INTRODUCTION: The Need for Studying Social,

Cultural and Political Behavior

• Have you ever thought why you seem to be so busy? Everyday, you
are confronted with a lot of tasks – school tasks, chores at home,
church responsibilities, your obligation to your parents and friends,
interestingly, you are not the only one who is preoccupied. From the
highest leader of the country to the vendor that you pass by on the
street, everyone seems so preoccupied. Why is this so?
• Approach – to train you think about simple things scientifically. You
will discover at the end of the lesson that thinking scientifically pays
off, as opposed to what we commonly use – common sense.
• Maurice Crosland, professor of History at the University of Kent,
explains that science began with a common sense interpretation of
the world around us, which later became more sophisticated.
He asserts that on seeing the word “science”, some people assume
something modern and very technical, probably associated with a
laboratory. But it was only in the last century that science became
separated from other studies.
• Harry Elmer Barnes, an American historian, asserts that the Industrial
Revolution produced the social sciences. Barnes further states that
the Industrial Revolution broke down the foundations of the previous
social system and out of the confusion, as an aid in solving the newly
created social problems, to reconstruct the disintegrating social order
sociology and the other social sciences came into being.
A. The Holistic study of Humanity: Anthropology

• The Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,107 islands. The

number of islands already represents a diversity of cultures. The good
thing is that we have one unifying language, Filipino, which is Tagalog-
based. Nonetheless, many tongues are spoken in the country. Do you
have classmates who speak other Philippine languages?

