Understanding Culture, Society and Politics IDENTITY
BECOMING A MEMBER OF SOCIETY
ENCULTURATION and SOCIALIZATION: Identity
Formation (Identities, Disciplines, and Aspirations
Society is different from culture. There are many cultures
within a society. While members of society share many of the
same expectations and experiences, the cultural groups create
ones that differentiate them from others in society.
ENCULTURATION
 The process by which an individual adopts the
behavior patterns of the culture in which a person is
immersed.
SOCIALIZATION
 It is the process through which people learn to
understand the societal norms, expectations and
values as members of society.
IDENTITY FORMATION
 Starts when one learns to socialize and be aware of
the culture, behaviors, language, morals, and norms
of where he or she belongs in. However, as a person
grows, he or she learns to make his or her own set
of beliefs, values, and morals. This is how a person
develops an identity. This is what makes a person
different from others.
 What makes a person distinct from others. It is the
total knowledge and understanding of an individual
about who he or she is
TYPES OF IDENTITY
1) Personal Identity
o The concept an individual develops about
himself or herself
o The sense of oneself as a distinct or
unique individual
o May depend on the age and circumstances
of a person
2) Cultural Identity
o The identity of the culture to which a
person belongs in
o The feeling or sense of belongingness to a
group
o A collective sense of companionship that
involves the same beliefs, interests, and
fundamental principles of living
DISCIPLINE
 A way of behaving that expresses a willingness to
obey rules or laws
 Behavior that is judged by how well a person
follows a set of rules or orders
KINDS OF DISCIPLINE
1) Discipline of Nature or Reality
o A person meets this kind of control every time
he or she tries to do something. A person
learns to do things on his or her own without
the supervision of others
2) Discipline of Culture or Society
o What this discipline instills in every culture is
distinct, different, and unique. A person learns
according to what he sees in his society or his
culture
3) Discipline of Superior Force
o This discipline is the opposite of the discipline
of nature or reality. In this training, a person
learns through supervision and guidance
DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTITY AND
ASPIRATIONS
Personal identity develops in many ways, depending on
preferred directions
o It may be through enculturation and
socialization.
o It may also come through observation of a role
model.
o You tend to imitate a successful person that
leads to changes in personality.
o Your personal identity may change and
eventually, you may develop a clear sense of
yourself
ASPIRATION
o A strong desire and ambition with which someone
is motivated to work hard
ENCULTURATION and SOCIALIZATION:
NORMS and VALUES
For society to function well, it must be guided by cultural
principles of behavior to maintain stability, peace, and
harmony. Every society has its set of accepted norms and
values of its culture that is socially accepted.
NORMS
o Standards or sets of accepted behaviors that a
person is expected to follow or exemplify in the
society where he or she belongs in. It pertains to
 specific guidelines of conduct in society that guides Curfews for minors
its members on how to act in particular situations. Laws against domestic violence

CLASSIFICATION OF NORMS VALUES

Norms can be classified in many ways. Norms are either
formal or informal. Norms are also categorized by their
relative importance to society. This classification is
distinguished from the intensity of feelings they initiate and
the consequences that flow from violations of them
o Refer to the abstract idea of people about what is
necessary or worthwhile.
o general guidelines that are fundamental parts of our
lives. They stand for the things we believe in.
o Most of the values we have are learned from family,
friends, school, media, and other sources in society

1) FOLKWAYS CLASSIFICATIONS OF VALUES ENCULTURATION and SOCIALIZATION:

