IDENTITY, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND POLITICAL

WHAT IS IDENTITY?  The concept of identity is related to social, cultural,

and political change.
IDENTITY - is the distinctive characteristics that defines an
individual or is shared by those belonging to a particular  People's individual and collective identities have
group. oftentimes transformed social order and paved the
way for lasting change.
• IDENTITY can also change over the course of person's
lifetime. It is continuously shaped and reshaped  Rapidly-advancing technology also has profound
through rhe passage of time as well as the overall implications for socio-cultural and political change.
context of one's life cycle, including his or her Because people know more about what is happening
activities within the society and interaction with other elsewhere in the world, trends in clothing, hair style,
people. fashion style food choices, among others have also
been transformed.
Why does identities are important?
 The phenomenon of international migration has laso
 identities are important because they shape both
changed Filipino identities and beliefs.
individual and group behavior as well as people's view
about other people and society. ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

 Learning one's self, culture, and society entails What is Social Science?
knowledge about various identities and how these
 The discipline under which identity, culture, society,
shape people's views and behavior.
and politics are studied are collectively called the
Culture social sciences.

 is defined as a society's way of life, provides the basis  The social sciences are comprised of a wide array of
for forging identities. academic disciplines that study the overall functios of
society as well as the interactions among its individual
 It allows people to understand themselves in relation
members and institutions.
to others and provides lens through which they base
what is considered the “right way” of doings.  Some of the most prominent academic disciplines in
the social sciences are anthropology, sociology, and
 These are the material and non- material aspects
political science.
associated with culture.
What is anthropology?
 clothes, music, and food are examples of material
things that comprise one's culture.  Anthropology is the systematic study of the
biological, cultural, and social aspects of man.
 Interpretations of other's behavior, especially the
bases of what we regard as “right” or “wrong”, are  It is derived from two Grek words, anthrops, which
examples of non-material dimensions of culture. means “man” and logos, which means “study” or
“inquiry”.
 Aside from what is generally regarded as Filipino
culture, there are other subcultures that exist in the  It is a significant branch of knowledge because it
Philippines, depending on geographical origin, integrates elements from biological sciences and
religion and class among others. humanities to fully comprehend the complex of
human species including their past practices and
 All societies have some form of subcultures.
social patterns, across diverse cultures.
WHAT IS SOCIETY?

 the term “SOCIETY” refers to a group of people living

in a community.

 According to McIver and Page, “It is a web of social

relationship, which is always changing”.
 Edward Burnett Tylor FIVE MAJOR TYPES OF SOCITIES

1. Hunting and Gathering

2. Horticultural and Pastoral Societies

3. Agricultural Socities

4. Industrial Socities

5. Post-Industrial Socities

- an English anthropologist, the founder of cultural Culture - is one of the important bases that define and
anthropology. Tylor's ideas typify 19th-century cultural influence a society. Culture refers to the set of beliefs, ideas,
evolutionism. In his works Primitive Culture and values, practices, knowledge, history and shared experiences,
Anthropology, he defined the context of the scientific study of attitudes, as well as material objects and possessions
anthropology, based on the evolutionary theories of Charles. accumulated over time and shared by the members of
society.

According to E.B Tylor culture is “that complex whole which

Chapter 2: Understanding Culture and Society
encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms,
SOCIETY AND CULTURE artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person
learns and shares as a member of society.
• SOCIETY - is a group of individuals sharing a common
culture, geographical location, and government. Two Primary Categories of Culture

