COR 013 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Second Achievement Test notes (Module 14 to 20)

MODULE 14
REFERENCE GROUPS
 Is a group to which we compare ourselves. It serves as a standard to which we measure our
behaviors and attitudes. These groups are used in order to guide our behavior and attitudes and
help us to identify social norms.
 This groups are used in order to evaluate and determine the nature of a given individuals or other
group’s characteristics and sociological attributes. It acts as a frame of reference if an individual
wants to be part of the norms of the group.
 Used as the frame of references for evaluating one’s own behavior.
 Serve as referring points of individuals, towards which they were oriented and which influences
their opinion, tendency and behavior. Group to which an individual or another group is compared.

TYPES OF REFERENCE GROUPS

INFORMAL REFERENCE GROUPS -It is based on the groups shared interests and goals. Members react
on a personal level. Examples are family and friends
FORMAL REFERENCE GROUPS -Have a specific goal or mission. Examples are Employee Union.
MEMBERSHIP REFERENCE GROUPS -groups that are in agreement with in regards to attitude, norms,
and behaviors.
DISCLAIMANT REFERENCE GROUPS -group we do not agree with in regards to attitude, norms, and
behaviors.
ASPIRATIONAL REFERENCE GROUPS -a group of individual doesn’t belong to but aspires to become a
part of it in the future.
DISSOCIATIVE REFERENCE GROUPS -a group an individual doesn’t belong to and disapproves of in
regards to attitudes, norms, and behaviors.

SOCIAL NETWORK
 An individual’s scope or total set of relationship with others.
 Indicates the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from
casual acquaintances to close familial bonds.
 A map of all of the relevant ties between the individuals within and beyond society.
 Is a theoretical construct useful in the social sciences to study relationships between individuals,
groups, organizations, or even entire societies. It is a social structure exists between actors
(individuals and organization)

Three Levels of Analysis

MICRO -Smallest level of analysis of social networks. It explains that a social network typically starts with
an individual. The micro level is divided into four levels
DYADIC LEVEL – social relationship starts with two individuals
TRIADIC LEVEL – social relationship starts with three individuals
ACTOR LEVEL – the smallest unit of analysis in a social network is an individual in their social setting
SUBSET LEVEL –may focus on distance and reachability, cliques, cohesive subgroups, or other group
actions or behaviors.

MESO -This level of analysis begins with a population size that falls between the micro and macro-levels.
Examples of meso-level of analysis:
ORGANIZATIONS –group of people that has distributive tasks for a collective goal
SCALE FREE NETWORKS – a network whose degree, distribution follows a power law, at least
asymptotical.
MACRO -Generally traces the outcomes of interactions, such as economic or other resource transfer
interactions over a large population.

Social distance- used to measure the degree of closeness or acceptance we feel toward other group.
While most often used with reference to racial groups.

Personal Space and how people use it to define their boundaries:

a. Personal space - defined as an area surrounding an individual, regarded and valued as private,
inaccessible to the others without causing some sort of discomfort (Sommer 1969, Hayduk 1983).

b. 4 Different Distance Zones (Edward Hall)

a. Intimate Distance – about 18 inches from the body – for lovemaking, comforting and protecting.
b. Personal Distance – from 18 inches to 4 feet – for friends, acquaintances and ordinary conversations.
c. Social Distance – from 4 feet to 12 feet – for impersonal or formal relationships such as in a
workplace.
d. Public Distance – beyond 12 feet – for even more formal relationship such as public speakers from
the general public.

MODULE 15
HARANA - a traditional form of Ligawan (courtship) in the Philippines where a man serenades a woman
by singing underneath her window at night. Although this is universal, it was widely practiced in old
Philippines with a set or protocols, a code of conduct, and a specific style of music. Harana was influence
by Spaniards. This is basically a Spanish influence. The man is usually accompanied by his close friends
who provide moral support for the guy in addition to singing with him.

MODULE 16
KINSHIP the “web of social relationships”, humans form as part of a family, which is the smallest unit of
society. It is the relation between two or more persons that is based on common ancestry or marriage.

KINSHIP BY BLOOD links individuals based on their genetic relations. It allows an individual to identify
another individual as a family member through blood relation. It is also known as kinship by
consanguinity. (Examples: Parents and their children and between children of same parents.)