o They are the customs of people that came from STATUSES and ROLES
repetition and routines 1) Individual Values
o Examples) o These values are those that are connected STATUSES - Our society is guided by a network of similar
The practice of waiting in line with the development of human statuses and roles that govern human interactions that we
Courtesy to older people personality call social structure. It also refers to the manner in which
o Examples) society is arranged into predictable interactions
2) MORES Honesty
o Stricter than folkways Loyalty
o Determines what is the moral and ethical Honor
behavior
o Dictates what is right and wrong 2) Collective Values STATUS
o Examples) o These values are those that are connected o Describes the position an individual occupies in a
Religious doctrines such as the prohibition of with the development of unity in the particular setting, in a group, or in society
pre-marital sex community or society. o Defines and clarifies the rights and obligations
The belief that forms of discrimination and o Examples) expected from a person
suppression are unethical (e. g. racism and Equality
sexism Justice CLASSIFICATIONS OF STATUSES
Solidarity
1) Ascribed Status
3) TABOOS Functions of SOCIAL NORMS and VALUES o A position a person holds in a social
o Very strong negative norms system that one attains involuntarily or by
o Strict prohibition of certain behaviors that o Values are general guidelines which govern our birth
society holds firmly daily behavior. They are the guidelines for our o Inherited and not based on the person’s
o Violating it results in extreme disgust or judgments, thereby playing a vital role in the abilities, accomplishments, or efforts
expulsion from the group or society maintenance of stability and harmony in society o Can be rigid and unchanging since it is
o Examples) o Norms are specific guidelines which allow us to given to a person when he is born and is
Cannibalism function or act appropriately in society. They are a often involuntary
Incest set of behaviors that is perceived to be acceptable to o Examples)
its members. Following norms results in social a Filipino national
4) LAWS order and gives a feeling of security, safety, and a Male or a Female
o Formally instituted by the government harmony. a King or a Queen,
o Exist because its violation can result in injury a Son of a Vendor
or harm to other members of society a Firstborn
o Impose sanction on people who disobey the
authority 2) Achieved Status
o Examples) o A position one holds in a social system
that one attains based on merit or effort
 acquired due to unique skills, knowledge, ROLE EXIT
or abilities, and are based on standards o pertains to the course of disengaging a person from BARKADA
that can be controlled his or her role that is essential to his or her self-  A term that most Filipinos in their youth use to refer
o A position that has been earned or chosen identity to a group who share the same social inclinations.
and is mostly dictated by abilities, skills,  Every age group in every society creates and
and life choices ROLE CONFLICT subscribes to a social group
o Examples) o arises when incompatible expectations occur from
a Student two or more statuses that a person is occupying. SOCIAL GROUP
an Employee o Performing the assigned role of one status makes it o a collection of two or more people who participate
a Doctor challenging for the person to play the assigned role in an enduring social interaction and relationship.
an Artist of another status. o Each group is bound by shared experiences, a
shared sense of identity, common interests, and
3) Master Status The Impact of STATUSES and ROLES social norms that guide the members’ behaviors
o The greatest role in a person’s life that in Attaining Society’s Goals
determines social identity and general SOCIAL AGGREGATES
position in society o As members of society, people acquire statuses and o quasi-groups which possess physical proximity but
o Can be based on any status, such as roles which are necessary for socializing within lack an enduring social interaction.
gender, ethnicity, economic status, their society. o There is no sense of group identity.
religious or spiritual tradition, o These statuses and roles are important elements in o The people are found in one place but they do not
employment status, or family the process of socialization because they serve as interact with each other
responsibility such as a parent or agents for the fulfillment of society’s goals. o Example)
grandparent o We are all encouraged to fulfill the roles of the People gathered in a shopping mall
o May come with a sense of prestige for statuses we are occupying at present and in the People waiting for a bus
some consensus from the community future stages of our lives for us to be better People inside a movie house
around them that a status is to be desired members of the community
o Examples) SOCIAL CATEGORY
a CEO o an agglomeration where members possess common
an Activist identifying status characteristics but do not interact
a Pope socially
o The study of social categories makes possible the
ROLES intelligent understanding of the qualities and
o Expectations that are set for a person given the behavior of people who are similar
status he or she occupies o Example)
o Pertains to the norms, behaviors, values, and age, gender, infants, children, youth,
personal characteristics that are attached to the adults, aged, middle class, millionaires, etc.
status of the person
o Exampes) COLLECTIVE
Status: Student o Crowds, masses, public and social movements are
Roles: attending classes, studying lessons, temporary groups.
