INTRODUCT

ION TO THE
PHILOSOPH
Y OF THE
HUMAN
PERSON

Dec 5, 2022
Human person in
society
We’re going to discuss the
following:
▪ Socialization o Identity
formation
o Norms
o Statuses and Roles
▪ Conformity
▪ Deviance
 To be a full member of society, an individual
Many individuals and institutions
must acquire and learn all the necessary social
roles and skills required of a competent member.
play a critical role in the
The process of learning these skills and social socialization process. These
roles is called socialization.
groups enumerated below are
called agents of socialization.
1. Families
2. Schools
3. Peer relationships
4. Mass media
5. Work
Remember that….
Socialization is the lifelong process through which
people learn the values and norms of a given society. It
can be a process of learning, relearning, and unlearning.
Resocialization refers to the process whereby people
learn new rules and norms when entering a new social
world. Anticipatory socialization refers to the process
whereby we learn about what a particular role might
entail before we enter it.

Identity formation is a journey. Growing up,
we might easily think that we already know
who we are. However, we must know the
diff erence between who we really are and
who and what society expects us to be.
Aside from the question of ‘who
am I,’ part of our identity
formation is answering the
question, ‘who do I want to be.’
Identity formation is regarded as
the primary indicator of successful
development during adolescence.
The opposite of identity formation
is role confusion or identity
crisis. This is when individuals
struggle with who they are or want
to be and their purpose in the
world.
 According to James Marcia (as cited in Identity Formation, 2012),
identity formation involves decision points and commitments with
respect to ideologies (religion, politics, etc.) and occupations. Marcia
provides the following terminologies:
• Foreclosure occurs when an individual commits to an identity without
exploring options.
• Identity confusion occurs when adolescents neither explore nor commit
to any identities.
• Moratorium is a state in which adolescents are actively exploring
options but have not yet made commitments.
• Identity achievement is when an individual has explored different
options, discovered their purpose, and has made identity commitments.
In relation to this, developmental psychologists have
identified different areas of identity development:
1. Religious identity
2. Political identity
3. Vocational identity
4. Ethnic identity
5. Gender identity

One person can be associated with a multitude of
roles and statuses. If too much is required of a
single role, individuals can experience role
strain. Similarly, a person can experience role
confl ict when one or more roles are contradictory.
In sociology, status refers to an individual’s
position in a particular setting. Status can be
ascribed or achieved.
• Ascribed statuses are those that we do not
select, i.e., assigned at birth or assumed
involuntarily later in life. For example,
being born to a family automatically gives
you a status of being a son or daughter of
your parents.
• Achieved statuses, on the other hand, are
obtained by choice or acquired on the basis
of merit. For example, being a licensed
professional is a status that requires
perseverance and hard work.
 Norms define how to behave in
accordance with what a society has
defined as good, right, and important,
and most members of the society adhere
to them (Social Norms, 2011).
All societies have norms and these can be
classified into two: formal and informal.
• Formal norms are established, written
rules and are the most strictly enforced.
These include laws, employee manuals,
student handbooks, etc.
• Informal norms are casual behaviors
that are not specifically written but are
generally and widely conformed to.
These can be learned by observation
and imitation. For example, giving a tip
to delivery riders is not formally
written, but we often do it.
Our norms reflect our values as a society. Norms
may also be classified into mores or folkways.

• Mores are norms that embody the moral views and principles
of a group. Mores are usually protected by laws.
• Folkways are norms without any moral underpinnings. These
only direct appropriate actions in the day-to-day practice.
TAKE NOTE OF THIS…
Every culture defines its own norms. Sometimes, what is
regarded as normal and acceptable in one society may be
deemed as strange by people from another culture. There are
also cases where our simple actions may be deemed offensive
by other people, no matter how harmless it may seem for us.
Therefore, we need to educate ourselves with the norms of
different cultures.
TAKE NOTE OF THIS…
In the Philippines, one of our unwritten norms is to let the
elderly take a seat in public transportation. If we are young and
able, we are expected to give up our seat for a lolo or lola.
When we do not do this, we often receive staring looks from
other people. In other countries like Thailand, however, this
might not be the case. The elderly people who use public trains
and buses in Thailand do not expect that seats will be given up
for their sake. In fact, some may feel offended when this
happens.
 Suppose that you will visit your
dream city/ country for a vacation.
Make a list of Dos and Don’ts
considering the social norms in your
destination.