KINSHIP BY RITUAL Also known as Compadrazgo (literally co-fatherhood) the form of ritual kinship
established through rites (especially Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage) between a person, his or her
biological parents, and his or her godparents. Parents and godparents usually call each other com-padre
or comadre, depending on gender

HOUSEHOLD consists of one or more people who live in the same dwelling and also share at meals or
living accommodation, and may consist of a single family or some other grouping of people.

FAMILY HOUSEHOLD Living with one or more individuals related to him or her by birth, marriage or
adoption. The householder and all of the people in the household, related to him or her are family
members (example: Married couples, Relatives, Children, Siblings)

NON FAMILY HOUSEHOLD Living alone or nonrelatives only. Nonrelatives include any household
member not related to the householder by birth, marriage or adoption, including foster children.
(Examples: Roommates, Employees, Board mates)

HOUSEHOLDER One person in each household is designated as the householder. In most cases, the
householder is the owner of the house.

MARRIAGE special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance
with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.
KINSHIP BY MARRIAGE When a person marries, he establishes relationship not only with the girl whom
he marries but also with a number of other people in the girl’s family. Moreover, it is not only the person
marrying who gets bound to the family members of the girl but his family members also get bound to the
family members of the girl.
Forms of Marriage
a. Monogamy – Marriage in which there is only one wife and one husband at a time.
b. Polygamy – Any form of marriage in which a person may have more than one spouse at a time.
1. Polyandry– A form of marriage in which one woman may have more than one husband at a
time.
2. Polygyny – A form of marriage in which a man may have more than one wife at a time.
3. Group Marriage - wherein the family unit consists of multiple husbands and multiple wives

SELECTING A MARRIAGE PARTNER

ENDOGAMY – it is a rule of marriage in which the life-partners are to be selected within the group and
the group may be caste, class, tribe, race, village, religious group etc. Traditional Chinese families prefer
to have an endogamous marriages for their children, that is their sons to marry someone who also
belongs to Chinese families.
EXOGAMY – it is a rule of marriage in which an individual has to marry outside his own group. It prohibits
marrying within the group. The so-called blood relatives shall neither have marital connections nor sexual
contacts among themselves. Interracial marriage (ASIAN and EUROPEAN; AMERICAN and ASIA) are good
examples for exogamous marriages.

Types of family by family size or structure

1. Nuclear family – a family unit that consists of a single couple or monogamous family, that is – the
husband, wife and their child or children.
2. Extended family – a family unit that consists of the husband and wife with their children, and their
relatives like in-law (grandparents, uncle, and aunt, cousins, niece, nephews).
3. Reconstituted family– a family unit that consists of one or both parents who have a child or children
from a previous relationship or past marriage, but they have combined to form a new family often after a
death of a previous spouse, or marital separation, annulment, or divorce.
4. Single parent family – a family unit which is headed by one parent (either father or mother only)
raising a child or children.
5. Childless Family– a family consist of husband and wife, who cannot have or do not want kids.
6. Polygamous family – a family in which one spouse (man or woman) has several other spouses.

Classification of family according to Blood Line

a. Patrilineal – family that traces its ancestry from the paternal or father’s side.
b. Matrilineal - family that traces its ancestry from the maternal or mother’s side.
c. Bilineal - traces its ancestry from both paternal and maternal side.

Types of family by residence

1. Patrilocal residence – the son stays and the daughters leaves, so that the married couple lives with
or near the husband’s parents.
2. Matrilocal residence – the daughter stays and the son leaves, so that the married couple live or near
the wife’s parents.
3. Family or bilocal residence – either the son or the daughter leaves, so that the married couple lives
with or near either the wife’s or the husband’s parents. In this type of family after marriage, the married
couple change their residence alternatively. Sometimes wife joins in her husband's house while at some
other times husband resides in wife's house.
4. Neolocal residence – the newly married couple establishes their home independent of both sets of
relatives.

Types of Family base of Authority

a. Patriarchal – authority is solely exercised by the father.
b. Matriarchal – the members live together under the authority of the mother
c. Egalitarian – Spouses jointly share in decision making, control of family resources and child
rearing.
MODULE 18
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION - Is any entity that involved in the political process. Political organization
includes
political parties, political institution, and political groups. - It is engaged in political activities aimed at
achieving clearly defined political goals, which improve the political system that benefits the interests of
their members.

