PAOMBONG HIGH SCHOOL, INC.

School Year 2021-2022

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS (GRADE 12)

Mrs. Ana Lyn D. De Leon

Subject Teacher

LESSON 5: Context, Content, Processes and Consequences of Socialization

SOCIALIZATION
• the process and outcome of integration to society through association, social interaction, and social
activities. Thus, individuals do not merely become members or constituitive part of society but moreover
become a functional part of it by carrying out social processes.
• has two dimensions: the individual acting on society, and the other one is society acting on the individual.
• Both dimensions entail the following functions:

1. Personality and Role Development. It is through this process of socialization that we develop our sense
of identity and sense of belongingness relative to our association with and perception of other people.
2. Skills Development and Training. The much needed social skills such as communication skills,
interpersonal relationship skills, and occupational skills are developed through the process of
socialization.
3. Values Formation. Socialization also leads to values formation and orientation whereby individuals are
influenced or engulfed by the prevailing values of social groups and society which serve as his mirror.
4. Social Integration and Adjustment. The socialization process allows us to fit-in an organized way of life
by being accustomed not only to the social setting but including the cultural setting.
5. Social Control and Stability. Integration to society binds individuals to the control mechanisms set forth
by society's norms with regards to acceptable social relationships and social behavior which results to
social stability.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION
- refer to the various social groups or social institutions that play a significant role in introducing and
integrating the individual as an accepted and functioning member of society.
1. School. A social organization often considered as the individual's second home and the teachers as
second parents for mentoring and training for future occupation and guides the social welfare and
development of the student in preparation for a life of independence and in confronting social realities as
the school functions as a social laboratory.
2. Peer Group. An informal group whose members see themselves in some considerable likeness wherein
memebrs regard and treat each other as equals. Its social function is providing camaraderie. The group’s
subculture and activities become a source of motivation for interests, attitude, and behavior.
3. Church. A social organization whose members are united in their religion. Its social function is religious
formation and spiritual development. The individual is indoctrinated to its beliefs, religious norms, morals,
and values.
4. Family. As the basic unit of society, it is itself a miniature version of society at home and serves as the first
and foremost agency that socializes the individual. Its social function is nurturing the child until reaching
independence. It is the foundation of an individual's knowledge, beliefs, values, morals, and norms.
5. Work Place. The places where individuals socialize with a hierarchy of roles and statuses, develop work
ethics, and become oriented to its standard operating procedures and protocols. Its social function allows
for career growth and social mobility.
6. Mass Media. An institution of various information and entertainment agencies that influences public opinion
and perception through information dissemination, advertising, and propaganda. Its social function is
informing, entertaining, and educating the masses.

SOURCE:
• Banaag, Lee Mark T. and Ma. Theresa M. Cruz. (2016). Socio-Anthro: An Integrated and
Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Society, Culture and Politics. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.:
Mandaluyong City.

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School Year 2021-2022

SOCIALIZATION AND ENCULTURATION

Socialization - a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms,
values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.
Enculturation - the process whereby individuals learn their group's culture, through experience, observation,
and instruction.
CONSEQUENCES OF ENCULTURATION AND SOCIALIZATION

Human infants are born without any culture. They must be transformed by their parents, teachers, and
others into cultural and socially adept individuals. The general process of acquiring culture is referred to as
socialization. During socialization we learn the language of the culture we are born into as well as the roles we
are to play in life. For instance, girls learn how to be daughters, sisters, friends, wives, and mothers. In
addition, they learn about the occupational roles that their society has in store for them. We also learn and
usually adopt our culture's norms through the socialization process. Norms are the conceptions of appropriate
and expected behavior that are held by most members of the society.While socialization refers to the general
process of acquiring culture, anthropologists use the term enculturation for the process of being socialized to a
particular culture. You were enculturated to your specific culture by your parents and the other people who
raised you.

Socialization is important in the process of personality formation. While much of human personality is the
result of our gene, the socialization process can mold it in particular directions by encouraging specific beliefs
and attitudes as well as selectively providing experiences. This very likely account for much of the differences
between the common personality types in one society in comparison to another. For instance, the Semai
tribesmen of the central Malay peninsula of Malaysia typically are gentle people who do not like violent,
aggressive individuals. In fact, they avoid them whenever possible. In contrast, the Yanomamo Indians on the
border area between Venezuela and Brazil usually train their boys to be tough and aggressive. The ideal
Yanomamo man does not shrink from violence and strong emotions. In fact, he seeks them out. Likewise,
Shiite Muslim men of Iran are expected at times to publicly express their religious faith through the emotionally
powerful act of self-inflicted pain.

