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Quarter 1 – Module 6:
Marxism and Symbolic
Interactionism and its Importance
in Examining Socio - Cultural,
Economic, and Political Condition
Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 6: Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism and its
Importance in Examining Socio - Cultural, Economic, and Political Condition
First Edition, 2020
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Welcome to the Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences 11 Alternative Delivery
Mode (ADM) Module on Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism and its Importance
in Examining Socio - Cultural, Economic, and Political Condition.!
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration
their needs and circumstances.
Welcome to the Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences 11 Alternative Delivery
Mode (ADM) Module on Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism and its Importance
in Examining Socio - Cultural, Economic, and Political Condition.
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This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities
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In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:
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As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
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What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in
the module.
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This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key module.
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the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
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We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
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What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the Concepts and Principles of the Major Social Science Theories. The
scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations.
The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons
are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which
you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.
What I Know
A. B.
1
_____3. Emile Durkheim c. The American sociologist and functionalist
who attempted to develop and perfect a
general analytic model suitable for
analyzing all types of collectivities.
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achieve power.
Lesson
Marxism and Symbolic
1 Interactionism Theories
Add to that the fact that Marx himself changed his mind on various issues or
sometimes expressed opinions that appear mutually exclusive, and one is faced
with a rather high hurdle. Nonetheless, there are a number of Marxist thoughts
and thinkers that have been especially influential on recent scholarly developments
(particularly in literary, cultural, and political studies).
In short, the goal of this section of the Guide to Theory, as with any of the
sections, is not to give an exhaustive account of this critical school but, rather, to
give a sense for the major concepts influencing this approach while attempting to
stay conscious of the various ways that individual terms have been contested over
the last number of decades.
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What’s In
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What’s New
Direction: On the box below, list down the important activities by the following
conditions that led and contributed to the rise of Marxism. Use a separate sheet of
paper for your answer.
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What is It
Marxism posits that the struggle between social classes, specifically between
the bourgeoisie, or capitalists, and the proletariat, or workers, defines economic
relations in a capitalist economy and will inevitably lead to revolutionary
communism.
Karl Marx is, along with Freud, one of a handful of thinkers from the last
two centuries who has had a truly transformative effect on society, on culture, and
on our very understanding of ourselves. Although there were a few critics claiming
an end to Marxist thought (and even an end to ideology) after the fall of the
communist system in the former Soviet Union, Marxist thought has continued to
have an important influence on critical thought, all the more so recently after the
rise of globalization studies. As protests at recent G7 and IMF meetings make clear,
the school can also still have important political effects.
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Socioeconomic status refers to a person’s standing with regard to his/her
access to resources, monetary capability, income status, occupation, and living
situation.
Class conflict (class warfare or class struggle) refers to the conflict between
different classes in a community that is composed of different social or economic
positions and opposing interests.
2. A class defines groupings of individuals with shared life situations and interests.
4. Imminent within modern society is the growth of two antagonistic classes and
their struggle, which eventually absorbs all social relations.
2. Easy communication between the individuals in the same class positions so that
ideas and action programs are readily disseminated.
3. Growth of class consciousness in the sense that members of the class have a
feeling of solidarity and understanding of their historic role.
4. Profound dissatisfaction of the lower class over its inability to control the
economic structure of which it feels itself to be exploited victim
Bourgeoisie is consisting of the management class; those who own the means of
production
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The Three Sources of Income
1. Owners of simple labor power or laborers whose main source of income is labor.
Marx provides a two-stage argument for the labor theory of value. The first
stage is to argue that if two objects can be compared in the sense of being put on
either side of an equals sign, then there must be a ‘third thing of identical
magnitude in both of them’ to which they are both reducible. As commodities can
be exchanged against each other, there must, Marx argues, be a third thing that
they have in common. This then motivates the second stage, which is a search for
the appropriate ‘third thing’, which is labor in Marx’s view, as the only plausible
common element. Both steps of the argument are, of course, highly contestable.
Marx claims that no previous theorist has been able adequately to explain
how capitalism as a whole can make a profit. Marx’s own solution relies on the idea
of exploitation of the worker. In setting up conditions of production the capitalist
purchases the worker’s labor power — his ability to labor — for the day.
