LESSON 4

BECOMING A MEMBER OF SOCIETY

SOCIALIZATION
- It refers to the lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire their identities
and necessary survival skills in society. political socialization.
- It is the process by which people gain their political attitudes, ideas, values, beliefs and opinions.

SOCIALIZATION TWO POINTS OF VIEW:

1. OBJECTIVE SOCIALIZATION – it refers to the society acting upon the child
2. SUBJECTIVE SOCIALIZATION – process by which society transmits its culture from one
generation to the next, and adapts the individual to the accepted and approved ways of organized
social life.

5 FUNCTIONS OF SOCIALIZATION
1. PERSONALITY AND ROLE DEVELOPMENT – it is through the process of socialization that we
develop our sense of identity and belongingness.
2. SKILLS DEV’T AND TRAINING – the much needed social skills such as communication,
interpersonal and occupational are developed.
3. VALUES FORMATION – individual are influenced or engulfed by the prevailing values of social
groups and society.
4. SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND ADJUSTMENT – the socialization process allow us to fit in an
organized way of life by being accustomed including cultural setting.
5. SOCIAL CONTROL AND STABILITY – to maintain order in
society and ensure conformity in those who are deemed deviant or undesirable in society.

What is Social Norms?

Social norms are the perceived informal, mostly unwritten, rules that define acceptable and
appropriate actions. within a given
group or community, thus guiding human.

3 FORMS OF SOCIAL NORMS

1. FOLKWAYS - the traditional behavior or way of life of a particular community or group of people.
2. MORES - define what is morally right and morally wrong
3. LAWS - component of culture that regulates and controls the people's behavior and conduct.

What is Social Status?

Social Status refers to the relative level of respect, honour, assumed competence, and deference
accorded to people, groups, and organizations in a society.

2 CLASSIFICATION OF SOCIAL STATUSES

1. ASCRIBED STATUSES
-it involves little personal choice like age and sex
-it carries with it certain expectations of behavior.

2. ACHIEVED STATUSES
-it is acquired by choice, merit, or individual effort
-it is made possible through special abilities or talents, performance or opportunities.
Examples: choice in occupation, marriage, joining a religious organization
What is Conformity?
Conformity - compliance with standards, rules, or laws.
Herbert Kelman - He identified three major types of conformity.

MAJOR TYPES OF CONFORMITY

1. Compliance - is public conformity, while possibly keeping one’s own original beliefs for oneself.
2. Identification - is conforming to someone who is liked and respected.
3. Internalization - is accepting the belief or behavior and conforming both publicly and privately, if
the source is credible.

What is Deviance?
Deviance - the fact or state of departing from usual or accepted standards, especially in social or
sexual behavior.

Functions of DEVIANCE according to Ronald W. Smith and Frederick W. Preston

● Deviance serves as an outlet for diverse forms of expectations.
● Deviance serves to define the limits of acceptable behavior.
● Deviance may also promote in-group solidarity.
● Deviance can serve as a barometer of social strain.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DEVIANCE

1. FUNCTIONALIST THEORY – according to Emile Durkheim, deviance can serve a number of

functions for society. He asserted that there is nothing abnormal in deviance. He gave four major
functions of deviance:
a. Deviance affirms cultural values and norms.
b. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundary.
c. Responding to deviance promotes social unity.
d. Deviance encourages social change.

2. STRAIN THEORY – Robert Merton argued that in an unequal society the tension or strain
between socially approved goals and an individual’s ability to meet those goals through socially
approved means will lead to deviance as individuals rejects
either the goals, the means, or both.

FORMS OF DEVIANCE THAT MERGE FROM STRAIN

COMFORMITY - compliance with standards, rules, or laws.
INNOVATION - the action or process of innovating.
RITUALISM - the regular observance or practice of ritual,
especially when excessive or without regard to its function.
RETREATISM – the attitude of being resigned to abandonment of an original goal or the means of
attaining it
REBELLION - an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler.

3. CONTROL THEORY – Travis Hirschi assumed that the family, school and other social institutions
can greatly contribute social order by controlling deviant tendencies in very individual.

