VERY SOCIETY HAS ITS OWN NORMS TO

E FOLLOW. THIS NORMS SERVE AS GUIDE OR

MODELS OF BEHAVIOR WHICH TELL US
WHAT IS PROPER OR IMPROPER,
APPROPRIATE OR INAPPROPRIATE, RIGHT
OR WRONG. THEY SET LIMITS WITHIN
WHICH INDIVIDUALS SEEK ALTERNATIVE
WAYS TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.
NORMS OF DECENCY AND
CONVENTIONALITY
Norms of appropriateness and conventionality are prevalent in society,
affecting clothing, manners, and behaviors. Norm of appropriateness is
based on personal refinement and civility, while conventionality is based
on beliefs and practices that are acceptable to certain cultures but can be
incompatible with others. Examples include Bagobo burial practices and
Tboli tree-hung burials. Norms of conventionality also consider religious
beliefs, such as dietary restrictions, and can be shaped by individuals or
groups through their daily lives. By experimenting and appropriating
these norms and values, individuals can gain wisdom in understanding
the significance of norms and values in society.
CONFORMITY AND
DEVIANCE
 Social control is a set of means that ensures people behave in expected
and approved ways. Conformity is the state of having internalized norms
as part of the social expectation, and as individuals and groups conform to
an established norm, it becomes a convention. However, deviant behavior
or nonconformity is another form of social control that can be tolerated,
approved, or disapproved depending on societal views. Deviance can be
divided into formal and informal forms, with formal deviance involving
actions that violate enacted laws and informal deviance involving non-
codified social norms. Deviance is also seen as a form of power struggle,
with laws often favoring the interests of wealthy and powerful groups. In
the Philippines, political dynasties and monopolies and rampant
electioneering activities are considered manifestations of deviancy,
reflecting power imbalance and inequality in society. This perpetuates
traditional kinship networks, political machineries, wealth, property, access
to government sources, weak political party systems, and a culture of
powerlessness among the people.
TABO
OS
Taboos related to food are manifestations of
deviancy, as cultural and religious food prohibitions
may differ. For example, Hindus are prohibited from
eating beef, while Muslims and Jews abstain from
pork. Alcoholic beverages are also taboos in many
religious faiths and sectarian denominations. Other
food taboos are more cultural than religious, such as
the consumption of dog or cat meat in Western
countries, rodents and insects in Africa and Asia, and
folklore in the Philippines. These behaviors,
regardless of conforming or deviating from
traditional norms, can contribute to changes in
various aspects of society.
C
hange is pervasive and occurs in culture, society, and politics. It is
influenced by factors such as migration, urbanization, transnationalism,
and globalization. Social change refers to variations in social organization,
sub-groups, and the entire society. There are three causes of social change:
invention, discovery, and diffusion. Invention involves new combinations
or uses of existing knowledge, while discovery reorganizes existing
elements and contributes to the emergence of new paradigms. Discovery
can also be a factor in social change, such as the use of carageenan for
gelatine production and the adoption of the blue economy framework for
sustainability.
 Diffusion involves the spread of culture traits from one group to
another through trade, migration, and mass communication. Culture
spreads through enculturation, socialization, association, and
integration. Enculturation involves learning through education,
socialization involves constant exposure and experience to culture,
association bridging areas of convergence and cultural symbiosis,
and integration is the total assimilation of culture through changes
in worldviews, attitudes, behavior, and perspectives.
Political change refers to open, participatory, and accountable politics
that occurs in civil and political societies and the structure of relations
among them. It involves youth awareness and active participation in
elections, as well as the emergence of civil society groups as pressure
groups during crises. Cultural change, on the other hand, refers to
alterations affecting new traits or trait complexes and changes in a
culture’s content and structure. Factors such as earthquakes, floods,
droughts, and natural calamities significantly alter people’s lifestyles
and coping mechanisms.
Population movements, such as migration and transnational origins,
also perpetuate change. The proliferation of transnational families
and the flexing of gender roles are examples of how change can
occur. War and conquest also lead to change, as wars reduce
population size and allow for the flourishing of war industries.
Random events, such as oil price hikes, can also lead to change in
public services, including transport and utilities. Consumer response
to these events is crucial as it serves as a barometer of social order.

Technology has significantly impacted social institutions, such as

family, school, church, and state. The invention of computers and
internet access led to the creation of social networking sites like
Facebook, which have transformed global interaction. This has led to
rapid dissemination of knowledge and ideas, promoting mass
awareness. The effects of these changes can be understood through
disciplines like anthropology, sociology, and political science.
o Anthropology is the study of human beings and their
ancestors, with roots in philosophy, world travel, and
preliterate peoples. It produces knowledge about
differences and commonalities among people.
Anthropologists work within four fields: physical,
cultural, biological, and linguistic. They share common
anthropological perspectives on the human condition
and share their findings. Political science focuses on
state and government, focusing on power at all levels,
including local, regional, national, and international
levels. In the Philippines, political power is divided into
central and local power, with the executive branch
implementing laws, the legislative branch making and
codifying laws, and the judiciary interpreting the law.
Sociology is the science of society and social behavior,
analyzing social development and perspectives.
 o It seeks to discover the general principles underlying
social phenomena and relationships, and establish laws of
change and growth in social changes. Sociologists aim to
provide a vivid awareness of the relationship between
private experience and society. Students must understand
the fundamental concepts of culture, society, and politics to
effectively study these disciplines. Anthropology,
particularly ethnography, can help address problems like
origin, ethnicity, primitive organization characteristics, and
nationality. In the Philippines, anthropological knowledge
is crucial for granting citizenship and political analysis, as it
relates to social classes and the democratic mechanism.