Saint James High School

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UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY & POLITICS

Information sheet 3
Chapter 3: Becoming a Member Society

MELCs:
1. Explain the context, content processes, and consequences of socialization.
Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the development of one’s self and others as a product of socialization

and enculturation.
2. Identify the social goals and the socially acceptable means of achieving these
goals.
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Introduction
ENCULTURATION AND SOCIALIZATION
“The human mind at birth is nothing but a blank slate or tabularasa.” –John Locke
In John Locke’s philosophy, 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. Locke
argued that people acquire knowledge from the information about the objects in the
world that our senses bring. People begin with simple ideas and then combine them into
more complex ones through the process of socialization and enculturation.
What is socialization?
Socialization is the process by which we acquire knowledge, language, values, skills and
habits of a society. The process actually begins during a person’s childhood. When a
person is born into the world, he or she needs to learn how to live in the society around
him or her. In other words, an individual should generally, conform to the norms and
roles required for integration into a group or community. It is why socialization is an
important process. Basically, it teachers an individual how to be a member of a group or
society. Socialization is, in fact, the main process of social life.
Three Goals of Socialization:
1. It teaches impulse control and help individuals develop a conscience.
2. It teaches individuals how to prepare for and perform certain social roles.
3. It cultivates shared sources of meaning and value.
What is enculturation?
Enculturation is a very similar process to socialization. Enculturation is the process of
being socialized into a certain culture. In other words, this is the process by which we
learn the requirements of our surrounding culture and acquire the behaviors and values
appropriate for this culture.
Culture includes customs, traditions, norms, social values, beliefs, food patterns, clothing
styles, and many more things. A person belonging to a particular culture should conform
to these values and behaviors if he/she wants to be accepted by others. If he/she
doesn’t conform to these, others belonging to that culture will him/her a deviant. Thus,
enculturation teaches us our role, position, and behavior of the particular culture we live
in.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIALIZATION AND ENCULTURATION
Socialization refers to the general process of acquiring culture, while enculturation refers
to the process of being socialized to a particular culture. Thus, it is not correct to say that
enculturation is a product of socialization.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOCIALIZATON AND ENCULTURATION
Socialization is the process through which we learn the norms, customs, values and
roles of the society, from birth to death. Enculturation, on the other hand, is the process
by which we learn the requirements of our surrounding culture and acquire the behaviors
and values appropriate for this culture.
Focus
The term socialization mainly focuses on the acquisition of knowledge, language, values,
skills and habits of society while enculturation focuses more on the acquisition of cultural
traits.
Overall, enculturation and socialization results to:

 IDENTITY FORMATION: The development of an individual’s distinct personality,

which is regarded as a persisting entity in a particular stage of life by which a
person is recognized or known.
Self-concept is the sum of a being’s knowledge and understanding of his/herself.
Components: Physical, Psychological, & Social attributes.
Cultural identity is one’s feeling of identity or affiliation with a group or culture.
Ethnic identity is the identification with a certain ethnicity, usually on the basis of a
presumed common genealogy or ancestry.
National identity is an ethical and philosophical concept whereby all humans divided
into groups called nation.
Religious identity is the set of beliefs and practices generally held by an individual
involving adherence to codified beliefs and rituals.

 NORMS AND VALUES

Norms are culturally determined rules that guide people regarding what’s right, wrong,
proper or improper. It creates predictability in daily affairs and interaction, making it
easier to live with other members of society. People are subjected to norms when they
become part of the societysubjected to the sanctions and rewards.
Values are culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable,
good, and beautiful, and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.
Aspects of sociological concept of value:
1. Values exist at the different levels of generality of abstraction.
2. Values tend to be hierarchically arranged.
3. Values are explicit and implicit in varying degrees.
4. Values are often in conflict with one another.
  STATUS AND ROLES: They are important concepts in socialization because the
behavior of young member of the society is controlled by assigning them certain
status which they will enact.
Status is any position that an individual can occupy in society. It is not a ranked position,
but simply label that implies certain roles that must be perform. It can be ascribed (given)
or given (accomplished) respectively.
1. Ascribed status. A social position received at birth or takes on involuntary later in
life.
2. Achieved status. A social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects
personal identity and effort.
Roles refers to the behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status.
Example:
1. Status as a student
Role 1: Classroom: Attending class, taking notes, and communicating with the
professor.
Role 2: Fellow student: Participating in study groups, sharing ideas, quizzing
other students.
2. Status as an employee
Role 1: Warehouse: Unloading boxes, labelling products, restocking shelves
Role 2: Customer service: Answering questions solving problems, researching
information.
3. Status as club president
Role 1: Administrative: Running club meetings, delegating tasks to club
members.
Role 2: Public: Distributing flyers, answering questions, planning community
volunteer activities.
Every person can simultaneously hold various statuses and roles at any point in time.
However, there are times when people find it difficult to decide which of the different
statuses is the most important. Thus, role strain and role conflict occurs.
 Photo courtesy: core.ecu.edu

