Republic of the Philippines

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Sulu college of technology, Inc.

Tanjung, Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu

Senior High School Department

☎ +63 68-1259 ┃ ✉️sct_edu@yahoo.com ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED

Lesson 3
Becoming a member of the Society

The Concept of Society as an Objective Reality

Society- came from the Latin word Societal, which the term was derived from the word socius
(comrade, friend, ally’) used to describe a bond or interaction between parties that are friendly
or at least civil.

-is used to describe a level of organization of groups that is relatively self- contained. However,
the boundaries group is always relative and so sociologist may refer to human society.

Socialization- it refers to the lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire
their identities and necessary survival skills in the society. It prepares new members of society
and trains them to think, feel, and act in appropriate ways. Socialization is considered the
central process of member recruitment and replacement. The process of socialization enables a
person to gradually become a self – aware and knowledgeable Human being, and learn ways,
values, rules, and culture of his or her society.

Enculturation

The term Enculturation is to describe the process of being socialized into a specific culture.
Through enculturation, individual learn cultural symbols, norms, values, and language by
observing and interacting with family, friends, teachers, and rest of the people in the society.

Sociological Realism

- States that society is reality sui generis and cannot be reduced to individual aggregates
extends to all its constituents’ elements. Institution, roles, and identities exist as
objectively real phenomena in the social world.
Social reproduction or How Societies persist.

One defines society as ‘’ organization of groups that is relatively self- contained,’’ then the next
question is how societies manage to exist and persist across time and space. The problem of
explaining how societies manage exist over a long period of time is called reproduction by
French philosopher and sociologist, Louis Althusser.

Talcott Parson’ A-G-I-L Scheme

Adaptation- is the capacity of society to take resources from society and distribute them
accordingly.

Goal Attainment- Is the capability to set goal and mobilize the resources and energies
necessary to achieve the goals set forth by society.

Integration -The harmonization of the entire society to achieved consensus. By integration,

parson meant the coordination, adjustment, and regulation of the rest of the subsystem so that
society will continue to function smoothly.

Latency- a latent pattern maintenance, requires that society can constantly produce and
socialize actor who will follow the norms and roles given to them by the society.

Culture- consist of pattern, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted
by symbol, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their
embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consist of traditional ideas especially their
attached values.

Functionalism- defines culture that provides an overarching system of meaning to what people
do.

Fossils - are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms buried in
the earth’s surface.

Socialization and Enculturation

Agents of Socialization and Enculturation

An important part of the socialization and enculturation processes are the social groups that
people come in contact and interact with throughout their lives. These group are called
participants or agents of socialization and enculturation, and consist of persons, groups, and
institution that teach people essential knowledge to participate successfully in the society. The
most prominent agents of socialization include the family, school, peer groups, mass media,
religion state and social and historical events.

The Family – is the primary agent of socialization of an individual upon birth throughout
infancy, and up to childhood.

School- The school have a critical and active role in socialization, as their various academic and
social activities mold students’ belief, values, and attitudes.

Peer Groups- it is also reinforcing acceptable behaviors introduced by the family and school,
allow a certain degree of independence from family and certain figure of authority, and are also
means for socialization and involvement in social and political issues and Share the same
interest.

Mass Media and Technology- includes forms of communication such as books, magazines,
newspapers, other printed materials, radio, television, and movies. It is a powerful agent of
socialization which is widely used by many institutions and organization involved in the use of
print and electronic communication.

Religion and State- Both religion and state are considered as the ultimate sources of authority,
making the church and government important agents of socialization. religion exerts a great
influence on the view of a person, legitimizes accepted social practices, provides stability to
society, and can even be source of social change.

Government- is a state that indirect agent of socialization. This means that government set
rules and regulation and most of them often becomes law which the people of the state need
to follow.

Conformity and Deviance

 Every society is a system of social control or attempts by society to regulate peoples’

thought and behavior. Social control encourages conformity to certain norms and
discourages deviance or norm breaking. Deviance range from minor infractions, such as
serious violence. Norms that become specified and institutionalized are called laws.
 Social control- refers to the technique and strategies for preventing deviant behavior in
the society. It is a way of instilling cultural conformity which often involves punishing
rule- breaking.