• Human beings are considered to be naturally inclined 1. Material Culture - is composed of the physical or tangible
to establish societies, since it is interacting with objects produced, shared, and utilized within society such as
others that they are able to ensure their survival by tools or implements, paintings, and other works of art,
establishing mutually beneficial relationships with architectural styles, weaponry and toys.
one another.
2. Non - Material Culture - consists of the intangible
• Societies enable individuals to acquire necessary properties and elements of society that influence the patterns
survival skills, maximize their potential, and share of action and behavior of its members. Examples of
resources. nonmaterial culture include language, beliefs, values,
attitudes, ideas, and norms shared among members of
A society is characterized by the presence of the following society.
elements:
Four vital cultural components of Societies
a. social solidarity, whereby members of the community live
together for mutual benefits; 1. Symbols - refer to things that convey meaning or represent
an idea. They are essential in communication, shaping
b. shared identity and culture among members that serve as thoughts and ideas, and defining a society's culture.
basis for their patterns of action and behavior;
2. Language - is a set of symbols that enables members of
c. a common language; society to communicate verbally (spoken) and nonverbally
d. a large population and the ability to sustain succeeding (written, gestures).
generations of members; 3. Values - are shared ideas, norms, and principles that
e. definite geographical area; provide members of society the standards that pertain to
what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable.
f. political, economic, and social organization.
4. Norms - are shared rules of conduct that determine specific
behavior among society members.
Various categories of norms according to their social Sociology refers culture with overall context of social order.
importance: There are different sociological perspectives that explains this
order.
1. Folkways - are norms that may be violated without serious
consequences. 1. Structural functionalism - operates on the assumption that
2. Mores - are norms with moral connotations. society is a stable and orderly system. Structural functionalists
consider culture as a glue that binds society together, leading
3. Laws - are norms that are legally enacted and enforced.
to social order.
• Socialization - refers to the lifelong process of forging
identity through social interaction. Language, as well 2. Conflict theory - assumes that there is a constant power
as social agents that teach aspects of culture to the struggle among the various social groups and institutions
members of society, also contributes to the within society. Conflict theorists study the culture of
socialization of the individual. “dominant classes” and analyze how this culture is imposed
on other classes. The effective domination of this class
• Enculturation - refers to the process by which an
facilitated by culture brings about social order.
individual learns or acquires the important aspects of
his or her society's culture. 3. Symbolic interactionism - views individual and group
• Context - refers to particular circumtances of a behavior and social interactions as defining features of
certain culture and is defined by location, weather, society. Symbolic interactionists believe that culture provides
time period and other cultures. shared meanings to the member of society. The more
meanings are shared, the more society ensures social order.
SOCIETY AND CULTURE ACCORDING TO THE THREE
DISCIPLINES • Political Science also examines cultures as a vital
aspect of society. Culture, together with political
• Anthropology considers culture as the central focus of
socialization, is analyzed in order to explain political
its discipline. It studies the different cultures of
behavior such as voting patterns and the behavior of
different societies. Anthropology examines and
leaders.
provides explanations for the existence of different
cultural patterns as well as the similarities and • Culture is seen as an important element in building
differences between different cultures social capital and could also lead to future conflicts
and division.
1. Relativistic Approach - considers cultures as equal. This
view holds that there are no “superior” and “inferior” Chapter 3: Becoming a Member of Society
cultures, and each is unique in its own way.
Socialization and Enculturation
2. Ethnocentric Approach - is the belief that one's native “The human mind is nothing but a blank state or a tabula
culture is superior to other cultures. Ethnocentric societies rasa” - John Locke
tend to have negative view of other countries and people.
Socialization
• Enthnocentrism - diminishes or invalidates “other”
• refers to the lifelong process of social interaction
ways of life and creates a distorted view of one's own.
through which people acquire their identities and
• Xenocentrism - is the preference for the products, necessary survival skills in society.
styles, or ideas of someone else's culture rather than • This central process of social life helps people to
of one's own. know what are the appropriate ways to think, feel,
and act.
• process of socialization makes the person gradually
become self-aware and knowledgeable human being,
and learn the ways, values, rules, and culture of his or
her society.
• it is also important in politics, and a citizen develops
and acquires political ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs
and opinions through political socialization
Internalization Agents of Socialization and Enculturation