Successful socialization can result in uniformity within a society. If all children receive the same
socialization, it is likely that they will share the same beliefs and expectations. This fact has been a strong
motivation for national governments around the world to standardize education and make it compulsory for all
children. Deciding what things will be taught and how they are taught is a powerful political tool for controlling
people. Those who internalize the norms of society are less likely to break the law or to want radical social
changes. In all societies, however, there are individuals who do not conform to culturally defined standards of
normalcy because they were "abnormally" socialized, which is to say that they have not internalized the norms
of society. These people are usually labeled by their society as deviant or even mentally ill.

CONFORMITY AND DEVIANCE

CONFORMITY
Why do people conform to group standards? First and foremost, group members must conform to make
decisions. Conformity occurs when members choose the course of action that the majority favors. For
instance, a group may have a norm that requires group consensus before it can adopt a course of action. A
group consensus exists if every member of the group is willing to accept a proposal; it does imply that they all
feel they can live with the proposal. Every person in the group eventually conforms to some decisions, or the
group remains stalemated.

Another group might have a norm that a voting majority will dictate what the group does. In this case,
only a majority of the members in any kind of group must conform in some way before the group can
successfully reach any decision. Without conformity, the group will stand still. We can take this idea a step
further. Members must conform to some operating procedures before the group can perform any task,
including the task of making a decision.

We can see why conformity is essential before a group can reach a decision. For example, three people
might come together in a school lunchroom. They consider themselves a group and have met to plan a school
dance. However, the three people are not willing to agree on how the group should operate. They sit at their
table and argue over whether the group should vote on topics or whether they should select a leader and allow
that person to have a majority of the power. Without solving this problem, the group members try to decide if
they should write a list of tasks, but they cannot make a decision because they do not know whether they
should vote on it. As you can see, the group is unable to accomplish anything because the members will not
conform in any way.
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DEVIANCE
Deviance exists in all societies. In every society, social norm, rules and expectations of appropriate
behavior exists and all people are expected to conform and observe these norms. However, no society has
complete behavioral conformity. There will always be social deviance in any society since social deviance is
universal.

Social deviance is a behavior of which others disapprove because they believe something ought to be
done about it. It is a norm violation that exceeds the tolerance level of the community and results in negative
socialism. It is a breaking of rule or an act of non-formity with the norm.

Characteristics of Deviance

Although deviance is universal, it has a relative concept. Deviance vary and change from time to time,
place to place and its significance is unstable. It is characterized by the following:

1. It is understood within its social context. A woman's nude picture displayed in the classroom or office is
considered a deviance, but when displayed in an art exhibit it is not. A woman wearing a mini—skirt or
"shorts" while attending a mass is not an acceptable behavior but acceptable in a videoke bar or
"outing" activities.

2. Deviance may change overtime. Gambling is not a deviance when no law prohibits it but when a law
prohibits it, doing it is a deviance.

3. Deviance depends upon the status and role a person holds. A single woman who leaves the home in
the late evening without a chaperon or companion is considered a deviance but if a single man does it,
it is not a deviance. A Christian Filipino man who marries twice is a deviance but a Filipino Muslim who
does it provided he can support the other is not a deviance.

4. Deviance depends on the audience norms. A celebrity gay who wears a woman's apparel is funny but
the behavior is not a deviance. A minor who is drinking alcohol is a deviant but not in the case of an
adult doing the same.

Forms of Deviance
There are two (2) forms of deviant behavior:

A. According to Violation of a Societal Norm

1. Primary and Secondary Deviance. In the primary deviance, the individual disagrees with the
prescribed norms but is tolerated by others or his behavior is successfully concealed from others.
Examples:
• Cheating in the examination
• Throwing pieces of papers/wrappers on the floor
• Throwing garbage on the street in an anti- littering area
• Smoking in an smoke-free area
• Urinating in a no-urinating zone
In secondary deviance, the individual is labeled as a criminal or deviant because of his
previous deviant behavior. This labeling act is carried on throughout the person's life — that forces
him to commit delinquent acts.

2. Individual and Group Deviation. In the individual deviance, the person commits a deviant behavior
of his own group or sub-culture.
Examples:
• An individual belonging to a conservative family has illicit relation with someone that is tabooed
by his own group.

In group deviance, the individual may conform to the group's norm which is in disagreement or in
contradiction to the expectation of the larger society.
• For example, a member of the group who does not have a police record is not a real man.