The cost of this commodity is determined in the same way as the cost of
every other, i.e. in terms of the amount of socially necessary labor power required
to produce it. In this case the value of a day’s labor power is the value of the
commodities necessary to keep the worker alive for a day.
Suppose that such commodities take four hours to produce. Thus, the first
four hours of the working day is spent on producing value equivalent to the value
of the wages the worker will be paid. This is known as necessary labor. Any work
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the worker does above this is known as surplus labor, producing surplus value for
the capitalist. Surplus value, according to Marx, is the source of all profit.
In Marx’s analysis labor power is the only commodity which can produce
more value than it is worth, and for this reason it is known as variable capital.
Other commodities simply pass their value on to the finished commodities, but do
not create any extra value. They are known as constant capital.
Profit, then, is the result of the labor performed by the worker beyond that
necessary to create the value of his or her wages. This is the surplus value theory
of profit.
However, even if the labor theory of value is considered discredited, there are
elements of his theory that remain of worth. The Cambridge economist Joan
Robinson, in An Essay on Marxian Economics, picked out two aspects of
particular note.
Symbolic Interactionism
From https://examples.yourdictionary.com/symbolic-interactionism-examples-in-
everyday-life.html
The way you perceive the world is unique. Based on your interactions with
words, ideas, and events, different objects, or words, can have different meanings
to you. Explore different examples of symbolic interactionism at play in society.
When looking at a complex theory, it’s always best to start simply. Some
symbols are easy to recognize and hold concrete meanings within societies. While
some can be subjective, a few symbols you recognize through your interactions
with them are:
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1. An image of a stick figure with a dress means woman.
2. An image of a stick figure without a dress means man.
3. A drawing of a heart means love.
4. A bald eagle means freedom and America.
5. A stick figure sitting in a chair with a large wheel means handicapped.
6. Putting your thumb up means yes.
7. Putting your thumb down means no.
8. Skull and crossbones mean danger.
9. A balance symbolizes justice.
10. The lone t shape symbolizes a cross, spirituality, or religion.
11. Water holds the meaning of rebirth, vitality, or cleansing.
Examples in Society
Philippine Flag
A horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red,
with a white, equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a
golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing a province of the
Philippines. At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each
of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—
Luzon, Visayas (though originally referring to Panay) and Mindanao. The white
triangle at the flag represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of
this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on
top, which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag upside-down.
Gender
Colorism
Race and ethnicity is another area where symbolic interactionism comes into
play. This can definitely be seen through the issue of colorism. In colorism, people
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of the same racial identification are treated differently based on the lightness or
darkness of their skin. For example, a study by Lance Hannon on colorism
demonstrated lighter-skinned Latinos "looked" smarter according to Caucasians.
Relationship Roles
Symbolic interactionism plays a big role in family and relationships. Your
understanding of a word or event changes based on interactions with it. For
example, if you have a great relationship with your wife, the word wife will be
positive. However, if your relationship with your wife is rocky, the meaning behind
the word and what a wife symbolizes changes.
Rainbow
Societies’ meanings behind symbols can change and morph with time.
One example of this is the meaning of a rainbow. The rainbow has been seen
as a Christian symbol of hope but another meaning of rainbow is now
associated with the LGBTQ community.
The way you see the world colors your understanding of it. Look no further
than symbolic interactionism to see how this is true. Interested to explore more
about behaviors, check out operant conditioning examples.
With classical conditioning, a dog that has learned the sound of a bell
precedes the arrival of food may begin to salivate at the sound of a bell, even if no
food arrives. By contrast, a dog might learn that, by sitting and staying, it will earn
a treat. If the dog then gets better at sitting and staying in order to receive the treat,
then this is an example of operant conditioning.
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction
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Timing and frequency are very important in reinforcement.
1. Many people train their pets with positive reinforcement. Praising a pet or
providing a treat when they obey instructions -- like being told to sit or heel --
both helps the pet understand what is desired and encourages it to obey future
commands.
