You are on page 1of 33

Disciplines and

Ideas in the
Social Science
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

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work
of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or
office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit.
Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of
royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders.
Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from
their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim
ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education


Nicolas T. Capulong, PhD, CESO V
Ronilo AJ K. Firmo, PhD, CESO V
Librada M. Rubio, PhD
Development Team of the Module
Writer: Wilson C. Antolin Jr.
Editors: Kristle M. Estillore
Ann Christian A. Francisco
Reviewers: Angelica M. Burayag, PhD
Nelie D. Sacman, PhD
Christian C. Linsangan
Darwin C. Alonzo
Illustrator: Cristoni A. Macaraeg
Ryan Pastor
Jonathan Paranada
Layout Artist: Christine Ann C. Buenaventura
Ryan Pastor
Jonathan Paranada
Management Team: Nicolas T. Capulong, PhD, CESO V
Librada M. Rubio, PhD
Angelica M. Burayag, PhD
Ma. Editha R. Caparas, PhD
Nestor P. Nuesca, EdD
Ramil G. Ilustre, PhD.
Larry B. Espiritu, PhD
Rodolfo A. Dizon, PhD
Nelie D. Sacman, PhD
Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Region III
Office Address: Matalino St. D. M. Government Center, Maimpis, City of San Fernando (P)
Telphone Number: (045) 598-8580 to 89
E-mail Address:region3@deped.gov.ph
Disciplines and
Ideas in the
Social Sciences
Quarter 1 – Module 6:
Marxism and Symbolic
Interactionism and its Importance
in Examining Socio - Cultural,
Economic, and Political Condition
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

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 module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators


both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while
overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

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.

For the learner:

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.

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities
for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be
enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an active
learner.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies


that will help you in guiding the learners.

ii
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
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in
the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to


check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link


the current lesson with the previous one.

What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be


introduced to you in various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of


the lesson. This aims to help you discover
and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent


practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank


sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will


help you transfer your new knowledge or
skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your


level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given


to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
the lesson learned. This also tends retention
of learned concepts.

iii
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in


developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
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
included in the module.
3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not
alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

iv
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.

The module have one lesson:

 Lesson 1 – The Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Apply the Marxism and symbolic interactionism theories; and


2. Relate the importance of socio - cultural, economic, and political
condition to Marxism and symbolic interactionism theories.

What I Know

Direction: Match the following terms in column A to their respective definitions in


column B. Write only the letter of your answer in a separate sheet of paper.

A. B.

_____1. Class Conflict a. An approach in sociology that views


society as a complex system whose parts
work together to promote solidarity and
stability.

_____2. Economics b. The French philosopher who noticed and


started to think that society was made up
of building blocks that were focused
towards a common goal.

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.

_____4. Extinction d. It refers to a person’s standing with


regards to his/her access to resources,
monetary capability, income status,
occupation, and living situation.

_____5. Infrastructure e. It refers to the conflict between different


classes in a community that is composed
of different social or economic positions
and opposing interests.

_____6. Marxism f. Population, basic biological need, and


resources defined this level of culture
model.

_____7. Negative g. A social psychological theory developed


Reinforcement from the work of Charles Horton Cooley
and George Herbert Mead.

_____8. Politics h. A social, political, and economic


philosophy named after Karl Marx.

_____9. Positive Reinforcement i. Rewards a behavior by removing an


unpleasant stimulus, rather than adding a
pleasant one.

____10. Punishment j. Defined as something done after a given


deliberate action that lowers the chance of
that action taking place in the future.

____11. Socio - cultural k. Related to the different groups of people in


society and their habits, traditions, and
beliefs.

____12. Socioeconomic status l. The branch of knowledge concerned with


the production, consumption, and transfer
of wealth.

____13. Structural m. The activities associated with the


Functionalism governance of a country or other area,
especially the debate or conflict among
individuals or parties having or hoping to

2
achieve power.

____14. Symbolic n. Scribes the best-known examples of


Interactionism operant conditioning: receiving a reward
for acting in a certain way.

____15. Talcott Parson o. 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.

Lesson
Marxism and Symbolic
1 Interactionism Theories

Marxism is complicated by the fact that Marx is by no means the only


influence on this critical school. Indeed, given the various sorts of political
movements that have been inspired by this thinker (socialism, Trotskyism,
communism, Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism, radical democracy, etc.), one despairs
at trying to provide a fair and lucid introduction.

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.

3
What’s In

Direction: Write down the importance of Structural - Functionalism in the given


conditions in the boxes below. Use a separate sheet of paper for your
answer.