B. According to Acceptance of the Goal

1. Conformity. The conforming individual uses positive and legitimate means of achieving the goal of
success.

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 PAOMBONG HIGH SCHOOL, INC.
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2. Innovation. The individual resorts to deviance as illegitimate means of using new idea, or new
process which are more effective in reaching his goal. He rejects the use of socially accepted
means to achieve success.

3. Ritualism. The individual rejects traditional cultural goals but still adheres to the usual steps to
obtain those goals as a conscientious and diligent person.

4. Retreatism. The individual withdraws from society and does not care about success goals nor work
for his success. Example is a vagabond.

5. Rebellion. The individual rejects and attempts to change the goals and means approved by
society. He tries to overthrow the existing social system and attempt to establish a new social
system because he believes that the existing social order is unfair and unjust to him.

SOCIAL CONTROL OF DEVIANCE

Since society is not perfect at all - there would always be social ills and chaos. Since socialization of an
individual is not also perfect and a person's compliance with norms has not been permanent in their minds and
actions, there will always be deviance and crimes that abound anywhere. Because of this scenario, there must
be some kind of measures or control to restrain the actions of people to commit deviant behavior. The two (2)
types of social control are: formal social control and informal social control.

1. Formal Social Control - refers to a restraint or sanction intended to potential deviants to conform to
social norms. These may take the form of arrest by law enforcement agencies (police, NBI, etc.)
investigation (by investigating agencies pre-trial, trial and sentencing (by the courts) and imprisonment
(by jail authorities). The criminal justice system is the most visible institution of social control.

2. Informal Social Control - involves rewards for conformity or compliance, such as a kiss, words of
approval, smiles, clapping of hand, shaking hands. Non-conformity or non-compliance may take the
form of gossip, social ostracism, rejection, punishment or even expulsion from the group.

a. Gossip is an informal social control. Gossip is an idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or
private affairs of others; the act of it also ,nown as dishing. This has found gossip to be an important
means by which people can monitor cooperative reputations and so maintain widespread indirect
reciprocity. It is also an aids of social bonding in large groups, according to Robin Dumbar, an
evolutionary biologist.

b. Ostracism. This is an informal sanction that may include shame, ridicule, criticism and disapproval
which can cause an individual to stray towards the social norms of the society. In extreme cases
sanctions may include social discrimination and exclusion.

c. Social Rejection. Social rejection occurs when an individual is deliberately excluded from a social
relationship or social interaction. A person can be rejected on an individual basis or by an entire
group of people. The experience of being rejected is subjective for the recipient, and it can be
perceived when it is not actually present.

d. Punishment. Punishment is the authoritative imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome

upon a group or individual, in response to aparticular action or behavior that is deemed
unacceptable or threatening to some norms.

e. Mind Control Social control developed together with civiliization, as a rational measure against
uncontrollable forces of nature, which tribal organizations were at prey to, within archaic tribal
societies.

Rulers have legitimately used torture as a means of mind control as well as murder,
imprisonment and exile to remove from public space anyone the state authorities deemed to be
undesirable. During the Age of Enlightenment harsh penalties for crimes and civil disobedience
were criticized by philosophers such as Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham whose work inspired
reform movements which eventually led to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948
which informs most settee jurisdictions and the similar Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam
in 1990.

f. Law. This is a technique used for the purpose of social control. There are norms enforced formally
by a special political organization. They are formalized social norms enacted by people who have
been vested through the machinery of the state. A rule is a form of a law that regulates local
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behavior. A teacher, for instance, may formulate classroom rules to govern classroom behavior as
long as these rules conform with school's policy.

g. Incarceration. Although not all individuals subjected to an exclusion order will abide to it, these
individuals are at the very least, spatially hindered through increased mobility and freedom. This
spatial constraint on individual Ieadsto a serious disruption and interference of their lives. There
were cases in the past where women were incarcerated because of violation of the anti-vagrancy
law. They were caught by the police authorities roaming parks and street corners in the middle of
the night with no sufficient cause.

SOURCE:
• Ariola, Mariano M., LL. B.; Ed. D. (2016). Understanding Culture, Society and Politics: K to 12 Basic
Education Curriculum Senior High School – Core Subject. Unlimited Books Library Services & Publishing
Inc.: Manila.

• It is through socialization that an individual learns how to become a member of

society. He learns what is acceptable and what is not for the society in which he
is a member of. But it is not all the time that members of a society adhere to its
norms which leads to deviant behaviour. Such behaviour are controlled through
different means and are best avoided by socializing each member of the group in
such a way that he/she can internalize the values and essence of following such
norms.

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