According to Elman Service, a political anthropologist, there are four types of sociopolitical organizations
namely Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms and States/Nations. He argued that these political organizations function
in consideration of their
economic orientation.
Four types of sociopolitical organizations
BANDS It is a least complex form of political organization, as it has neither a rigid form or governance nor
a structured form of leadership. It is typically consists of 20-50 individuals who are usually related to one
another by virtue of kinship. This society is chiefly based on forging which is also known as hunting and
gathering. This economic system allows for
greater mobility of the group as they follow animals and food sources. Decision-making is often made by
the entire
group, with the eldest members acting as the facilitator. Every member of the group whether they have
lesser
capacity to hunt or gather has equal access to their basic needs such as food and water.

TRIBES political organization that consists of segmentary lineages. This type of kinship relation is marked
by loyalty per family cluster or segment. An individual’s loyalty primarily lies on his or her immediate
family, followed by his/her cousins, and then his or her distant cousins. This type of kinship grouping
allows for the creation of interdependent generations. Their economic subsistence requires a degree of
settlement. Most tribes are either horticultural (shifting agriculture) or pastoral (tending animals). The
leaders that are chosen are individuals who are believed to possess special skills or aptitudes that relate to
economic activity. The leaders in a tribe have no concrete political power over their members, except in
areas when group concerns are in place.

CHIEFDOMS political organization consists of a few local communities who subscribe to the power and
rule of a leader who has absolute power on them. This absolute power is derived from the perceived
relation of the leader to supernatural forces and powers, which is a form of legitimizing factor. This
political organization is also tied with horticulture and pastoralism. The same economic process of
redistribution through tribute collection is practiced in chiefdom just like in a tribe. What distinguishes a
chiefdom from a tribe is the existence of a social stratification that segregates society into the elite from
the commoner. The elites are often the relatives of the ruler and are also believed to have divinity or
connections to the supernatural.

STATE AND NATION It is a group of people sharing similar culture and political history, whereas the
state is a political
organization united by a common set of laws. A state uses complete political coerciveness, which may
come
in the form of armed personnel, stricter laws, and the rigid governmental policies. The primary form of
economic subsistence is market exchange. Standardized currencies are used to exchange commodities,
unlike in a band where a commodity or service is exchanged with another commodity or service, which are
often deemed by both parties to be of similar value. Social rules are implemented in the form of laws and
citizens of the country as individuals are subjected to legal norms in the territory in which they belong.

Authority (from the Latin word auctoritas meaning influence/command)- right to exercise power given by
the State or by academic knowledge of an area It is the legitimate power which one person or a group
holds over another.

Legitimacy (from the Latin word legitimare, meaning lawful)-value whereby something or someone is
recognized and accepted as right and proper. It is understood as the popular acceptance and recognition
by the public of the authority of a present administration.
The extent of a leader’s power relies on how much his or her followers accord him or her with it.
According to Max Weber, a 20th century sociologist, every leader has some form of justification as to
why he or she should be accorded with such power.
He organized these reasons into three categories of legitimacy of authority: legal, traditional and
charismatic.

LEGAL AUTHORITY achieved by a leader through the process of following established codes and
procedures governing the allocation and distribution of power and resources within a society. Leaders who
are ruling under the power of this authority have been either elected or appointed to office following the
existing laws of the land.

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY form of leadership legitimacy that highlights the right of leader to rule
based on inheritance of the title. People under the leadership of a ruler with traditional authority accept
the ruler’s exercise of power as it has been the existing social status since the time of their ancestors. The
rule of monarchs and their allies in both patrimonial and feudal regimes are examples of this.

CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY creates a type of leadership that is based on the personal attachment of the
subordinates to the ruler whose characteristics, experiences, or even skills are believed to be
extraordinary, or maybe even supernatural. Due to this, most of the ruler’s followers are devoted to him
or her without regard as to whether the authority of the ruler is accepted within the legal framework of
the society or that he or she has not been part of a royal lineage.

MODULE 19
ECONOMICS from the Greek term oikos, meaning "house" and nomos, meaning custom/law,
etymologically speaking economics means "rules of the house”. It is the science that deals with the factors
that determine the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. An economic system
must define what to produce, how to produce it and for whom to produced it.

