BECOMING A MEMBER OF SOCIETY

Lesson 4

Introduction

This lesson will present and discuss the concepts that are necessary for an individual to
become a member of society.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify the norms and values to be observed in interacting with others in society
and the consequences of ignoring these rules;

2. Assess the rules of social interaction to maintain stability of everyday life and the
role of innovation in response to problems and challenges;

3. Identify the context, content, processes, and consequences of enculturation and

socialization;

4. Identify the social and socially acceptable means of achieving these goals;

Topic Outline

1. Enculturation/Socialization
A. Identity formation (identities, disciplines, aspirations)
B. Norms and Values
C. Statuses and Roles (age, gender)

2. Conformity and Deviance

A. Social Control (gossip, social ostracism, laws and punishments)
B. Forms of Deviance (ritualism, retreatism, rebellion, innovation)

3. Human dignity, rights and the common good

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 Try this!

Instructions: In this activity, you are to list down actions or activities that are allowed and not
allowed in the different environment setting. Write at least five (5) activities that are allowed and
not allowed on the table below.

Environment Setting ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED

1. Family 1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
2. Community/Neighborhood 1. 1.
Barangay 2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
3. Municipality/Town/City 1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
4. Country 1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.

Process Questions:
1. Did you encounter any difficulty while doing the activity? If yes, what were the difficulties
that you encountered? If no, why?

2. Pair and share your list with a classmate online. After your sharing session, what similarities
did you have with your classmate?

3. Who, individual or group/s, determines what activities/acts are allowed and not allowed in
your family, community/neighbourhood/barangay, municipality/town/city, and country? Why do
you think are they the ones who determine what is allowed and not allowed?

4. Do you have an experience where you did what is not allowed in your family, community, city
and country? How did the people who determine what is allowed or not react to your action?

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 Think ahead!

Instructions 1: Do you remember how it was growing up? Recall your childhood experiences and
how did you interaction with your family, relatives, neighbors and grandparents and other people
and answer the following questions:

1. What role did your parents, relatives, and grandparents play in your upbrining?

2. To what extent was the interaction of your neighbors to you and your family?

3. Do you have godparents/ninong/ninang? Who chose your godparents and what was their role
in your upbringing?

Instructions 2: After answering the abovementioned questions. Read the article “Filipino
Children in Family and Society: Growing Up in a Many-People Environment” SA21
Selected Reading, Department of Sociology and Anthropology (ed.). Quezon City: Office of
Research Publications, Ateneo de Manila University. (this article will be posted in Google
Classroom) and answer this question:

1. What are the context, content, processes and consequences of the socialization of Filipino
children?

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 Read and Ponder

Socialization/Enculturation

The lifelong social experience/s wherein people develop their human potential and learn
culture. According to Macionis (2012) social experience is the foundation of personality (a
person’s consistent patterns of acting, thinking and feeling). This is what makes humans different
from animals, while animals’ behaviour is mostly or entirely set by biology, humans need social
experience to learn their culture and survive (Candelaria, Canuday, & Saloma, Understanding
Culture, Society and Politics - Teacher's Guide, 2016).

It is also the process of preparing members for membership in a given society and to
occupy statuses and roles. Through socialization, individuals learn the norms and values of their
respective societies.

Primary socialization the process of learning that begins at birth and occurs in the home and
family.

Secondary socialization the process of learning that takes place outside the home—in settings
such as schools, religious organizations, and the workplace— and helps individuals learn how to
act in appropriate ways in various situations.

Tertiary socialization the process of learning that takes place when adults move into new
settings where they must accept certain ideas or engage in specific behaviors that are appropriate
to that specific setting.

Theories that explain how the self as a product of socialization is formed

1. Model of Personality by Sigmund Freud

Freud combined basic needs and the influence of society into a model of personality with
three parts: id, ego, and superego.

The id represents the human being’s basic drives, or biological and physical needs which
are unconscious and demand immediate satisfaction. According to Freud, all newborn babies’
personality is all id.

The ego is the rational reality-oriented component of personality that imposes restrictions
on the innate pleasure seeking drives of the id or it is a person’s conscious efforts to balance
innate pleasure-seeking drives (id) with the demands of society (superego). It channels the
desires of the id for immediate gratification into the most advantageous direction for the
individual (Kendall, 2016).

Superego or conscience consists of the moral and ethical aspects of personality. It refers
to the cultural values and norms internalized by an individual. It is first expressed as recognition
of parental control as a reflection of the values and moral demands of the larger society (Kendall,
2016).