• refers to the process of accepting the social norms, • social groups that people come in contact and
attitudes, roles and values transmitted by people and interact with throughout their lives.
social groups within society as one’s own. • teaches people essential knowledge to participate
successfully in society.
“If people failed to play their expected roles or behaved
“strangely”, there is incomplete or inadequate socialization” - Family
Talcott Parsons
• Primary agent of socialization
Interpretevist Sociologist sees socialization as an interactive • Defines the identity of an individual
process between individuals and other members of society.
Schools
“Socialization is a two-way process between the individual
• teaches competitiveness, cooperation, conformity,
and the larger groups in society such as social organizations
innovation, punctuality, orderliness, and respect for
and institutions.”- William Wentworth
authority.
3 significant aspects of socialization • teaches students to value self-improvement and
hardwork
Social context - refers to the paritcular circumstances of a
• Venue for political socialization
society and consists of its culture, language and the social
structures that define social class, ethnicity, and gender.
Peer Groups
Content - refers to ideas, beliefs, behavior, and other
information that are passed on by members of society o the • reinforce acceptable behaviors introduced by the
individual. family and school
• refer to people who share the same interests or
Process - refers to the methods of interaction that enable the
characteristics
content to be given to the person undergoing socialization.
• provides a certain degree of independence to an
Results individual

• refers to the outcomes of socialization, evident when Mass Media

individuals begin to practice the behaviors, attitudes
• Powerful agent of socialization
and values that society considers necessary for
• forms of communication includes books, magazines,
themto function effectively as its members.
newspapers, other print materials, radio, television,
Anthropologists view socialization in terms of becoming and movies.
familiar with one’s own culture, and use the term • Source of information regarding events in society.
enculturation to describe the process of being socialized into
Pluralist Model
a specific culture.
• portrays media as an ideological marketplace
• it is a process that helps individuals become
functional members of society. Market Model

“One must undergo a process of learning culture “in all its • suggests that media reflects the views of the general
uniqueness and particularity””. - Margaret Mead public.
• Media presents what they think the people want
“Consider enculturation as both a conscious and unconscious
conditioning process whereby a person, as a child and an Dominant-ideology Model
adult, achieves competence in his or her culture, internalizes • bias that links between media and the political and
it and becomes thoroughly enculturated” - E. Adamson social elite.
Hoebel
Elite-values Model

• bias that links to the personal views of media

professionals

Religion and State

• both are considered as the ultimate sources of

Deviance Chapter 4 HOW SOCIETY IS ORGANIZED
• A group is where people have the chance to interact
• a behavior that elicits a strong negative reaction from
with other people and think of themselves as
group members.
belonging together. The group exists as long as
Emile Durkheim individuals are interested in belonging to it. Each
society is made up of smaller groups and associations
Anomie - a condition where social control becomes that are built on social class, personal interest, or
ineffective due to the loss of shared values and sense of common goals.
purpose in society. Muzafer Sherif, a well-known social Psychologist, proposed to
Robert Merton define a social group as a number of individuals interacting
with each other with respect to:
Structural Strain Theory - tensions and strains between Common motives and goals
socially-approved goals and an individual’s ability to meet An accepted division of labor, i.e. roles
them will lead to deviance. Established status (social rank, dominance) relationships
ex: force to commit crime Accepted norms and values with reference to matters
relevant to the group
Subcultural view – an emergence of deviant behavior within Development of accepted sanctions if and when norms were
certain groups in society. respected or violated
According to Charles Horton Cooley, a primary group is a
Labeling theory – believes that there is actually no deviance
small social group whose members share personal and lasting
in society.
relationships.
Conflict Perspective – analyzes deviance in the framework of There are some primary groups:
competing interests between social groups. Family – families spend a significant amount of time together,
allowing the members to support, comfort and encourage
Broken Window Theory – an order to discourage deviance
one another. Families are connected for a lifetime and are
HUMAN DIGNITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS significant to each member’s personal growth.
Friends – They often spend a lot of time experiencing
Human Dignity refers to the idea that a person has the innate
different adventures together, chatting about personal stories
right to be valued, respected, and treated well.
and simply enjoying each – others’ company.
Human Rights are legal, social, and ethical principles that Love Relationships – A couple in a love relationship is first
consider the human person as deserving of liberties and brought together as a result of a mutual physical and
protections by virtue of his or her human dignity. emotional attraction. They spend a significant amount of time
together, whether that involves learning about one another
• founded on natural rights, which are universal and or collectively sharing new experiences.
inalienable, and are not contingent on laws, customs, GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY: SECONDARY
beliefs, or values of a particular culture. Secondary groups are large clusters of people who have a
Human rights are considered to have the following mutually shared purpose, often aiming to complete tasks.
characteristics: They are much less likely to be an influence to an individual’s
identity.
• Universal because they belong to all human beings
regardless of race, religion gender, and other
characteristics.
• Fundamental since they cannot be taken away from
any human being.
• Indivisible as various rights are interrelated and given
equal importance.
• Absolute since they cannot be qualified and are
considered basic necessities for living a genuine life.

