ALFARO, Wendy Kessiah Section 26

CHUNG, Angeline Fae T. Formative Assessment 2

PIMENTEL, Kate Danielle D.
TROPEL, Diana Mae

1. HOW DOES THE SOCIETY INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE AND VICE VERSA?

One of the ways society and individuals influence each other is through action. Society
acted and created social structures that would influence a person in a way that was both
beneficial and disadvantageous to themselves. An individual would benefit from this social
structure as there is a significant path for them to follow. Social structures, like social status,
advise a person of his/her role, purpose, or function in a society and hinders what is expected
for them long-term. For instance, the socioeconomic classes of early Philippine society
consisted of maharlika (nobles), timawa (freemen), and aliping namamahay and aliping sagigilid
(slaves). If you are born as a Maharlika (noble), you are expected to provide protection to the
community, and have a privilege to not pay taxes. On the other hand, these social structures are
also disadvantageous to individuals, as it is now difficult for people to move away from these
structures. On the other side, people influence society because they can challenge the
structures it creates. There is a scenario where an individual can question the structure by
implementing laws that contradict it, such as a decree about the emancipation of all slaves.
Overall, society and individuals do influence each other, which only shows that both are
dependent on each other and that one cannot exist without the other.

2. HOW SHOULD PEOPLE IMPROVE THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE AROUND US?

It is important to introduce our social structure in mainstream media to enhance our

social structure in a modern perspective. Nowadays, the new generation of social media has
been prevalent when it comes to rewinding time such as re-introducing the trends of the early
‘20s or informing the youth of what is our past as a whole. It is discussed that one of the
components of social structure is our culture. Furthermore, venturing to the past can relate how
we should embody ourselves in the future generations. The innovating world relies on seeking
the truth in freely expressing our political views such as voicing ourselves in social media. For
instance, the improvement happened when former Mayor of Manila, Isko Moreno lifted the city
to see improvements progress in the area as a whole. These improvements came to the
mindset of his past experiences living in Manila and learning to hear the voices of the
community. Thus, these views can lead to different notions for our government leaders and let
the people speak for their views and make these views into reality. The involvement of both our
government leaders and the community can gradually improve how the community will enhance
our social structure.

3. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE QUOTE "MAN IS BORN FREE, AND
EVERYWHERE HE IS IN CHAINS?"

I do agree with the phrase "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains," since an
individual can have the right of freedom at birth, but this freedom is constrained by social
structures made by society. Social structures correspond to those that give people a sense of
purpose and assign them duties that only they can fill in order for the organization to run
effectively. An individual is free when he is born and is capable of possessing ambition, desire,
and aspiration, but because of these social structures, he is constrained from functioning
independently. For instance, the family, one of the oldest social institutions, has its own
hierarchy; everyone has a specific role to play and has no room to deviate from it, which binds
one to only perform the obligations that are expected of him. Another illustration is social
position; if a person is born into a lower social class, his options are already constrained. In the
past, members of the lower classes, such as aliping namamahay, had few privileges, such as
the ability to live in their own quarters on their master's property, and to have payment for their
services. These privileges were not as extensive as a maharlika's. Furthermore, an example of
being born as an alipin sa gigilid, which has fewer rights than an alipin namamahay; he lives
with their master because he has no home, serves without being paid, and is not allowed to be
married without their master's consent. Both slaves have obligations to serve anyone above
them, from which they are unable to stray. With all of the provided examples, it could be
possible to assert that a person is truly born free but is restricted by social structures.

4. DESCRIBE YOUR SOCIAL ROLE AND SOCIAL STATUS.

Individuals carry a status and role in contributing to a fulfilling life in society. There are
two types of social status namely the ascribed status and the achieved status. The status we
acquire since birth is the ascribed status and the status we attain through our own effort is our
achieved status. Our social status as a full-time student admitted in Far Eastern University and
role as an undergrad is to demonstrate responsibility, uphold academic integrity and practice the
value of honesty. Demonstrating basic responsibility as a student means attending classes on
time, preparing for all classes, participating in school activities, and keeping an open mind in
learning. Moreover, aside from being a student, we also acquire friends inside and outside our
university.

As a friend to someone, we are expected to be by their side whenever they need us and
show them that you care about them. Aside from the above mentioned social status and role,
our ascribed social status and role outside the university includes being a responsible daughter,
and a sibling to our family. Being a responsible child to our parents means obeying, respecting,
and most importantly, showing love and care to them.

5. WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR SOCIAL STRUCTURE?

Social structure is essential in a society as it aids in maintaining order in a community. It

is essential for one community to have a social structure because this defines what are the
norms they portray in different societal levels. Moreover, it provides a guide on how we should
perform in society based on the social hierarchy. The interaction between a manager and an
employee in a business setting is one example of a social structure because both individuals
have roles to follow in an organization. Thus, social structure provides a framework for society to
follow where people can build relationships and identify themselves within the community.

6. HOW DO SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIETY

AND AT THE SAME TIME RESTRAIN ITS DEVELOPMENT?

Social institutions are the backbone of a society. It consists of principles and rules that
govern the peace and organization of a community. The social institutions are categorized into
religion, politics, cultural beliefs, education, and government. With that, the role of a social
institution is to regulate people from doing crimes and harmful acts that are detrimental to the
community. However, it constrains the development of a society as some established beliefs
and norms are in contrast to the protection of peace and rights of all individuals in a community.
Some norms are discriminatory such as issues regarding race and ethnicity. Rehabilitating bad
norms is difficult as it was already part of the society from the beginning, and the majority has
the chance to decline change for these perceived norms for the better.