The Concept of

Society as an
Objective Reality
SOCIETY

-The term society came from the Latin

word SOCIETAS, which in turn was
derived from the noun SOCIUS, used to
describe a bond or interaction between
parties that are friendly, or at least
civil.
- According to the Greek philosopher
Aristotle, human beings are ZOON
POLITIKON or POLITICAL ANIMALS. That
is, human beings are creatures whose
nature is for them to live in a society or
group.
-According to John Holmwood (2006),
the term society is used to describe a
level of organization of groups that is
relatively self contained. However, the
boundedness of groups is always relative
and so sociologist may refer to human
society.
A common opinion among ordinary people is
the belief that society does not exist except
for the individuals who compose it. In the
early 19th century, when sociology as a
science was still in its infancy, many social
scientist subscribe to methodological
individualism.
Emile Durkheim(1858-1917), the founding
father of French sociology, argued strongly
against this position. His theory, called
SOCIOLOGICAL REALISM, states that society
is reality sui generis and cannot be reduce to
individual aggregates or parts.
DURKHEIM ON THE OBJECTIVE
EXISTENCE OF SOCIETY
In the case of purely moral maxims, the public
conscience excersises a check on every act which offends it
by means of the surveillance it excersises over the conduct
of citizens, and the appropriate penalties at its disposal. In
many cases the constraint is less violent, but nevertheless it
always exist. If I do not submit the conventions of society, if
in my dress I do not conform to the customs observe in my
country and in my class, the ridicule I provoke, the social
isolation in which I am kept, produce, although in an
attenuated form, the same effects as a punishments in the
strict sense of the word.
Durkheim’s argument for the existence of
society is demonstrated further in his classic
word SUICIDE(1897). In this book, Durkheim
avoided the use of psychological and
individualistic explanation for the study of
suicide. He rather looked into the statistics
of suicide rates and provided a sociological
explanation for the persistence of suicide.
The situation in which society lacks social
regulation through social norms is called
ANOMIE from the Greek words nomos.
Excessive regulation, however, can also lead
to higher suicide rates especially when the
when the norms prescribe altruism among the
members, that is, when a group demands
self-sacrifices for collective like the suicide
bombers or Japanese kamikaze pilots.
 The argument of Durkheim that society is an
objective reality is echoed in contemporary
sociology by Peter L. Berger(1973):

The objectivity of society extends to all its

constituent elements. Institutions, roles,
identities exist as objectively real
phenomena in the social word, though they
and this world are at the same time nothing
but human productions. For example, the
family as the institutionalization of human
sexuality in a particular society is experience
and apprehended as an objective reality.
 Social Reproduction or How societies
persist
If one defines society as ‘organization of groups that
is relatively self-contained’, then the next question
is how societies manage to exist and persist across
time and space. The problem of explaining how
societies manage to exist over along period of time
is called REPRODUCTION by the French philosopher
and sociologist, Louis Althusser. There are two
types of institutions that reproduce the condition of
social life, namely, the ideological state
apparatuses and the repressive state
apparatuses.
The ideological state apparatuses are the
institutions that are created and used by society to
mold its members to share the same values and
beliefs that typical member of that society
possesses. Repressive ideological state
apparatuses, on the other hand, refer to those
coercive institutions that use physical force to make
the members conform to the laws and norms of
society like courts, police, and prisons
Talcott Parsons(1902-1979): one of the
most influential American sociologist,
who is associated with the theory of
structural functionalism. According to
Parsons, all societies will have to take
care of its own reproduction if they are
to persist across time and space.
ADAPTATION- is the capacity of society to
take resources from society and distribute
them accordingly. This function is carried out
by the economy which includes gathering
resources and producing commodities to
social redistribution.
GOAL ATTAINMENT- is the capability to
set goals and mobilize the resources and
energies necessary to achieve the goals
set forth by society. This is set by the
political subsystem. Political resolutions
and societal objectives are part of this
necessity.
Integration- or the harmonization of the
entire society to achieve consensus. By
integration, Parsons meant the coordination,
adjustment, and regulation of the rest of the
subsystem so that society will continue to
function smoothly.
Latency- or latent pattern
maintenance, requires that society is
able to constantly produce and socialize
actors who will follow the norms and
roles given to them by society.
SUMMARY

Society is an objective reality, which means that is relatively

independent of how people conceive it. However, unlike
physical objects, such as chairs and tables, society is
dependent also on peoples social interactions. Society has to
be reproduce across time and space if it is to persist. Two
general theories explain the process of social reproduction,
namely, the structural functionalist approach of Talcott
Parsons and the conflict theory represented by French
sociologist Louis Althusser.
Lesson 2
The Family Today: Declining or Changing?