If a person is well-adjusted the ego can successfully manage opposing forces of the id
and superego (Kendall, 2016).

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2. Theory of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget

Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development based from his studies on human
cognition or how people think and understand.

Stage one is the sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), the level of human development at
which individuals know the world only through the five senses. Stage two is the preoperational
stage (age 2 to 7) at which individuals first use language and other symbols. Stage three is
concrete operational stage (age 7 & 11) at which individuals first see causal connections in
their surroundings. The last stage is the formal operational stage (age 12 to adolescence) at
which individuals think abstractly and critically.

3. Theory of the Social Self by George Herbert Mead

According to Mead, the self is a part of our personality and includes self-awareness and
self-image. It is the product of social experience, and is not guided by biological drives (as stated
by Freud) or biological maturation (as proposed by Piaget).

The key to developing the self is learning to take the role of the other. Infants can do this
only through imitation and, without understanding underlying intentions, have no self. As
children learn to use language and other symbols, the self emerges in the form of play. Play
involves assuming roles modeled on significant others, or people, such as parents, who have
special importance for socialization. Then, children learn to take the roles of several others at
once, and move from simple play with one other to complex games involving many others. The
final stage in the development of the self is when children are able to not only take the role of
specific people in just one situation, but that of many others in different situations. He used the
term generalized other to refer to widespread cultural norms and values we use as references in
evaluating ourselves.

4. Looking-Glass Self by Charles Horton Cooley

Cooley utilized the phrase looking-glass self to mean a self-image based on how we think
others see us. As we interact with others, the people around us become a mirror (an object that
people used to call a “looking glass”) in which we can see ourselves. What we think of
ourselves, then, depends on how we think others see us. For example, if we think others see us as
clever, we will think of ourselves in the same way. But if we feel they think of us as clumsy, then
that is how we will see ourselves.

It is derived from this three (3) step process: 1. We imagine how our personality and
appearance will look to other people; 2. We imagine how other people judge the appearance
and personality that we think we present; and 3. We develop a self-concept. If we think the
evaluation of others is favorable, our self-concept is enhanced. If we think the evaluation is
unfavorable, our self-concept is diminished (Cooley, 1998/1902) (Kendall, 2016).

Agents of Socialization

The family, school, peer group, and the mass media are different agents of the socialization
process and each of these has a special importance in the process.

1. Family is the most important agent of socialization. From birth onwards, our families have
transmitted cultural and social values to us. Most of us form an emerging sense of self and
acquire most of our beliefs and values within the family context. We also learn about the larger
dominant culture (including language, attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms) and the primary
subcultures to which our parents and other relatives belong. It is the primary source of emotional
support. Ideally, people receive love, understanding, security, acceptance, intimacy, and
companionship within families. The role of the family is especially significant because young

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children have little social experience beyond the family’s boundaries; they have no basis for
comparing or evaluating how they are treated by their own family. To a large extent, the family
is where we acquire our specific social position in society. From birth, we are a part of the
specific racial, ethnic, class, religious, and regional subcultural grouping of our family. Many
parents socialize their children somewhat differently based on race, ethnicity, and class (Kendall,
2016).

2. Schools, based from a functionalist perspective, are responsible for the following: (1)
socialization, or teaching students to be productive members of society; (2) transmission of
culture; (3) social control and personal development; and (4) the selection, training, and
placement of individuals on different rungs in the society (Ballantine and Hammack, 2012)
(Kendall, 2016).

3. Peer Group is a group of people who are linked by common interests, equal social position
and usually the same age. It functions as an agent of socialization by contributing to our sense of
belonging and our feeling of self-worth. Compared to other agents of socialization peer groups
provide children and adolescence with some degree of freedom from parents and other authority
figures. They also teach cultural norms such as what acceptable behavior is in specific situations.
It is a reflection of the larger culture and serve as a conduit for passing on culture to young
people. Thus, it is both a product of culture and one of its transmitters/agent (Kendall, 2016).

4. Mass Media consists of large-scale organizations that utilize print or electronic means (e.g.
television, film and internet) to communicate with a large number of people. Presently, it also
includes numerous web based and mobile technology platforms such as Facebook, YouTube,
Twitter, etc. It functions as an agent of socialization in the following manner: A. informs us
about events; B. introduce us to a wide variety of people; C. provide a variety of viewpoints on
current issues; D. make us aware of products and services which if purchased will help us be
accepted by others; and E. entertain us by providing opportunities to live vicariously (through
other people’s experiences)

Status is a socially defined position in a group or society characterized by certain expectations,

rights and duties (Kendall, 2016).