A major legal instrument that upholds the recognition of

human rights is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
which was drafted by the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights in 1948.
Examples of secondary groups are: Aspirational reference group – a group an individual doesn’t
belong to but aspires to become a part in the future.
School/Class – A classroom consists of students and a
teacher, in which the teacher is in charge of creating a Dissociative reference group – a group an individual doesn’t
structure and environment that help the students learn. belong to and disapproves of inn regards to attitudes, norms,
Much less of being emotional with each other. and behaviors.

Workplace or Place of Employment – The goal of the NETWORKS

structured environment in the workplace is to fulfill a
The social network is a theoretical construct useful in the
predetermined assignment.
social sciences to study relationships between individuals,
IN - GROUPS AND OUT GROUPS groups, organizations, or even entire societies. It is a social
structure exists between actors (individuals and
An in – group is a group wherein people feel that they are
organizations).
part of the social group group. It is a social category or group
with which you identify strongly. On the other hand, the out – Social networks where divided into three levels of analysis:
group is the complete opposite. It is where a social group Micro, Meso, and Macro.
with which an individual does not identify to be part of. It is a
Micro – smallest level of analysis of social networks. It
social category or group with which you do not identify.
explains that a social network typically starts with an
There are lot of factors which create the identify if a n individual.
individual is in the in – group or out – group. These are some:
The micro level is divided into 4 levels.
Race: Asians vs. Caucasians
Dyadic Level – Social relationship starts with two individuals.
Culture: Filipinos vs. Chinese
Triadic Level – Social relationship starts with three
Gender: Males vs. Females individuals.

Age: Teenagers vs. Senior Citizens Actor Level – The smallest unit of analysis in a social network
is an individual in their social setting.
Religion: Muslims vs. Infidels
Subset Level – May focus on distance and reachability,
REFERENCE GROUPS
cliques, cohesive subgroups, or other group actions or
• A reference group to which we compare ourselves. It behavior.
serves as a standard to which we measure our
Meso – level of analysis begins with a population size that
behaviors and attitudes. Reference groups are used in
falls a between the micro– and macro– levels.
order to guide our behavior and attitudes and help us
to identify social norms. Examples of Meso level of analysis are:
• Reference groups are used in order to evaluate and
Organizations – group of people that has distributive task for
determine the nature of given individual or other
a collective goal.
group’s characteristics and sociological attributes It is
a group to which the individual relates or aspires to Scale Free Networks – a scale-free network is a network
relate themselves psychologically. It acts as a frame of whose degree distribution follows a power law, at least
reference if an individual want to be part of the asymptotically In network theory a scale-free ideal network is
norms of the group. a random network with a degree distribution that unravels
the size distribution of social groups.
Informal reference groups – It is based on the groups shared
interests and goals. Members react on a personal level. Macro – it analyses generally trace the outcomes of
Examples are family and friends. interactions, such as economic or other resource transfer
interactions over a large population.
Formal reference groups – have a specific goal or mission.
Examples are Employee Union.

Membership reference groups – groups that are in

agreement with in regards to attitude, norms, and behaviors.

Disclaimant reference groups – group we do not agree with

in regards to attitudes, norms, and behaviors.