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students are expected to:
- Explain the function of the family
- Discuss and appraise why the definition of family is crucial
to society;
- Explore and explain the different types of families;
- Summarize recent changes in the family as an institution
- Describe the various alternative family arrangements in
contemporary societies.
Essential Questions for Consideration
- What is family? What are the different types of families?
- What is marriage? What are the different types of
marriage?
- What are the challenges to the family that are brought
about globalization?
- How does the family cope with the dynamic changes in
the world today?
BUILDING VOCABULARIES

ANNULMENT DIVORCE FAMILY HOUSEHOLD KIBBUTZ

LEGAL MARRIAGE MATRIARCHY MATRILINEAL MATRILOCAL

SEPPARATION

MONOGAMY PATRIARCHY PATRILINEAL POLYANDRY POLYGAMY

POLYGYNY POST- SAME-SEX TRANSNATIONA

MODERNISM MARRIAGE L FAMILY
THE PROBLEM OF DEFINING THE FAMILY

TRADITIONAL PROBLEM
- Filipinos are family-oriented. The anak-magulang
complex and the kamag-anak relationship are very important
to Filipinos. Ama(father), ina(mother), anak(children) are
culturally and emotionally significant to us who treasure
filial attachment not only to our immediate family but also
to our extended family( tiya and tiyuhin , inaanak, lolo and
lola). This family centeredness supplies a basic sense
belonging, stability, and security. It is from our families that
we Filipinos naturally draw our sense of self identity.
Declining marriage rate and increasing rate of
cohabitation
- there were 476,408 marriages registered in
2011, down by 1.3 percent from 482,480 recorded in
2010, the NSO said in a report posted on its
website. It retrieved on August 19, 2014.
Increasing annulment rate
- the number of marriage annulment cases in the
Philippines has risen by 40 percent in the last
decade with at least 22 cases filed everyday,
according to a report by Catholic bishops news
agency. Citing data from the Office of the Solicitor
General (OSG), CBCP news said the number of
annulment cases had risen from 4,520 in 2001 to
8,282 in 2010.
Increasing number of cases of domestic violence
- the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey
(NDHS) conducted by the National Statistic Office (NSO)
revealed that one in five women aged 15-49 has experienced
physical violence since age 15; 15.4 percent of married
women have experienced physical abuse from their
husbands; and more than one-third (37 percent) of
separated or widowed women have experienced physical
violence, implying that domestic violence could be the
reason for separation or annulment.
Increasing number of woman entering the labor
force
- the number of employed and unemployed
Filipinos in October 2008 was estimated at
34.5 million and 2.5 million respectively.
Female employment was estimated at 13.3
million compared to 21.3 million males.
The United Nations (UN) uses the term nucleus family:
- A family nucleus is of one of the following types:
a.) A married couple without children
b.) A married couple with one or more unmarried children
c.) A father with one or more unmarried children or
d.) A mother with one or more unmarried children.
Why the definition of family matters:
In social science discourse, the concept of
the family is politically and ideologically
loaded, or imbued with sets of politically and
culturally contested ideas about the correct
or moral ways in which people should
conduct their lives.
Philippine Family Code

The Philippine Family code therefore

excludes same sex marriage and
polygamous unions. Whether one
provides a normal definition of the
family or normative model, one must
accept the facts that families no
change.
ILLEGITIMATE CHILD

Another case is an ILLEGITIMATE CHILD.

An illegitimate child is entitled to
receive support from his/her biological
father provided that the letter
recognized the child as his own.
COHABITANS

It is the couple who share a common

residence with a child, just like a
nuclear family, but without the benefit
of marriage. Therefore, they are not
accorded health, social security, and
retirement benefits of the partner.
 The ENDDDDDD//////
///////