communicating with the teacher o Temporary groups are clusters of people interacting
with each other but the interactions are temporary or
Status: Teacher shortlived
Roles: teaching, giving feedback, assessing or o Example) rallyists / protesters
evaluating the performance of the students
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE GROUPS
Status: Call center agent
Roles: answering questions, solving problems, 1) Motivational base shared by individuals.
researching information Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
 o People find themselves together in a related
social situation that may have motivations
implications for the development of groups
o People may form groups based on their needs,
interests, desires, noble activities, insecurities,
or problems.
2) Size of the group
o The size of the group may range from two to a
million members.
o In small groups, social relationships are
personal and intimate.
o With increasing in size, the need for a more
formal type of leader who will have the
authority and power to direct and influence the
behavior of others arises.
3) Type of goals
o It is frequently understood that the structural
patterns of social groups are affected by their
goals.
o The parts of the organization may be assumed
to be well-versed in ways that will show the
ways to the achievement of group goals.
4) The kind of group cohesion
o This refers to the extent to which the members
of a group have the capability to function and
interact collectively in the direction of their
goals.
o When members’ concerns are met and merit
and achievement are appreciated, morale and
cohesion will be high.
SOCIAL NETWORKS
o a social structure consisting of people who have
varying degrees of relations and interrelationships
SOCIOGRAM
 visual representation of the social networks
present in one group or more
There are multiple arrangements existing in a
sociogram such as:
1. CLIQUE – an exclusive group that is separate from
the entire unit,
2. ONE-WAY CHOICE – an individual who relates
to another individual who does not reciprocate the
affiliation
3. ISOLATE – an individual who has chosen no one
and is not chosen by anyone in the structure
TYPES OF SOCIAL GROUPS
1) Gemeinschaft
o a community of individuals with close personal and
family ties.
o Examples) rural neighborhoods, families, tribes,
sports team
2) Gesellschaft
o describes a social group or a society where the
people feel isolated from each other.
o Relationships are mainly contractual and guided by
self-interest.
o Example)
The modern and globalized business world is built
on the shared values of efficiency and structure
rather than family, friendship, and traditions
3) Primary Group
o a small social group whose members share personal
and lasting relationships.”
o Primary groups are those with “intimate face-to-
face interaction and cooperation
o Charles Horton Cooley, an American sociologist,
introduced the concept of primary group to describe
certain groups in the society. He regarded the
families as primary groups because they are the first
groups experienced by an individual.
o Example: basic primary group is family. Play
groups, peer groups, gangs, immediate school
groups
4) Secondary groups
o more formal in context as the relationships and
interactions in them are limited to a particular role
that an individual plays within the group.
o May consist of relationships that are temporary and
practical such as client and an agent, researcher and
informant, tenant and landlord
5) In-group
o The social group to which an individual feels he
belongs. This is the group with which an individual
identifies.
o The members are loyal to each other and one may
accept responsibility for the others
6) Out-group
o This is the group that an individual is not part of.
o Negative attributes are usually associated with
individuals who are part of this group.
o These individuals are prone to being stereotyped as
members of the in-group refer to them solely on the
bases of their projected characteristics
7) Reference group
o Any group to which an individual compares himself
o It serves as a point of reference in evaluating one’s
attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
o The reference group is one in which an individual
does not only have a high regard for but one after
which he or she patterns his or her life
SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
o an established pattern of relationship
o The concept “organization” was used by
sociologists in two different ways:
1. to stand for a relationship among people, and
2. as a type of a particular social system called formal
organization.
o Created by individuals to foster a more direct
relationship in secondary group setting.
FORMAL ORGANIZATION
 When a secondary group is directed by its goals
 This would include groups such as political parties
and academic and professional organizations.
  These types of organizations are driven by their
goals that define their programs and activities

INFORMAL ORGANIZATION
 Within formal organizations are informal
organizations that are characterized by the informal
relations between members.
 Every organization is defined by its objectives that
may be for the betterment of the society in general
or to address certain group issues

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 The independent network of roles and the hierarchy
of statuses which define the reciprocal expectations
and the power arrangement of the members of the
social unit guided by norms

SOCIAL FUNCTION (under social organization)

o results of action that occur in relation to the
particular structure and includes the results of the
activities of individuals occupying particular
statuses