ECONOMIC INSTITUTION -company or an organization that deals with money or with managing the
distribution of money, goods, and services in an economy. It is also well-established arrangements and
structures that are part of the culture or society.

TYPES OF ECONOMY
TRADITIONAL ECONOMY In a traditional economy, goods and services are based and produced by
traditions and
customs. These types of economies tend to consume most of what they produce (production mainly by
hand) and sell or trade the rest. This type of economy will often evolve into another type of economy once
the nation or country has developed.

COMMAND ECONOMY In a command economy, the government controls all economic activity. One
example of a command economy is communism. In a government-directed economy, the market plays
little to no role in production decisions. Command economies are less flexible than market economies and
react slower to changes in consumer purchasing patterns and fluctuations in supply and demand.

MIXED ECONOMY A mixed economy combines qualities of market and command systems into one. In
many countries where neither the government nor the business entities can maintain the economy alone,
both sectors are integral to economic success. Certain resources are allocated through the market and
others through the state. Theoretically, this system should be able to combine the best policies of both
systems, but in practice the proportion government controls and response to market forces varies.

MARKET ECONOMY In a market economy, the resources are owned and controlled by the people of the
economy. Market economies are based on consumers and their buying decisions rather than under
government control. Market trends and product popularity generate what businesses produce. The
producers choose how to make products based on the most economically sound decision: that might mean
machine labor to save costs or human labor for specific skills.
The Different Economic Processes
Reciprocity- When you give something away,you expect something in return. This economic process
entails the exchange of commodities between parties, often on an individual basis.
Transfers- When resources from an individual or organization are given to one another with no
expectation of return, an economic transfer is in place. This type of economic process allows for the
redistribution of resources within an economic system.
Redistribution- When the resources of one, several individuals, or groups are collected and distributed
proportionally or equally to participating members.
Market Transactions- Market is referred to as the exchange of goods and services that involves
buying and selling processes. However, it is not a simple process of exchanging materials, goods, and
services. It involves
NON-STATE INSTITUTION
affect the political and economic path of a society. They are organizations with sufficient power to
influence and cause a change even though they do not belong to any established institution of a state.
They are equally capable of influencing policy formation and implementation. Non_state institutions
include the following: banks and corporations, cooperatives and trade unions, transnational advocacy
groups, and development agencies and international organizations.
ALTRUISM behavior that sacrifices one’s own production, fitness or interests for the welfare of others. It
involves the unselfish concern for other people by simply doing things not because of an obligation but out
of a desire to help.
Banks- organizations that holds money belonging to others, investing and lending it to get more money,
or the building in which the organization is situated
Corporations- associations of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous
existence independent of the existence of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its
members.
Cooperatives- jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of goods or the
supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumers
or farmers.
Trade unions - organizations made up of members (a membership-based organization) and its
membership must be made up mainly of workers. One of a trade union's main aims is to protect and
advance the interests of its members in the workplace.
Transnational Advocacy- groups promote causes, principled ideas, and norms, and they often involve
individuals advocating policy changes. They cater to the needs related to human rights, consumers’ rights,
women’s’ rights, international peace, and environmental issues.
Developmental Agencies- organizations with specific aims and goals. The common denominator among
these organizations is the term development. These agencies concentrate on the growth, progression, and
advancement of specific societal concerns, which can be infrastructure or social institutions. There are two
major types of organizations that are considered as development agencies: international organizations
and Nongovernment Organizations NGO’s.
 International organizations concentrate mostly on the distribution of equitable health and
social development. Their central role is essentially to provide support and assistance through organized
framework to international cooperation. They also have diverse networks that enable them to provide and
exchange support across different borders and localize their implementations of international policies.