4
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.

5
What is It

Marxism Theory according to Quexbook, 2018

Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after


Karl Marx, which examines the effect of capitalism on labor, productivity, and
economic development and argues for a worker revolution to overturn capitalism in
favor of communism.

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.

Louis Althusser represents an important break in Marxist thought,


particularly when it comes to the notion of ideology. His Lacan-inspired version of
Marxism significantly changed the way many Marxists approached both capitalism
and hegemony after the Second World War.

Fredric Jameson is surely the most influential contemporary Marxist thinker


in the United States. His own alterations of and dialogue with Althusserian and
Lacanian thought have established him as an important influence on the rise of
globalization studies, an important critical school of the last few years. In particular,
he has attempted to make sense of the continuing staying power of capitalism and
the ways that capitalism has transformed since Marx wrote his critiques in the
nineteenth century, addressing such issues as multi-national (or "late") capitalism,
the power of the media, and the influence of postmodernity on Marxist debate. The
lattermost issue is explored in the Jameson modules under Postmodernism.

A class is a group of people who share similar characteristics specifically


with regard to their socioeconomic status.

6
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.

The Six Elements in Marx’s View of Class Conflict according to Quexbook,


2018

1. Classes are authority relationships based on property ownership.

2. A class defines groupings of individuals with shared life situations and interests.

3. Classes are naturally antagonistic by virtue of their interests.

4. Imminent within modern society is the growth of two antagonistic classes and
their struggle, which eventually absorbs all social relations.

5. Political organization and Power are an instrumentality of class struggle and


reigning ideas are its reflection.

6. Structural change is a consequence of the class struggle.

Variables that Determine Class from a Marxian Perspective according to


Quexbook, 2018

1. Conflicts over the distribution of economic rewards between the classes

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

5. Establishment of a political organization resulting from the economic structure,


the historical situation, and maturation of class consciousness.

Two Types of People According to Karl Marx according to Quexbook, 2018

Proletariat is consisting of the working or labor class.

Bourgeoisie is consisting of the management class; those who own the means of
production

7
The Three Sources of Income

1. Owners of simple labor power or laborers whose main source of income is labor.

2. Owners of capital or capitalists whose main source of income is profit or surplus


value.

3. Landowners whose main source of income is ground rent.

The Three Levels of Culture Model according to Quexbook, 2018

Infrastructure - population, basic biological need, and resources (labor, equipment,


technology, etc.).

Structure - pattern of organization (government, education, production regulation,


etc.).

Superstructure - social institutions (law, religion, politics, art, science,


superstition, values, emotions, traditions, etc.).

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.

Capitalism is distinctive, Marx argues, in that it involves not merely the


exchange of commodities, but the advancement of capital, in the form of money,
with the purpose of generating profit through the purchase of commodities and
their transformation into other commodities which can command a higher price,
and thus yield a profit.

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

8
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.

First, Marx’s refusal to accept that capitalism involves a harmony of


interests between workers and capitalists, replacing this with a class based
analysis of the worker’s struggle for better wages and conditions of work, versus
the capitalist’s drive for ever greater profits.

Second, Marx’s denial 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. Both provide a salutary corrective to aspects of orthodox economic
theory.

Symbolic Interactionism
From https://examples.yourdictionary.com/symbolic-interactionism-examples-in-
everyday-life.html

Symbolic Interactionism is a social psychological theory developed from


the work of Charles Horton Cooley and George Herbert Mead in the early part of the
twentieth century (the actual name of the theory comes from Herbert Blumer, one
of Mead’s students). According to this theory, people inhabit a world that is in large
part socially constructed.

Examples of Symbolic Interactionism in Everyday Life

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:

9
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

Societies are full of symbolic interactionism. And your interactions are


different based on the society in which you live. Additionally, many symbolic
interactionism examples seen throughout society can be subjective, based on your
experiences with that particular symbol. Check out a few different society examples
of symbolic interactionism.

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

Gender can be understood through symbolic interactionism because gender


is a sociological construct. For example, for the symbols attached to “males” and
“females”, actions and looks are based on what is believed is true from your
interactions rather than what is objectively true. For example, women might be
seen as weaker than men. A man wearing a dress might be seen as feminine. These
problematic attributes lead to inequality and biases such as women getting paid
less than men in the workforce.

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

10
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.

Meaning behind Symbolic Interaction

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.

Operant Conditioning Examples

Operant conditioning is a learning process whereby deliberate behaviors are


reinforced through consequences. It differs from classical conditioning, also called
respondent or Pavlovian conditioning, in which involuntary behaviors are triggered
by external stimuli.

