SOCIETY AS A GROUP OF PEOPLE

SHARING A COMMON CULTURE

 Society, Culture, Aspects of Culture, Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Specific objectives:

At the end of the lesson, students shall be able to:

 Discuss the various aspects and components of culture and society;
 Understand different perspective on culture and the relationship of cultural
relativism and ethnocentrism.
LET US START!
Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a
culture.

Culture is the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects
that together form a people’s way of life (Riodique et al., 2016).

Politics (or polity) is the social institution that distributes power, sets
society's goals, and makes decisions.
Culture and Society
Culture and Society
Culture cannot exist without a society, in the same manner
no society could exist without culture. People cannot be
human without culture.
Examining Aspects of Culture
Culture varies from one generation to another, one group to another
and one society to another society where this contains different
characteristics and nature in our society. The different aspects give
us the idea that somewhat our culture has life for how a man moves,
culture also do the same. Here we know that culture is:
Dynamic, Flexible and Adaptive

Culture changes and as it is changing it becomes flexible

and adaptive to what the time has offered.
Shared and Contested given in the
realities of Socialization

Culture changes but not all changes can be accepted as a

norm in our society. Changes in our society may be
accepted or rejected in our society.
Learned through Socialization
The nature of human is being social. We allow interconnection
of other people for us to acquire new knowledge and skills
(weather positive or negative) which creates meaning to the
lives of individual as what the Symbolic interaction theory of
Mead and Cooley says.
Patterned through Social Interactions

Our learning in the interactions was mostly taught to them by

also means of interactions with another. It becomes a chain of
acquiring ideas, when collectively done by people in the
society this becomes integral part of our culture.
Transmitted through Socialization
When members of the society reached the maturity of
understanding their culture, they tend to apply those things in
their life and would share things they learned dominantly to the
young generations. By this time, you are no longer the receiver
but the source of culture.
Integrated at Times Unstable
As Tylor emphasize culture as a way of life, as an integral element
of our interactions. If the existing culture is not acceptable to the
people, they tend to bend, innovate and the worse reject that culture.
This phenomenon happens like that adaptation of Bagobo with the
urban and popular cultures rather than keeping their own traditions
in life.
Requires Language and other forms of
communication
Verbal and non-verbal communications are important tools
in transmitting culture from one to another.
Cultural Orientations
How do you view other's culture? If you are confronted
with a different culture how would you feel? Are you an
ethnocentric or a cultural relativist? Here are two of the
cultural orientations that are evident in the world today.
Ethnocentrism
It is a common practice to judge another culture by standards of
one's own culture. Being ethnocentric is important for some people
to be attached to their way of life but its stigma has generated
misunderstanding and sometimes conflict.
Cultural Relativism
It is a common practice to judge another culture by standards of
one's own culture. Being ethnocentric is important for some people
to be attached to their way of life but its stigma has generated
misunderstanding and sometimes conflict.
Material and Nonmaterial Cultures

Nonmaterial cultures are the ideas created by members

of a society, while material cultures are the physical
things created by members of a society.
Reference:
• Suansing, A. R., Tagud, S., & Villanueva, E. (2017).
Understanding Society and Politics. Tagum, Philippines.
Diocesan Printing Press and Publishing, Inc.