 Nongovernment organizations- often characterized by their intensive collaboration with local

stakeholders to improve their beneficiaries’ conditions. NGOs are non-profit, often voluntary, organizations
that carry a broad range of social development functions with and on behalf of people. The vast majority
of these organizations exists outside of government and their programs come from the expressed needs of
people rather than from governments.
MODULE 20
SOCIAL HEALTH
It involves your ability to form satisfying interpersonal relationships with others. It also relates to your
ability to adapt comfortably to different social situations and act appropriately in a variety of settings.
Relationships should include strong communication skills, empathy for others and a sense of
accountability. In contrast, traits like being withdrawn, vindictive or selfish can have a negative impact on
your social health.
The concept of being well, or being healthy, varies among groups of people as each group subscribes to
its own version of explanations that aim to answer for health-related circumstances. World Health
Organization defined the “right to health” as the fundamental right of every human to be able to live
healthy through “equal access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care of appropriate quality.”

CULTURE-SPECIFIC SYNDROME AND ILLNESS

LATAH from Southeast Asia it is a condition in which abnormal behaviors result from a person
experiencing shock. When surprised, the affected person typically engages in such behaviors as
screaming, cursing, dancing type movements, and uncontrollable laughter.

RUNNING AMOK - referred to as simply amok, also spelled amuk, from the Malay language, is "an
episode of sudden mass assault against people or objects usually by a single individual following a period
of depression or loneliness.

KORO culture-specific syndrome in which an individual has an overpowering belief that his or her genitalia
are retracting and will disappear, despite the lack of any true longstanding changes to the genitals.

WENDIGO PSYCHOSIS culture bound disorder formerly of the Algonquian tribes of North America
which involves an intense craving for human flesh even when the other food sources are readily available.

The six types of traditional Healers based on the scope of their healing powers.
Shamans- cures the sick using special powers that he has received during the state of trance. Healing
is often done in the house of the sick who is believed to have lost his or her souls. It is the task of the
shaman to return the lost soul to its body to cure the illness.

Magic-based healers- uses magic to counter the illness experienced by an individual who is believed
to have such condition due to black magic and curses. The rituals use vary per society.

Fortune tellers- individuals believe that their disease has some underlying spiritual explanation that, if
learned, can be addressed and promote healing. Often, individuals who seek the help of fortune tellers
are the ones suffering from psychological and emotional pains.

Traditional birth attendants- healers do not only assist expecting mothers in their process of giving
birth. They also perform traditional massages on individuals who are complaining of physical pain that
may also be rooted in psychological issues.

Trance-based healers- healers provide relief for sickness and pain through meditation and trance-
based activities. They believe that the nature and appropriate cure for the sickness can only be
uncovered through meditation. As such, each consultation, despite its similarity to another ailment, will
often produce different rationalization and cure.

Traditional medicine experts- healers ask the sick individual of the symptoms that he or she is
experiencing. Drawing from the responses, the TMEs prescribe a concoction of plants and other natural
ingredients that are believed to be efficient in arresting the disease.
____________________________________________________________________________________
EDUCATION In sociology, education is viewed as a social institution. It gives society the potential to
reach development and success. Generally, education means the development of the intellect. It is an act
of thinking critically. It can be classified into formal and nonformal.

FORMAL EDUCATION when a student learns inside the classroom. A student follows a curriculum and is
being graded on his her performance. Your experiences in your current school are fostered by this type of
education. It focuses in studying in a school or university where everything is systematic. A teacher or
professor explains, while a student listens and understands.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION enables a student to learn skills and knowledge that through structured
learning experiences. A student learns his or her values, principles, and beliefs and undergoes lifelong
learning. Capacity building initiatives are conducted through this type of education. The concept nonformal
education emerged in response to the world crisis in education identified by Philip H. Coombs in 1967, who
argued that the formal education systems have failed to address the changing dynamics of the
environment and the societies.

The concept of nonformal education emerged in response to the world crisis in education
identified by Philip H. Coombs in 1967, who argued that the formal education systems have failed to
address the changing dynamics of the environment and the societies.

Through education, humans are empowered to experience and learn their true capacities that
lead to self-actualization. Human also tend to find boundless enthusiasm in learning outside the
classroom, which is basically through experience. With this, it becomes easier for them to socialize, to
identify a career path, to crate self-identity, and the like. Education can empower an individual to
participate in their society’s activities toward development through knowledge and skills acquisition.
Education develops one’s sense of self. As a huge part of the discovery process of oneself.

Education encourages having the vision to become self-actualized. Moreover, it enables one to see
your strengths and maintain them. It enables one to determine weaknesses and adjust to them. This
helps one reach full potential and establish oneself as a whole.