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.

Operant Conditioning and Timing

The core concept of operant conditioning is simple: when a certain deliberate


behavior is reinforced, that behavior will become more common. Psychology divides
reinforcement into four main categories:

 Positive reinforcement
 Negative reinforcement
 Punishment
 Extinction

11
Timing and frequency are very important in reinforcement.

A continuous reinforcement schedule (commonly abbreviated CRF)


provides reinforcement for all noted behaviors. That is, every time the behavior
occurs, reinforcement is provided.

An intermittent reinforcement schedule (commonly abbreviated INT)


reinforces some target behaviors but never all of them. Think of it like a slot
machine. You won't win on every pull of the lever, but you do win sometimes, and
that reinforces the behavior of pulling the lever.

Examples of Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement describes the best-known examples of operant


conditioning: receiving a reward for acting in a certain way.

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.

3. When a worker is rewarded with a performance bonus for exceptional sales


figures, she is inclined to continue performing at a high level in hopes of
receiving another bonus in the future.

Examples of Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is a different but equally straightforward form of


operant conditioning. Negative reinforcement rewards a behavior by removing an
unpleasant stimulus, rather than adding a pleasant one.

1. An employer offering an employee a day off is an example of negative


reinforcement. Rather than giving a tangible reward, they reduce the presence of
something undesirable; that is, the amount of time spent at work.

2. In a sense, young children condition their parents through negative


reinforcement. Screaming, tantrums and other "acting out" behaviors are
generally intended to draw a parent's attention. When the parent behaves as the
child wants, the unpleasant condition - the screaming and crying - stops. That's
negative reinforcement.

3. Negative reinforcement is common in the justice system. Prisons will sometimes


ease regulations on a well-behaved prisoner, and sentences are sometimes

12
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

In psychology, punishment doesn't necessarily mean what it means in


casual usage. Psychology defines punishment as something done after a given
deliberate action that lowers the chance of that action taking place in the future.
Whereas reinforcement is meant to encourage a certain behavior, punishment is
meant to discourage a certain behavior.

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).

2. A sharp "No!" addressed to a pet engaging in unacceptable behavior is a classic


example of punishment. The shout punishes the pet, conditioning it to avoid
doing wrong behavior in the future.

3. Punishments are commonly used in lab experiments. Most often, a lab animal is
punished for a given behavior with a mild electric shock.

Just as there are examples of positive reinforcement and negative


reinforcement, there are also examples of positive punishment (like the ones above)
and negative punishment. With the latter, a positive situation is removed when an
undesired behavior is performed. For example, a parent may take a favorite toy
away from a child who is misbehaving.

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.

13
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.

B.F. Skinner and Conditioning

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a psychologist and researcher credited with


establishing the principles of operant conditioning. B.F. Skinner began
with Thorndike's law of effect, which states that behaviors that cause satisfactory
results will be repeated. Skinner considered satisfaction to be insufficiently specific
to measure and set out to design a means of measuring learned behaviors.

The operant conditioning chamber, popularly known as a Skinner box, was


his solution. He kept his test subjects, primarily pigeons and rats, in
circumstances that allowed him to closely observe their behavior. He would isolate
the animal and every time the animal performed a defined behavior, like pushing a
lever, it'd be rewarded with food. When the animal began to reliably push the lever,
he'd know it had been conditioned.

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.

Operant Conditioning and You

It can be uncomfortable to talk about human behavior in the clinical


language of psychology. That said, operant conditioning describes a simple
phenomenon that happens in every part of life. It's just one of the mechanisms by
which people learn. It's vital to understand how that mechanism works to make
sure it works best for you.

14
Theoretical Model of Symbolic Interactionism

Other sociologists study government and power by relying on the framework


of symbolic interactionism, which is grounded in the works of Max Weber and
George H. Mead.

Symbolic interactionism, as it pertains to government, focuses its attention


on figures, emblems, or individuals that represent power and authority. Many
diverse entities in larger society can be considered symbolic: trees, doves, wedding
rings. Images that represent the power and authority of the United States include
the White House, the eagle, and the American flag. The Seal of the President of the
United States, along with the office in general, incites respect and reverence in
many Americans.

Symbolic interactionists are not interested in large structures such as the


government. As micro-sociologists, they are more interested in the face-to-face
aspects of politics. In reality, much of politics consists of face-to-face backroom
meetings and lobbyist efforts. What the public often sees is the front porch of
politics that is sanitized by the media through gatekeeping.