Role strain arises when conflicting expectations are built into single status. Role conflict
arises when conflicting expectations arise from two or more statuses an individual
occupies.
UNDERSTANDING CONFORMITY AND DEVIANCE
What is conformity?
Conformity is the behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or
standards. It is the anticipated behavior to follow. It is the desire to go along with the
norms of a group of people, so you will be accepted as an in-group person (and not
rejected as an out-group undesirable person). The concept of conformity was also used
by Robert Merton (1957) to refer acceptance of cultural goals and the legitimate or
approved means of achieving them. In his scheme of adaptations to the goals and
means, only conformity to both indicates non-deviance.
What is deviance?
Deviance centers on the occurrence that violate mores.
Mores are one of the components of norms that are taken very seriously by society and
sometimes codified as laws. Mores are strong norms that are regarded as morally
significant and violation of them are considered a serious matter (Robertson 1987.62).
The word “mores” originated from a Roman term that means “the most respected and
sacred custom”.
So far, there is no existing list of universal deviant behaviors across cultures because
deviance is basically constructed and only determined by members of the society
(Newman, 2012). In short, deviance is characterized for its contextualized nature and
relativity.
For example: The act of is considered deviant in many cultures in Europe and Asia,
especially those which strictly adhere to Judeo-Christian precepts, if it is done outside
the formal rite of matrimony. In contrast, pre-modern society in Africa and some parts of
northern Sahara practice deflowering ceremonies to prospective brides prior to
marriage.
Even within a culture itself the definition of a deviant behavior may change over time.
For example: In Great Britain, the English mathematician Alan Turing was tried for
homosexual acts and even prescribed drugs to possibly cure his homosexuality,
considered as a disease in Europe then. But later on, Alan Turing’s brilliance was
recognized and awarded for his works.
The most popular form on deviance is the commitment of crime, which is defined as the
violation of norms that have been formally enacted into criminal laws. Juvenile
delinquency is also considered a deviant crime being a violation of legal standards by
children or adolescents.
THREE WAYS SOCIOLOGIST IN VIEWING DEVIANCE AS ROOTED IN SOCIETY

 First, it exists only in relation to cultural norms.

Any thought or action cannot be considered be
deviant unless it is correlated to a particular
norm; and a norm varies from one society to
another. Example: Islam does indeed have the
judgement of stoning for those who are
engaged in sexual activities outside of
marriage. However, non-Muslims will consider
this practice as violence against women.
  Second, people become deviant as others define them that way. In short, being
deviant is in the eye of the beholder and largely depends on the perception.
Example: A Korean celebrity can dress like this on stage but other people doing
the same thing can be regarded as “mura ug trapo.”

 Third, both norms and the way events are defined are related to patterns of
social power. This idea has been advanced by Karl Marx, who considered
cultural norms, especially the laws, are likely to protect and uphold the interest of
the powerful at the expense of the powerless.
MECHANISM OF SOCIAL CONTROL
Photo courtesy: Pinterest
Deviance is checked through social control to ensure that norms and conventions are
safeguarded and order preserved.
Society controls individual ideas and behaviors through the following mechanisms:
Labelling theory: This theory states how members of society label other whether they
are deviant or not. Non-conformity provides offensive signals to holders of norms; non—
conformity is often tantamount to disagreement and disapproval. Being labeled a deviant
entails numerous consequences throughout an individual's life. After a group of people
has labeled an individual as a deviant, members of a community often treat the
individual negatively with feelings of hate, mistrust or fear.
Gossip: This is often practiced in small-scale communities where people know each
other personally. Because small-scale communities heavily rely on "getting along" with
each other, outburst or confrontational situations are not ideal. By gossiping or talking
behind someone's back and spreading rumors about him or her, society reinforces what
norms should be followed and punishes the deviants by putting them to shame.
Laws: Formal codes of conduct that are met with negative sanctions when violated The
law dictates to whom authority is given Laws change as well.
Theoretical Interpretation of Deviance
Structural Strain Theory
Developed by Robert Merton. Strain refers to the discrepancies between culturally
defined goals and the institutionalized means available to achieve these goals.

 It states that social structures within society may pressure citizens to commit
crime.
 This theory traces the origins of deviance to the tensions that are caused by the
gap between cultural goals and the means people have available to achieve
those goals Culture- establishes goals for people
 Social structure-provides (or falls to provide) the means for the people to achieve
those goals
 A good example is the popular notion that "poverty breeds crime”. People try to
achieve culturally-defined goals by exhausting all their means. However, people
living in poverty are more likely to commit burglary, larceny or theft because of
the lack of institutionalized means available to achieve these goals.
 Members of the society react to strain in five different ways:

1. Conformity - individuals still accept cultural goals and try to achieve them through
culturally approved method
2. Innovation - individuals still accept cultural goals but go about in achieving it in a
culturally disapproved way.
3. Ritualism - individuals still live in society and follow its culturally approved ways,
but they no longer try to achieve cultural goals.
4. Retreat - individuals no longer desire to achieve cultural goals. They commit
illegal activities and crimes in order to earn a living.
5. Rebellion - individuals challenges the existing culturally accepted goals by
coming up with new ones and also challenge the prescribed means in achieving
cultural goals.