Three types of social control processes

1. Those that lead us to internalize our society’s normative expectation.

2. Those that structure our world of social experience.
3. Those that employ various formal and informal social sanctions.
  Conformity- is a type of social influence involving a change in belief
or behavior to fit in or align their attitudes and behavior with the
people they interact or socialized with.

 It is also giving a sense of identity and belongingness that enables a

person to feel accepted in a certain group.

 It is also the act of following the roles and goals of one’s society. This
behavior is often met with the rewards and acceptance from the other
members of the society.

 Three types of conformity

1. Compliance- Is the type of conformity in which individuals

conform to the group’s to avoid confrontation or disapproval.
Example : The negative view of homosexual marriage expressed
in an elderly home as they visit their family. This is engaging in
compliance will avoid disapproval and prevent conflict.

2. Identification- Is a mix between compliance and internalization,

when engaging in identification individuals are likely to change
their belief for the one stated by the group but are not likely to
internalize it and make it their own. This ways the person’s
opinion may change once they are out of the group.
Example : A young person may think that technology is key to
developing medical treatments. However, their parents’ opinions
are opposing and have discussed the topic multiple times. They
share different belief with one another in different context.
3. Internalization- It refers to the type of conformity in which an
individual goes with the group’s belief because they accept and
share it.
Example: Someone who is against abortion, After watching
debate on ethics and politics, someone may reconsider their
ideas and, thus, change their mind about the issue.

Crime- refers to the violation of the law. There is a lack of consensus in society regarding which
behaviors or traits are deviant. what is considered as deviance will vary across time, places, and
social groups.

 Deviance- is a behavior that violates the standard of conduct or

expectation of a group or society. Generally, often divided into two
forms: criminal and non-criminal deviance
 Is the act of violating the prescribed social norms.

Different forms of Deviance

1. Physical deviance- It is the most visible form of deviance, and it can

evoke stereotypes, stigma, and discrimination. Sociologist have
 described two types of physical deviance, including (1) Violation of
aesthetic Norms(what people look like, including height, weight, and
the absence or presence of disfigurement) And (2) Physical Incapacity (
which would include those with a physical disability (GOODE, 2005)
2. Sexual deviance- Is largely determined by the community,
culture ,and context. It may include exotic dancers, strippers, sex
tourism, anonymous sex in public restroom, bisexuality, online sexual
predators, prostitute, premarital chastity and many more.
3. Deviance in cyber space- As new technology has developed brand-new
form of deviance have also taken shape. Example: Cyberdeviance, is a
relatively new phenomenon but it already has different forms,
including the online pedophile subculture, cyberbullying, and online
misbehavior.

4. Elite deviance- Defined as “ Criminal Deviants” Refers to act by elites

or organization that result in harm; physical harms, including death
or physical injury. Financial harms, including robbery, fraud and
various scams. And Moral harms, which are harder to define but
encourage distrust and alienation among members of the lower and
middle class.
5. Positive deviance- An approach that involves identifying and amplifying
the solutions already exist in the community, especially who are
among marginalized or poor, by encouraging them to adopt
exceptional practices that have led to success in their situation.”(2010)

The functions of deviance:

 Affirms cultural norms and values. Deviance is needed to define and support morality.
There can be no good without evil and no justice without crime.
 Clarifies moral boundaries. By defining some individuals as deviant, people draw a
boundary between rights and wrong.
 Bring people together. People typically react to serious deviance with shared outrage,
and in doing so reaffirm the moral ties that bind them.
 Encourage social change. people suggest alternatives to the status quo and encouraging
change.

 Sanctions- are powerful in leading an individual to conform to social norms. Despite

individual’s disclination to conform, when the sanctions are strong, there is a high
possibility that she, or he will decide to follow the norms.

Sanction can be categorized into three types:

 Formal sanctions- These are the rewards of form of punishment that are formally
awarded by an institution such as government, a council, or an establishment.