Symbolic interactionists are most interested in the interaction between these


small groups who make decisions, or in the case of some recent congressional
committees, demonstrate the inability to make any decisions at all. The heart of
politics is the result of interaction between individuals and small groups over
periods of time. These meetings produce new meanings and perspectives that
individuals use to make sure there are future interactions.

What’s More

A. Direction: Rearrange the letters in the boxes to reveal the components of


Marxism hidden in it. Write the words formed below the boxes and make a
brief description of each of it. Use a separate sheet of paper.

1. . ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

A R L K ____________________________________________________________

R M A K ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

___________________

15
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.

_________1. Marxism is a social, political, and economic philosophy named after


Karl Marx.
_________2. Marxism posits the struggle between social classes, specifically
between the bourgeoisie or capitalists, and the proletariat, or workers.
_________3. Marxist thought has continued to have an important influence on
critical thought, all the more so recently after the rise of globalization
studies.
_________4. Karl Marx is surely the most influential contemporary Marxist thinker
in the United States.
_________5. Louis Althusser provided a two-stage argument for the labor theory of
value.
_________6. Marx claims that no previous theorist has been able adequately to
explain how capitalism as a whole can make a profit.
_________7. Capitalism is distinctive. Jameson argues that it involves not merely
the exchange of commodities, but the advancement of capital in the
form of money.
_________8. Althusser’s own solution relies on the idea of exploitation of the worker.

16
_________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:
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

D. Directions: Write PR if the statement refers to the Positive reinforcement, NR for


Negative reinforcement, PU for Punishment, and EX if it refers to Extinction. Write
your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

_______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.

17
_______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.

_______8. Adding extra sensitivity training to employees who offend or harass


someone at work.

_______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.

18
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.

19
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.

Bourgeoisie Infrastructure Socioeconomic Status


Class Karl Marx Structure
Class Conflict Louis Althusser Superstructure
Fredric Jameson Proletariat Unstructure

____________________1. A level of culture model that described the pattern of


organization.

____________________2. It refers to a person’s standing with regards to his/her


access to resources, monetary capability, income status,
occupation, and living situation.

____________________3. A group of people who share similar characteristics


specifically with regards to their socioeconomic status.

____________________4. It refers to the conflict between different classes in a


community that is composed of different social or economic
positions and opposing interests.

____________________5. It consists of the management class; those who own the


means of production.

____________________6. Population, basic biological need, and resources defined this


level of culture model.

____________________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.

____________________9. His own alterations of and dialogue with Althusserian and


Lacanian thought have established him as an important
influence on the rise of globalization studies.

___________________10. His Lacan-inspired version of Marxism significantly changed


the way many Marxists approached both capitalism and
hegemony after the Second World War.

20
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
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

21
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.

1. Socio - cultural 2. Economics 3. Political

Assessment

Multiple Choice
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. Which perspective is the creation of E. Durkheim?

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

22
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

4. If I define teacher as a responsible individual who wears fuzzy sweaters and


drinks coffee all day, and so I behave that way, then that is an example of which
sociological theory in practice?

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?

a. Functionalist Theory c. Symbolic Interactionism


b. Conflict Theory d. Psychoanalysis

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.

a. Karl Marx b. Emile Durkheim c. Herbert Spencer d. Max Weber

8. According to Marx, the history of all society up to his time is the history of ____.

a. Class Struggles b. Political Problems c. Racism d. Gender

9. Which of the following traits is the characteristic of modern bourgeois society?

a. Class relationships have been eradicated.

b. All societies believe in communism.


c. Exploitative class relationships are no longer hidden.
d. None of the above

10. Who had been the big influence to Karl Marx?

a. John Stuart Mill c. Aristotle


b. G.W.F. Hegel d. Plato

11. One type of communism that exists nowadays is _____________.

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.

23
a. The Marxism of the Second International c. Early Socialism
b. The Marxism of the Third International d. None of the above

13. Who formulated a three-component theory of social stratification, which


included class, status, and party?

a. Karl Marx c. Pierre Bourdieu


b. Max Weber d. None of the above

14. It happens when there is incompatible expectations attached to some positions


in a social relationship.

a. Role conflict c. Role taking


b. Social structure d. Social act

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

Directions: Using the available indigenous materials in your home, create an


artwork that represents COVID - 19 pandemic and explain its symbolisms and
significance. Do it on a separate bond paper.

24
Answer Key

25
References

Felluga, Dino. "General Introduction to Marxism." Introductory Guide to Critical


Theory. Date of last update, which you can find on the home page. Purdue
U.Dateyouaccessedthesite.<http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/marxis
m/modules/introduction.html>.

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

26
27

You might also like