2. When a child receives praise for performing a chore without complaint, like
cleaning their room, they are more likely to continue to perform that chore in
the future.
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shortened for good behavior. The latter in particular is classic negative
reinforcement: the removal of something undesirable (days in prison) in
response to a given behavior.
Examples of Punishment
1. An employee who misses work may suffer a cut in wages. The loss of income (an
undesired consequence) constitutes the punishment for missing work (an
undesired behavior).
3. Punishments are commonly used in lab experiments. Most often, a lab animal is
punished for a given behavior with a mild electric shock.
Examples of Extinction
Psychology defines extinction as the loss of conditioning over time when the
conditioning stimuli are no longer present. Over time, an animal (or person) will
become less conditioned unless the stimuli that conditioned them in the first place
is reapplied.
1. An employee punished once for missing work, then never again, may become
more likely to miss work later on because they no longer expect to be punished
for absence.
2. Animals often test the limits of their conditioning. For instance, a cat punished
with a spray bottle every time it climbs on a counter may come near the counter
or jump on the counter when it believes no one is around. If no punishment
occurs, the cat is likely to keep jumping on the counter because the
conditioning against it is extinct.
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3. In school, if a student receives a gold star for an excellent test score but does
not receive more gold stars in subsequent tests, he may become increasingly
unmotivated to perform well in future tests. The operant conditioning of the
positive behavior (doing well on a test) is becoming extinct.
Skinner's work took that first principle and applied it to human behavior,
representing the school of psychology called behaviorism. Behaviorism defined
much of psychology for the second half of the 20th century but is currently being
combined with other psychological perspectives.
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Theoretical Model of Symbolic Interactionism
What’s More
1. . ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
A R L K ____________________________________________________________
R M A K ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________
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2. ____________________________________________________________
O U I S L
____________________________________________________________
LAHTUSS
RE ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________
3. R F E D I R ____________________________________________________________
C
____________________________________________________________
J M A E O
____________________________________________________________
S N
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________
True or False
B. Directions: Write T if the statement is true and write F if it is not. Write your
answer on a separate paper.
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_________9. The cost of the commodity is determined in the same way as the cost
of every other such as in terms of the amount of socially necessary
labor power required to produce it.
________10. Profit is the result of the labour performed by the worker beyond what
is necessary to create the value of his/her wages.
________11. Even if the labor theory of value is considered discredited, there is no
element of this theory that remain of worth.
________12. Jameson’s refused to accept that capitalism involves a harmony of
interests between worker and capitalist.
________13. Marx’s denied that there is any long-run tendency to equilibrium in
the market, and his descriptions of mechanisms which underlie the
trade-cycle of boom and bust.
________14. The Cambridge economist Joan Robinson, in An Essay on Marxian
Economics, picked out two aspects of particular note.
________15. Other commodities simply pass their value on to the finished
commodities, but do not create any extra value.
C. Directions: Illustrate your hypothetical image of the Philippines after the COVID
- 19 pandemic and write a brief explanation of your artwork. Do it on a separate
bond paper.
Description:
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_______1. Telling another adult how proud you are of your child’s behavior while
your child is listening.
_______2. In school, if a student receives a gold star for an excellent test score, but
does not receive more gold stars in subsequent tests, he may become
increasingly unmotivated to perform well in future tests.
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_______3. A teacher can eliminate that night’s homework if kids study hard and
accomplish a lot in class.
_______4. Implementing more rules and restrictions when a teen misses curfew.
_______5. If your children cleaned their room without being asked, you could take
them to the playground as a reward.
_______6. A teen answers his phone in the classroom, interrupting the teacher. The
teacher takes away his phone for the rest of the day.
_______7. You are encouraging your child to put away their school things when they
come home and you see that your child hangs up their coat but forgets to
put their lunchbox on the counter.
_______9. Imagine you sleep in the same room with someone who snores loudly. It
keeps you awake every night, and you’re exhausted. You buy a pair of
earplugs and try sleeping while wearing them.
______10. Animals often test the limits of their conditioning. For instance, a cat
punished with a spray bottle every time it climbs on a counter may come
near the counter, or jump on the counter when it believes no one is
around. If no punishment occurs, the cat is likely to keep jumping on the
counter because the conditioning against it is extinct.