Status set comprises all the statuses that a person occupies at a given time (Kendall, 2016).
Example, Juan is an engineer, a professor in the college of engineering, a father, a Catholic, a fire
brigade volunteer, a resident of Zamboanga City, and a Bicolano. All of these are Juan’s status
set.

Ascribed status is a social position conferred at birth or received involuntarily later in life, based
on attributes over which the individual has little or no control, such as ethnicity, age and gender
(Kendall, 2016).

Achieved status refers to a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects personal
choice, merit, ability and effort. Examples include occupation, education and income (Kendall,
2016).

Ascribed statuses have a significant influence on the achieved statuses that we occupy. Ethnicity,
gender, and age affect each person’s opportunity to acquire certain achieved statuses. Those who
are privileged by their positive ascribed statuses are more likely to achieve the more prestigious
positions in society. Those who are disadvantaged by their ascribed statuses may more easily
acquire negative achieved statuses (Kendall, 2016).

Master Status is the most important status that a person occupies. According to Hughes (1945)
it dominates all the individual’s other statuses and is the overriding ingredient in determining a
person’s general social position. Example, being rich or poor is a master status that influences
many other areas in life, including health, education, and life opportunities (Kendall, 2016).

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Status symbols are material signs that inform others of a person’s specific status (Kendall,
2016). Example, owning a Ferrari means that you have reached a certain position in society.

Role is a set of behavioral expectations associated with a certain status. A role is the dynamic
aspect of status, while a status is occupied the role is played (Kendall, 2016).

Role expectation is a group’s or society’s definition of the way that a specific role ought to be
played. While Role performance is how a person actually plays the role (Kendall, 2016).

Role ambiguity occurs when the expectations associated with role are unclear (Kendall, 2016).
Example, when does the provider dependent aspect of parent child relationship end? Is it 18 or
21 years of age or when the child has graduated from college or if he/she is already employed?

Role conflict occurs when incompatible role demands are placed on a person by two or more
statuses held at the same time (Kendall, 2016).

Role strain occurs when incompatible demands are built into a single status that a person
occupies. Example, married women experience more role strain than married men because
women have to work for wages outside the household and are also responsible for the bulk of the
household chores and parenting (Kendall, 2016).

Role distancing according to Goffman (1961) this occurs when people consciously foster the
impression of a lack of commitment or attachment to a particular role and merely go through the
motions of role performance.

Role exit occurs when people disengage from social roles that have been central to their self-
identity. According to sociologist Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh (1988) role exit occurs in four
stages. The First stage is doubt, where people experience frustration or burnout when they reflect
on their existing roles. The Second Stage involves a search for alternatives, people may take a
leave of absence at this stage. The Third Stage is the turning point where people take some final
action (e.g. quitting a job). The Fourth/Final Stage is the creation of a new identity.

Figure 4.1 Role Expectation, Performance, Conflict and Strain.

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Gender Role Socialization

Sex refers to the biological characteristics distinguishing male and female (Macionis 2012: 169).
Sex is based on chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, reproductive systems, and other
physiological components.

Gender refers to those social, cultural, and psychological traits linked to males and females
through particular social contexts. Sex makes us male or female; gender makes us masculine or
feminine. All the major agents of socialization—family, peer groups, schools, and the mass
media—reinforce cultural definitions of what is feminine and masculine. (Dionisio 1992: 1-2;
Macionis 2012: 170).

Conformity and Deviance

Social Control is the systematic practices that social groups develop in order to encourage
conformity to norms, rules and laws. Social control mechanisms may either be internal or
external. All societies have a system of social control (Kendall, 2016).

Internal social control takes place through the socialization process. Individuals internalize
societal norms and values that prescribe how people should behave and follow these in their
everyday lives (Kendall, 2016).

External social control involves the use of negative sanctions that proscribe certain behaviors
and set forth punishments for rule breakers and non-conformists. In contemporary societies, the
criminal justice system which includes the police, the courts and the prison system, is the
primary mechanism of external social control (Kendall, 2016).

Conformity is the process of maintaining or changing behavior to comply with the norms of
society, subculture or other group.

Norms are the established standards of behavior maintained by society. For it to become
significant, it must be widely shared and understood. Acceptance of norms is subject to change
as the political, economic and social conditions of a culture are transformed. An example is inter
racial and same sex marriage which were not accepted 60 years ago (Schaefer, 2013).

Formal Norms are written norms that specify strict punishments for violators. An example of
formal norms are laws, which specify and are precise in defining proper and improper behavior
(Schaefer, 2013). Black (1995) also defined law as governmental social control. Other examples
of formal norms are the curriculum and requirements that a student must follow to earn a degree.

