to the structure-oriented formal organizations.
Every organization is defined by its objectives that may be for the betterment of the society in general or to address certain
group issues. It can then be said that the existence of organizations is attribute to the goals that are set before them. To achieve these,
organizations use rational planning. This process implies identification of tasks, roles, implementation programs, and general policies.
This provides organizations a businesslike nature.

Social Group
Social group can be defined as a collection of people who regularly interact with one another on the basis of shared
expectations concerning bahavior and who share a sense of common identity. However, not all individuals who share similar
characteristics interact with one another. This phenomenon is observed in social categories. For example, your barkada may be
classified as a social group; students attending your high school are within the context of a social category, as you do not normally
interact with them. Another classification of human grouping is that of social aggregate. In this, individuals gather in the same place but
are neither interacting nor sharing similar characteristics. People gathered in a shopping mall may be categorized in this.
With these qualifications as to what constitute a group, will be better to define/describe the categories of groups based on
some standards:
Primary Group. This is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal , and enduring relationships.
Primary groups are marked by the members’ concern for one another and shared activities and culture. Examples include
families, childhood friends, and highly influential social groups. They are typically small-scale, include intimate relationships,
and are usually long-lasting. The members of primary groups feel a strong personal identity with group.
Secondary Group. This has the opposite characteristics of a primary group. Secondary groups can be a small or large and
they are mostly impersonal and usually short-term. These groups are typically found at work and school. An example of a
secondary group is a committee organized to plan a holiday party at work. Members of the committee meet infrequently and
for only a short period of time. Although group members may have some similar interests, the purpose of the group is about
the task instead of the relationships. Sometimes, secondary groups become pretty informal, and the members get to know
each other fairly well.
Reference Group. This is a group to which we compare ourselves. Reference groups, such as those of college freshmen,
serve as a standard against which behaviors and attitude are measured. We use reference groups in order to guide our
behavior and attitudes and help us to identify social norms. Hence reference groups may also be called as “identity
association group” since their creation is fueled by a person’s desire to provide a character connection. Reference groups may
be classified as in-groups or out-groups as shown in the matrix below.
Basic Features (in terms of feeling of belongingness )
Group Examples

Reference In-Group: social groups to which an individual feels he or she Fraternity

Group belongs. One feels loyalty and respect for these groups.

Out-group: social groups that an individual does not identify with. Sports team opponent
One feels antagonism and contempt for these groups.

Social life, whether in a small group or a large group, is governed by rules and policies that reinforce prescribed norms within
a society. The pressure to conform to group behavior is stronger in small group settings, as opposed to large group settings where
relationships are indirect and noncohesive. Primary relationships have greater impact on human behavior and conformity to social
norms due to the interdependent roles that are experienced and practiced in it. Empathy and conformity are more prominently observed
in primary relaionship-based groups than in groups dominated by secondary relationships that promote indirect communication and
detachment. When individuals are confined in secondary groups, they address alienation and detachment by creating informal groups
where they could have stronger bonds.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics 3

What have i learned so far?