______11. Teaching a dog to heel may involve keeping tension on the dog’s leash as
you walk together. The dog does not enjoy this tension and may even find
it uncomfortable.
______12. An employee punished once for missing work, then never again, may
become more likely to miss work later on because they no longer expect
to be punished for absence.
______13. A drunk driver is pulled over by the police. After several sobriety tests,
the police officers arrest the man and impound his car for breaking the
law against drinking and driving.
______14. Offering a special activity, like playing a game or reading a book together.
______15. Imagine you drive through rush hour traffic to get to work. Your
commute is very stressful and takes you two hours every morning.
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E. Directions: Think of 10 objects and its significance to your everyday life. Write
them in boxes like in the example below. Do this in a separate sheet of paper.
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F. Direction: Identify what is being described in each sentence. Choose from the
words listed in the box below and write your answer on separate sheet of paper.
____________________7. The examples of this model are law, religion, politics, art,
science, superstition, values, emotions, traditions, etc.
____________________8. It consists of the working or labor class.
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What I Have Learned
Direction: Write in brief your insights about the following. Do this in a separate
sheet of paper.
1. Bourgeoisie
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. George Herbert
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. Herbert Blumer
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Infrastructure
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
5. Marxism
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Operant Conditioning
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
7. Proletariat
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
8. Structure
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
9. Superstructure
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
10. Symbolic Interactionism
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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What I Can Do
Directions: Write on the scroll below how you feel about the following conditions
as we face COVID - 19 pandemic in the Philippines. Use a separate
bond paper.
Assessment
Multiple Choice
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.
a. Functionalism c. Psychoanalysis
b. Conflict Theory d. Symbolic Interactionism
2. The ________ perspective focuses on how individuals act with one another in
daily situations.
a. Functionalism c. Psychoanalysis
b. Conflict Theory d. Symbolic Interactionism
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3. Karl Marx proposed that society would be better if all classes would rise up and
fight until there was only one class of people. This is ____theory.
a. Functionalism c. Psychoanalysis
b. Conflict Theory d. Symbolic Interactionism
a.Functionalism c. Psychoanalysis
b. Conflict Theory d. Symbolic Interactionism
5. Which theory says that society is a system of interconnected parts that work
together to maintain balance?
6. Which of the three theories is the only micro theory (focuses on individual
interaction)?
a.Functionalism c. Psychoanalysis
b. Conflict Theory d. Symbolic Interactionism
7. He believed that all of history could be explained and was driven by class
conflict.
8. According to Marx, the history of all society up to his time is the history of ____.
a. Anarcho-Communism c. Liberal-Communism
b. Neo-Communism d. French-Communism
12. This period within classical Marxism comprised the debates conducted during
the first decades following Marx’s death.
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a. The Marxism of the Second International c. Early Socialism
b. The Marxism of the Third International d. None of the above
15. It is the process by which the newcomer becomes incorporated into the
organized pattern of interaction.
a. Interactions c. Socialization
b. Role taking d. All of the above
Additional Activities
Additional Activity 1
Directions: Cut out a newspaper article about Filipino front liners and paste it
inside the box. Write a short reaction paper about it on a separate bond
paper.
Additional Activity 2
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Answer Key
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References
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/theoretical-perspectives-
ongovernmentandpower/#:~:text=Symbolic%20interactionism%2C%20as%20
it%20pertains,trees%2C%20doves%2C%20wedding%20rings.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/structuralfunctionalismdefinitiontheoryexamp
les.html
https://cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/marxism/modules/introduction.
html
Karl Marx First published Tue Aug 26, 2003; substantive revision Wed Apr 12,
2017https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/#3https://examples.yourdicti
onary.com/operant-conditioning-examples.html
MarxismBy JIMCHAPPELOWhttps://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marxism.as
p#:~:text=Marxism%20is%20a%20social%2C%20political,capitalism%20in%
20favor%20of%20communism.:UpdatedOct2,2019
POSC311:PoliticsofDevelopingNationsSpring,1999http://udel.edu/~jdeiner/strufnc.
html
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