Informal Norms are generally understood but not precisely recorded. There is no specific
punishment or sanction for violators of this type of norm (Schaefer, 2013). An example of an
informal norm is wearing of the proper dress for the occasion, if the person is not properly
dressed for the occasion he/she would most likely be laughed at.

Mores are norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of society because they embody the
most cherished principle of people. Societies demand obedience to its mores and violation can
lead to severe penalties (Schaefer, 2013).

Folkways are norms governing everyday behavior. It plays an important role in shaping the daily
behavior of members of a culture. It is less likely to formalize folkways and the violations raises
little concern (Schaefer, 2013). Example, walking down an escalator will not get you to jail.

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Sanctions are penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a norm. Both the concept of reward
and punishment are included in this definition. Conformity to a norm can lead to positive
sanctions (e.g. pay increase, a trophy, a commendation, a word of thanks, a pat on the back).
Negative sanctions include fines, threats, imprisonment and stares of contempt (Schaefer, 2013).

Cultural Values are collective conceptions of what is considered as good, desirable, and proper
– or bad, undesirable, improper in a culture. It indicates what people prefer and what they find
important and morally right or wrong. It may be specific like honor your parents or owning a
home, or it could be more general like love, democracy and health.

It influences peoples’ behavior and serve as a criteria for evaluating the actions of others. The
values, norms and sanctions of a culture are often directly related. Example, if a culture places a
high value on the institution of marriage, it may have norms and strict sanctions that prohibit the
act of adultery or make divorce difficult.

Deviance is the behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or
society. A person who exhibits this behavior is a deviant. According to Best (2004), on the basis
of sociological definition, each of us violates common social norms in certain situations
(Schaefer, 2013).

There is a lack of consensus in society regarding which behaviors or traits are deviant and what
is considered as deviance will vary across time, places, and social groups. How a society defines
deviance, who is branded as deviant, and what people decide to do about deviance all have to do
with the way society is organized (Candelaria, Canuday, & Saloma, Understanding Culture,
Society and Politics - Teacher's Guide, 2016).

Functions of Deviance
Emile Durkheim stated that deviance has the following functions:

1. Affirms cultural norms and values. Deviance is needed to define and support morality.
There can be no good without evil and no justice without crime.

2. Clarifies moral boundaries. By defining some individuals as deviant, people draw a

boundary between right and wrong.

3. Brings people together. People typically react to serious deviance with shared outrage, and
in doing so reaffirm the moral ties that bind them.

4. Encourages social change. Deviant people suggest alternatives to the status quo and
encouraging change.

Merton’s Strain Theory

Robert Merton stated that the extent and type of deviance people engage in depend on whether a
society provides the means (such as schooling and job opportunities) to achieve
cultural goals (such as financial success). Conformity means achieving cultural goals through
approved means. However, the strain between the cultural goal and the lack of opportunities to
achieve these goals using approved means may result in deviance.

Based from this premise, Merton identified Four Types of Deviance: innovation, ritualism,
retreatism, and rebellion.

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1. Innovation involves using unconventional means (for example, Steve Jobs, the founder of the
Apple computer company, and his colleagues who, without support from big corporations,
worked in a garage to invent personal computers) rather than conventional means (working for
an established computer company) to achieve a culturally approved goal (wealth).

2. Ritualism in this type of deviance, people do not care much about the goal (getting rich) but
stick to the rules (the conventional means) anyway in order to feel “respectable.”

3. Retreatism is a third response to the strain between the cultural goal and the approved means.
It is rejecting both cultural goals and conventional means so that a person in effect “drops out.”

4. Rebellion is the fourth response, similar to retreatists, rebels reject both the cultural definition
of success and the conventional means of achieving it, but they provide alternatives to the
existing social order.

See if you can do this!

Activity 1 Quiz
True/False. Instructions: Write True if the statement is true and False if it is incorrect.
_______ 1. What is considered to be deviant behaviour at present will still be considered as
deviant 20 years from now.
_______ 2. Sanctions only refer to punishment.
_______ 3. Gossip is a form of social control.
_______ 4. Gender refers to the roles that males and females play.
_______ 5. Non-compliance of norms are considered as deviant behaviour.

Essay. Instructions: Read the question carefully and provide a concise answer.
1. What are the functions of deviance? Explain each function with an example. (20 points)

Activity 2 Poster
Instructions: Create an infographics on any of the topics that were presented in Lesson 4. Choose
one (1) topic only.

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