 Informal sanctions- These are the rewards and forms of punishment that are
spontaneously given by an individual or a group of people as a response to a behavior
that was either accepted or disapproved.
  Positive sanctions- These are action or statement that reward a behavior, which
reinforce its repetition.

Structural functionalism:
Conformity. Structural functionalists argue that conformity is essential for social order and cohesion.
When individuals adhere to societal norms, values, and roles, they contribute to the smooth functioning
of society. • Deviance. From the structural functionalist perspective, deviance is seen as a natural and
inevitable part of society.

Conflict: • Conflict theorists argue that conformity often serves the interests of those in power,
maintaining the status quo and existing power structures. • Conflict theorists view deviance as a
response to social inequalities and injustices within society.

Symbolic Interactionism: • Symbolic interactionists argue that conformity occurs when individuals
accept and internalize the meanings and expectations associated with societal roles and norms. •
Symbolic interactionists view deviance as a product of social interactions and the meanings attached to
behavior. Deviance can also be a form of social protest or a way for individuals to challenge existing
norms and create new meanings.
Lesson 4.

HOW SOCIETY IS ORGANIZED

The term society is basically defined as the sum of social relationship among groups of Human.
Studying society essentially involves examining the relationship among various relationship in a
community. To understand how society is organized we need to study the different kinds of
groups within society.

Social group- is defined as a group of individuals who often act within each other on the
premise of shared expectation regarding behavior and who share a common identity.

- Consist of individuals who are united by their similar characteristics, and these
characteristics serve as a bases of their constant interaction. However, not all individuals
who share similar characteristics interact with one another. This phenomenon is
observed in social categories. For Example, your barkada may be classified as a social
group.

In-Group and Out-Group

In-Group

An In-group is the social group in which an individual directly affiliates and expresses
loyalty to. Its three primary characteristics reinforce the boundary that it creates between its
member and those coming from other groups.
1. Member use titles, external symbols, and dress to distinguish themselves from the out-
group( Shandra, 2007).

-One of the most recent subculture categories formed in our country is that of the
jejemons. This group is popular for their distinguishable dress code and language. Male would
usually wear rainbow-colored caps, loose shirts, and pants.

2. Members apply positive stereotypes to their in-group and negative stereotypes to the out-
group ( Shandra, 2007 ).

- Generally, the in-group consist of the majority who define what is normal and
acceptable. Those who do not conform to the prescribed norms are considered part of the out-
group. Just as deviance is often punished by ostracism and discrimination, individuals who fail
to meet the standards set by the in-group are bound to experience being socially marginalized.

3.Members tend to clash or compete with members of the out-group. This competition with
the other group can also strengthen the unity within each group (Shandra, 2007)

-Rivalries among schools, which are highlighted during competitions in sports, quiz bees,
and rankings, are a prime example of how members from an in-group tend to compete with the
out-group. Schools spirit is often intensified through the common desire of individuals in a a
group to succeed against the opposing group.

Out- Group

This is the group that an individual is not part of. Negative attributes are usually
associated with individuals who are part of this group. Individuals from an out-group are usually
considered malevolent even if they are not. Because members of the in-group perceive
themselves as diverse and complex, members of the out-group are described as a group
without any differentiation. Hence, these individuals are prone to being stereotyped, and worse
dehumanized. Example An individual who is part of an in-group of heterosexuals would
consider those with different genders as part of the out-group without distinguishing what
types of gender they have.

Categories of the group within society.

1. Primary group- it is characterized to a small group whose members share intimate,

personal, and lasting relationship that has a strong emotional tie.
Examples: family, childhood friend, closed family friend, love relationship and church
group.
2. Secondary group- can be a small or large who do not interact much mostly impersonal,
interaction among members is casual and usually short term; typically found at work
and school.
 Examples: clubs, unions, coalition, employment, businessman to client or vendor.
3. Reference group – is a social group that we use as a standard of comparison for
ourselves regardless of whether we are part of that group.
Example: peer groups, senior group or actor and actresses
4. Networks- a social network is a series or web of weak social ties. Involving people in a
group of individuals connected to each other.
Example: Facebook

End of the Lecture

Be ready for your midterm exam. Good Luck!