• How many students on your class speak different local languages

aside from Filipino or Ilocano? Does each language represent a local
culture?
Definition and Scope of Anthropology
• Anthropology is derived from two Greek words, Anthropos and logos, which
intensively studies humans and the respective cultures where they were born
and actively belong to.
• It is considered as the father, or even grandfather, of all social and behavioral
sciences like sociology, economics and psychology, to name a few. The
discipline had its humble beginnings with early European explorers and their
accounts, which produced initial impressions about the native peoples they
encountered in their explorations.
• The shift to the New World or North America raised the discipline to a higher
level, when some European migrant scholars, hailing from England and
Germany, brought in their expertise and knowledge, primarily focusing on new
settlements and ethnic minorities, including native American Indian Tribes
• The father of American anthropology, Franz boas, who initially
obtained a college degree in physics, strongly believed that the same
method and strategy could be applied in measuring culture and
human behavior while conducting research among humans, including
the uniqueness of their cultures.
• Two American anthropologists, Alfred Kroeber and William Henry
Morgan, became prominent in the field since their specialization
included the championing of indigenous rights, like traditional cultural
preservation and ancestral domain of the American Indian Tribes they
intensively studied.
Historical beginnings
• American anthropology gradually generated social and cultural interests in the fields of
folklore and native sexual practices. One anthropologist was Ruth Benedict
• Ruth Benedict became a specialist in anthropology and folklore, and authored one of the
three famous books utilized in the academic scene for reference purposes, known as
Patterns of Culture.
• She was a colleague of Margaret Mead, who was very much described in the academic
“controversial” for intensively studying the sexual practices among native population.
Such views gave rise to a relatively new liberal view on sex and sexual practices in the
United States, at a time when most Americans were still labeled as conventional and
conservative.
• In any case, the field of anthropology offers several topics for relevant research and
discussion in various academic fields, since its distinct way of data-gathering from their
respondents applies participant observation, which is central to ethnography approach.
• The founding father of this strategy was Bronislaw Malinowski. Common data-gathering
techniques of ethnography involve unstructured interviews and surveys.
B. The Study of the Social World: Sociology
• What’s in a Name?
Tom Cruise is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in real life. Vina Morales is
Sharon Magdayao. Jennifer Lopez, however, is still Jennifer Lopez and
Taylor Swift is still Taylor Swift.
What is the story behind showbiz names or screen names of celebrities?
Why do others change their names while others do not? We may think
celebrities choose screen names that they think sound nice, but a deeper
analysis would reveal that it is not as simple as that. What might be the
underlying reasons? Is it possible that audience appeal is a big part of it”
Think about this!
Does this mean that in the decisions that we make, our individual selves
may be influenced by factors outside of us?
What is sociology?
• People make decisions, both mundane and serious, in the course of their daily
living. We decide what dish to cook, where to buy shirts, what name to give our
child, when to get married, how to best discipline children, and others. We take
it for granted that when asked who decides in these matters, we readily say, “Of
course, I did!” we like to think of ourselves as independent-minded, and that we
behave according to choices we make out of our own free will.
• Sociology makes us aware that when we make decisions, such as those
mentioned above, it is within the context of our family, peers, school, nation
and other groups which form our social world. Just as the seasons affect the
clothes we wear and the kind of activities we engage in, our social world guides
our life choices.
• Does this make sense? Think about it. Even when you think you are making your
own choices, is it not that you are picking from fairly limited range of options
Example…
• During lunch time in school, you probably would choose rise and adobo and you
would say, “my personal favorite.” Try to think beyond the idea that your food
preference is your own personal favorite. Is it not that your being a Filipino is a
large part of the reason adobo is your personal favorite, and in the Philippines,
adobo is available in most restaurants? Thus, your race has played a part in your
choice of food.
• Consider dating – the decisions whether to date, whom to date are very personal.
However, a closer look reveals that they are not. Dating decisions follow certain
rules. For example in the Philippines, you can only date at a certain age, and your
parents have to know and permit it. Your family places more restrictions: you
should date someone who comes from a good family background, and preferably
the same religion as yours. There are no laws that dictate that family rules must
pervade but try violating them, and you will experience serious consequences.
Now, you wonder why everyone cares so much about whom to date.
• Congratulations, in doing so, you are already using sociology.
Sociology and Sociological Perspective
1. Sociology is the study of society, social institutions, and social
relationships.
Sociology is interested in describing and explaining human behavior,
especially as it occurs within a social context. It is less interested in the
individuals than in the group to which they are part.
2. Studying sociology is practical and useful. As social beings, we gain,
understanding of how the social world operates and of our place in it.
• C. Wright Millls (1959) calls it the social imagination, which he
defined as “the vivid awareness of the relationship between private
experience and the wider society.”
3. Sociology’s point of view is distinct from other sciences…
• Peter Berger explains that the perspective of sociology enables us to
see “general patterns in particular events.”
Example… the first systematic study on suicide provides a good
example. Emile Durkheim’s pioneering study on suicide in the 1800s
revealed that there are categories of people who are more likely to
commit suicide. In France and Central Europe , the suicide rate was
higher for the males, Protestants, wealthy and the unmarried
compared to the females, Catholics, Jews, the poor, and the married. In
general, the more socially integrated people (formed by ties of affection
and obligation) are less likely to end their lives
4. Sociology also enables us to see the “strange” in the familiar. This
means detaching ourselves from common explanations by taking a new
look at society. Human behavior is not simply a matter of what people
decide to do; society shapes our thoughts and deeds.
Example…how does sociology look at cult members who strongly
believe in the magical powers of their leader
W.I. Thomas, an American sociologists, formulated a theorem in 1928
which states: “if people define situations as real, they are real in their
consequences.” hence, if cult members consider their leader powerful,
then he can perform magic.
History of Sociology as a Science
• Coincidentally, sociology emerged with the two of the most significant social and political
revolutions in history. The French Revolution of 1789, along with the Industrial Revolution
in England during the eighteenth century. It tremendously changed people’s lives.
• The Industrial Revolution was brought about largely by the invention of the steam engine.
Many countryside folks were pushed into the towns, as their land was taken away by the
landlords to give way to factory-based economy
• The French Revolution from the 1770s to the 1780s, which was influenced by new political
ideas spreading in from France and America, created strong negative sentiments against
the monarchy. It eventually resulted in a shift from monarchy to democracy.
• On a positive note Europe swathe beginning of industrial economy, the growth of cities,
and the emergence of different political ideas, which in turn transformed social life.
• However, problems such as massive unemployment, increasing crime rate, widespread
poverty among others emerged.
• Thinkers began to ponder about how to address these difficult problems. The basic
concern is how to solve society’s ills.
Early Thinkers
• August Comte (1798-1857) is the person who “invented” sociology in 1842, by
bringing together the Greek word socius or “companion” and the Latin word
logos or “study”. He originally used “social physics” as a term for sociology. Its
aim was to discover the social laws that govern the development of society.
Comte suggested that there were three stages in the development of societies,
namely the theological stage, the metaphysical stage, and the positive stage. He
grew up in the wake of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. He
proposed that to understand society, it should be analyzed as it really was,
unlike the early philosophers and theologians who looked at society in its ideal
state. He further favored positivism, an approach to understanding the world
based on science. He believed that society operates according to certain laws,
just as the physical operates according to gravity and other laws of nature .
• The founding mother of sociology is Harriet Martineau (1802-1876), an English
writer and reformist. In her accounts in her book How to Observe Morals and
Manners (1838), the deep sociological insights we call now ethnographic
narratives are fully expressed.
• Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German philosopher and revolutionary further contributed to
the development of sociology. Marx introduced the materialist analysis of history which
discounts metaphysical explanation for historical development. Before Marx, scholars
explain social change through divine intervention and the theory of “great men”.
Marx is the forerunner of the conflict theory. He wrote the Communist Manifesto a book
that is focused on the misery of the lower class (working class) caused by the existing
social order. He reiterated that political revolution was vital in the evolutionary process of
the society, the only means to achieve improvement of social conditions.
Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels in 1847. the focused on the
misery of the lower classes caused by the existing social order. He reiterated that political
revolution was vital in the evolutionary process of society, the only means to achieve
improvement of social conditions. He felt that conflict, revolution and the overthrow of
capitalism were inevitable. He predicted that the bourgeoisie (upper class/ owners of
factories) would be overthrown by the proletariat (factory workers/farmers), because
they could no longer contain their frustration over the treatment that the former inflict
on them.
Until now, sociologists still study his insights regarding conflict theory, economic
determinism, social stratification, and social change.
• Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) – associated with the birth of sociology in
his native England. He likened society to an organism, with a life and
vitality of its own.. He first used the phrase “survival of the fittest” when
he proposed the policy of noninterference in human affairs and society,
believing that doing something to help the, poor and needy would
interfere with the natural selection process. Hence, governments should
not rescue the needy because this would disturb the ongoing natural
processes. In this way, society gets better as time passes. His ideas
justified the enslavement of the Blacks. His inhuman philosophy later on
met with strong resistance, eventually leading to its demise.
• Emile Durkheim (1864-1920) first French sociologist who put forward
the idea that individuals are more products rather than the creator of
society; the society itself is external to the individual. In his book
Suicide, Durkheim proved that social forces strongly impact on people’s
lives and that seemingly personal event is not personal after all.
• Max Weber (1864-1920) of Germany is the most important
proponent of interpretive sociology. Weber believed that a
“sympathetic understanding, verstehen, of the mind of others” was
essential to understanding the behavior of others. The qualitative,
subjective methods as well as objective, quantitative methods should
be used in the study of social actions. His works The Protestant Ethics
and the Spirit of Capitalism, The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism,
and Theory of Social and Economic Organization, among others, dwelt
on the significance of subjective meaning people give to their
interactions with others. Weber asserted that religion is very
influential in the actions and thoughts of people.
The Development of Sociology in the Philippines
Sociology in the Philippines developed in three phases:
 First Phase – sociology was looked upon as social philosophy. This orientation started with the
inclusion of sociology in college and university offerings and taught as social philosophy. It was
introduced by Fr. Valentin Marin when he initiated a course on criminology at the University of Santo
Tomas.
 Second Phase – was when sociology was viewed as a problem or welfare-oriented discipline. Sociology
was seen as a field in which the focus is on analyzing poverty, crime, unemployment, and other
problems that plague society. This view was put forward by Serafin Macaraig, the first Filipino to
acquire a doctorate in sociology and the first to write a sociology textbook, in An Introduction to
Sociology published in 1938.
 Third Phase/Stage – when sociology started to take the scientific orientation. This started with
increased number of educational exchange program grantees, establishment of social science research
centers and councils, growing frequency of conferences, and publication of professional journals.
Public and private agencies became increasingly aware of the significance of social facts in the
decision-making process. The date collected for the government by pioneer Filipino sociologist Benicio
Catapusan on rural Philippines became the benchmark for the distribution of economic aid to the
different regions.
Presently, the mainstreaming of sociology is evident as sociologists appear in mass media, particularly
in public program. Prof. Randy David, arguably the most prominent Filipino sociologist, writes for the
Philippine Daily Inquirer. His column, Public Lives, appears every Sunday.
C. The Study of Politics: Political Science
• In general, defining politics depends on one’s perspective. A person’s
principle may affect his view on politics.
• But generally, politics is associated with how power is gained and
employed to develop authority and influence in social affairs.
• It can also be used to promulgate guiding rules to govern the state.
• It is also a tactic for upholding collaboration among members of a
community, whether from civil or political organizations.
• Thus, politics is the virtuosity of governance.
Concept of Politics
• Politics is allied with government which is considered as the ultimate
authority
• It is the primary role of the government to rule society by stipulating
and transmitting the basic laws that will supervise the freedom of its
people.
• Each form of government possesses power to attain order that should
lead toward social justice.
To understand the concept of politics is to recognize power, order, and
justice:

• Power – the ability to influence others. It gives authority to lead.

• Order – attained through obedience to the rules set by leaders.
• Justice – is felt in a society when there is order.

The process exercised by the government in the implementation of its

duty is what we call politics.
Politics as Art
• When we talk of art, we look at style, character, behavior, preference,
language, and culture.
• In considering these, politics is an art.
• Politics is played with a style, depending on the character and
behavior of the leader
• The constituents choose their leader based on their preference.
Leaders use their charisma in influencing the people.
Politics as Science
• Science is commonly defined as the knowledge derived from
experiment and observation systematically done. Policy-making and
government decisions are done through research, investigation,
analysis, validation, planning, execution, and evaluation. Thus, politics
is a science.
• In studying politics, we systematically study the state and the
government. This is known as political science.
• Political science works with other fields of social sciences, including
sociology and anthropology, in understanding how government
performs and how politics and government work together.
D. Convergence of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political
Science: A focus on Society, Culture, and Politics
Similarities
Anthropology, sociology, and political science share a common
interest, particularly on the subject matter of society of which we are
part of.
Societies have forms of governments and are founded on cultural
processes.
Hence, culture, society, and politics co-exist. One does not or cannot
exist without the others
Differences – culture and society may have some common elements
but they also have differences:
The essential difference is that society is composed of interacting
people, while culture consists of knowledge, ideas, customs,
traditions, folkways, mores, beliefs, skills, institutions, organizations,
and artifacts that societies create.
Culture plays a vital role in shaping and influencing politics. As a
shared set of traditions, belief systems and behaviors, culture is
shaped by history, religion, ethnic identity, language, and nationality.
In all of these, politics plays a vital role.