Institute of Foreign languages Subject: GS202

Department of English Lecturer: NCP

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Reading material: Society
Understanding the concept of Sociology

Sociology: In simple explanation, it is a concept or the study of trying to explain people’s

behavior through social events.

Sociological perspective is a view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals.

Patterns are the behavior that people usually do frequently when interacting with other
people within society. For example, students will always learn from the teacher within a
classroom environment.

These patters can show us the social relationship (social structure) of how people tend to
behave within a certain environment. People within a group tend to have a different pattern when
you see it through the sociological perspective. This just means that, when in a group setting,
people tend to forget their individual reasonings and behave collectively as a group to reach a
certain goal instead. If all members of the group agree on a certain goal, conformity can be
identified. If certain members of the group object or tend to act differently, nonconformity can
be identified.

Sociological imagination is the ability to see the link between society and self. This
means that if you know your own role and behavior within a certain group, you have sociological
imagination. For example, if you can tell whether or not you are conforming within a group, you
have sociological imagination.

In short, learning about sociology can help people understand and navigate within a
large group (society) with ease because they know how things operate.

Culture and Social structure

Culture consists of the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that
are passed from generation to generation among members of a group. Similar to the study of
sociology, culture can help explain human social behavior because a society is a specific territory
inhabited by people who share a common culture.
Institute of Foreign languages Subject: GS202
Department of English Lecturer: NCP
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Culture has more importance in explaining human behavior than instinct (innate patterns
of behavior) because people are more developed in using our brain to consider reasons unlike
animals that only act 100% based on instinct. Not to say that people do not have instincts, but
rather people tend to focus more on using our cultural reasonings when interacting with each
other.

Heredity, the passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one

generation to another, can also affect our behavior. This can be seen with reflexes and drives.
Sociobiology, the study of the biological basis of human behavior, can be applied here. It is said
that our adaptation to our environment has led us to evolve (transform/grow) and get used to our
surroundings. This has been criticized because genetics alone cannot be used to explain why
people can change up to the point of creating languages and values when interacting with one
another like culture does. There is no clear answer to this debate, however, people start to believe
that the relationship between genetics and culture combined would sound more reasonable in
explaining how people behave the way they do.

Norms are Folkways are the traditional Mores are norms Law is a norm that is
things that are behaviors or way of life of a that have moral formally defined and
usual, typical, particular community or group of dimensions and that enforced by officials.
or standard. people. should be followed
by members of the
society. The most
serious mores are
called taboos.

For example, For example, in some parts of For example, For example, it is
a norm in the United States, eating with mores include illegal to smoke
Cambodia is elbows on the dinner table is stealing, gossiping, publicly indoors at
that visitors considered rude. However, it lying, bullying, or the mall.
should remove may be acceptable in other
 Institute of Foreign languages Subject: GS202
Department of English Lecturer: NCP
______________________________________________________________________________
their shoes regions to eat with elbows on the breaking a promise.
before entering dinner table because it has
the house of become a cultural norm for this
others. particular group of people.

Punishment: Punishment: Shame, guilt, Punishment: public Punishment:

Very little. public humiliation. humiliation and Sanctions (Formal
ostracism. sanctions in the form
of punishment given
by special authority)

Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another. They serve
as a guide for human behavior. Generally, people are predisposed to adopt the values that they
are raised with. People also tend to believe that those values are “right” because they are the
values of their particular culture. Ethical decision-making often involves weighing values against
each other and choosing which values to elevate. Conflicts can result when people have different
values, leading to a clash of preferences and priorities. Some values have intrinsic worth, such as
love, truth, and freedom. Other values, such as ambition, courage, and responsibility, describe
traits or behaviors that are instrumental means to an end. Still other values are considered sacred
and are moral imperatives for those who believe in them. Sacred values will seldom be
compromised because they are perceived as duties rather than as factors to be weighed in
decision-making. For example, for some people, their nation’s flag may represent a sacred value.
But for others, the flag may just be a piece of cloth. So, whether values are sacred, have intrinsic
worth, or are a means to an end, values vary among individuals and across cultures and time.
However, values are universally recognized as a driving force in our ethical decision making.

We, people, are not born with mental maps of social structure (the pattern of relationships
in a group); we must learn them from other people. With this, we also learn about statuses
(positions a person occupies within a social structure) and roles (expected behaviors associated
with a particular status)
Institute of Foreign languages Subject: GS202
Department of English Lecturer: NCP
______________________________________________________________________________
Status set: all of the statuses that a person occupies at any particular time.
For example: NCP

Master status: a position

that strongly affects most
Ascribed status: a position
other aspects of a person’s
that is neither earned nor Achieved status: a position
life.
chosen but assigned/ born that is earned or chosen.
with.
Note: Master status can be
achieved or ascribed.

For example: (NCP)

For example: (NCP) For example: (NCP)
 Gender: Male
Educator Lecturer
 Age: 23

Role: Spreading knowledge Role: Act according to age, Role: To teach university
to students of all level. meaning to act like an adult. level students.

With so many statuses and roles, people tend to have a hard time with their role
performance which is to behave a certain way. In addition, there tend to be role conflicts which
are the conditions in which the performance of a role in one status interferes with the
performance of a role in another status. For example, a student (status 1) is currently studying
in the university while being a part-time employee (status 2). The role conflict that can be seen
here is the difficulty in managing time for study and work.

Another problem can be seen with role strain which is a condition when the roles of a
single status are inconsistent or conflicting. In other words, there are way too many roles in one
status which makes it hard to perform them. For example, a teacher (status) has to prepare lots
of lesson plans, create handouts, formulate tests, correct test papers, take attendance, give scores,
check up on students’ work, etc. As a result, he or she may have difficulty accomplishing all
those roles because there are just too many for a single class. Now imagine if that teacher has 10
classes.