Photo courtesy from: The CSN Sociology Student Legacy Wiki - PBworks

Mode of Accept Means? Accept Goals? Example

Adaptation
Conformity ✔ ✔ The non-deviant, the
non-criminal
conformist citizen
Innovation ✘ ✔ Factors like poor
educational
qualifications or
unemployment
mean that some
people can’t
achieved goals by
approved means, so
they turn to crime as
an alternative.
Ritualism ✔ ✘ Give up on
achieving goals but
stick to means, e.g.
teachers who give
up on students’
success but still
work
Retreatism ✘ ✘ Drop-outs, drug
addicts, who give up
altogether
 Rebellion ✘(✔) ✘(✔) Reject existing
social goals and
means but substitute
new one to create a
new society like
revolutionaries.

Human Dignity, Rights and the Common Good

Photo courtesy: US Embassy in Czech Republic

What is Human Dignity?

It is the person's self-worth and self- respect also came from a Latin word "dignitas" from
the word "dignus" which means ''worthy". Dignity is how people grade themselves and
each other on a social-moral ladder. The human life is sacred and the dignity of the
person is at the care of a moral vision for society.
What is human right?
It is believed to belong justifiably to every person, since birth until death. They apply
regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.
Human rights protect people against abuse by those who are more powerful. These
basic rights are based on shared values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and
independence. These values are protected by law.
What is common good?
It refers to either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a community.
In theological terms the common good is defined in Pope John XXlll's encyclical Matere t
Magistra (On Christianity and Social Progress) as "the sum total of social conditions
which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully
and more easily."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 The traumatic events
of the Second World
War brought home
that human rights are
not always
universally
respected. The
extermination of
almost 17 million
people during the
Holocaust, including
6 million Jews,
horrified the entire
world. After the war,
governments
worldwide made a
concerted effort to
Photo courtesy: Wikipedia foster international
peace and prevent conflict. This resulted in the establishment of the United Nations in
June 1945.
In 1948, representatives from the 50 member states of the United Nations came together
under the guidance of Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady of the United States 1933-1945) to
devise a list of all the human rights that everybody across the world should enjoy.
On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations announced the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) - 30 rights and freedoms that belong to
all of us. Seven decades on and the rights they included continue to form the basis for all
international human rights law. Eleanor Roosevelt was heavily involved in championing
civil rights and social activism. She was appointed chair of the UN Commission on
Human Rights which drafted the IJDHR On the tenth anniversary of the UDHR, Eleanor
gave a speech at the United Nations called 'Where Do Human Rights Begin?'. Part of
her speech has become famous for capturing the reason why human rights are for every
one of us, in all parts of our daily lives:
“Where, after all, do universal human tights begin? In small places, close to home so
close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the
world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he
attends; the factory, fam, or office where he works. Such are the places where every
man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without
discrimination. Unless these tights have meaning there, they have little meaning
anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to "uphold them close to home, we shall look
in vain for progress in the larger world.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, 1958

The UDHR marked an important shift by daring to say that all human beings are free and
equal, regardless of color, creed or religion. For the first time, a global agreement put to
human beings, not power politics, at the heart of its agenda.
The summary of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Photo courtesy: Decoda Literacy Solutions

Commission on Human Rights
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is an
independent National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)
created under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, established
on 05 May 1987 by virtue of Executive Order No. 163.

The Commission is mandated to conduct investigations

on human rights violations against marginalized and
vulnerable sectors of the society, involving civil and
political rights.
The CHR was created as a response to the atrocities
committed during Martial Law. When the 1987 Philippine
Constitution was drafted, Article XIII on Social Justice
From: en.wikipedia.org
and Human
Rights clearly defined the creation of the Commission. "There is hereby created an
independent office called The Commission on Human Rights... (to) investigate, on its
own or on complaint by any patty, all forms of human rights violations involving civil and
political rights (Sec 17-18, Art XlII, Philippine Constitution)

What laws or legal documents ensure the human rights of Filipino citizens?

 Article III - Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution

The Bill of Rights is the declaration and enumeration of the individual rights and
privileges and is designed to protect violations against individuals and a limitation upon
the power of the state.

 Anti-Trafficking in Person's Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10364)

Aims to eliminate the trafficking of people, especially women and children. It gives
protection and support to victims of trafficking and punishes those who commit the
crime. It aims to rehabilitate victims of illegal trafficking and exploitation

 Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 (Republic

Act 10368)
This provides for the reparation and recognition of victims of human rights violations
during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos
 Self-check #3
Name: ___________________________ Grade and Section: __________________
Teacher: _________________________ Score: ____________________

A. Venn Diagram.
Direction: Compare and contrast the concept of socialization and
enculturation using the diagram below.

socialization enculturation

B. Essay.
Direction: Based on the picture shown below, provide an explanation
based on the concept of conformity and deviance.

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Signature of parent/guardian over printed name