SOCIAL CONTROL OF DEVIANCE

SOCIAL CONTROL – refers to the efforts of a group or society to regulate the behavior of its
members in conformity with
established norms.
TWO TYPES OF SANCTIONS
1. INFORMAL SANCTIONS – these are unofficial, often casual pressures to conform.
POSITIVE INFORMAL SANCTIONS – involve reward for conformity or compliance.
Examples: Smiles, kiss, an affirmation, or words of approval.
NEGATIVE SANCTIONS OR INFORMAL SANCTION – involve
penalties for not conforming
- These may take the form of ridicule, ostracism, rejection, or even expulsion from the group.
Examples: Bullying, gossip, peer pressure.

2. FORMAL SANCTION - these are official, institutionalized incentives to conform and penalties for
deviance.
These are needed in large, complex, societies.
The criminal justice system is the most important and visible institutions of social control.
Examples: form of arrest, pre – trial, sentencing, or imprisonment

HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY

HUMAN RIGHTS – are natural rights of all human beings whatever their nationality, religion,
ethnicity, sex, language and color.
- are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death.
1. HUMAN RIGHTS
- Locke wrote that all individuals are equal in the sense that they are born with certain "inalienable"
natural rights. That is, rights that are God-given and can never be taken or even given away. Among
these fundamental natural rights, Locke said, are "life, liberty, and property."
2. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
-these are the rights guaranteed under the fundamental charter of the country.
Examples:
Rights under unreasonable searches and seizures Rights against bill of attainder
Rights of safeguarding and accused under the Bill of Rights.

3. STATUTORY RIGHTS
-these are rights provided by the lawmaking body of a country or by law, such as the right to receive
a minimum wage and the right to preliminary investigation.
4. CIVIL RIGHTS
-these are rights specified under the Bill of rights, such as freedom of speech, right to information.
-these are rights enjoyed by an individual by virtue of his citizenship in a state or community.
5. ECONOMIC RIGHTS
-these are rights to property, whether personal, real or intellectual.
Examples:
Right to use and dispose property. Right to practice one profession
Right to make a living
6. POLITICAL RIGHTS
-these are rights an individual enjoys because of being a member of a body politic.
Examples:
Right to vote and right to be voted in public office.
LESSON 5

Groups are formed as an assemblage of people who often interact with each other on the basis of a
common outlook concerning behavior and a sense of common identity.

A social group may consist of two or more individuals who do things together with a
common goal and interest. Examples: family, relatives

Group
- is any collection of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations regarding one another’s
behavior ( KORNBLUM, 2003).
- is consist of two or more people who are bound together in relatively stable patterns of social
interaction and who share a feeling of unity ( HUGHES AND KROELER, 2009)
- is comprised of two or more persons who are in social interaction, who are guided by similar norms,
values and expectations, and who maintain a stable pattern of relationship over a period of time.
- is a specified number of individuals where each recognizes members from non member;
- it is a collection of individuals characterized by: communication, recognition, specialized roles.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A GROUP:

1. There must be two or more people.

2. There must be interaction.
3. The members must be together physically.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE GROUPS

1. Motivational base shared by individuals (based on needs, interests, desires, noble activities,
insecurities, or problems)

2. Size of the group

3. Type of group goals

4. The kind of a group cohesion/unity (the capability to function and interact collectively in the
direction of their goals)

Group is characterized by the following:

1. A group has identity identifiable by both its members and outsiders.

2. A group has a social structure in the sense that each part or member has a position related to
other positions.

3. Each member in a group has roles to play.

4. There is mutual reciprocity among members in a group.

Group as distinguished from other Collection of People like:

1. Aggregate - a simple collection of people who are in the same place at the same time without
interacting with each other Eg. People inside the movie house, people riding in an LRT/MRT

2. Category - a simple collection of people who share distinctive characteristics (age, sex, race,
income/social class, occupation, religion, political beliefs, ethnicity) Eg. Males/females in the society;
the infants; children; youth; adults/ the aged; slum dwellers; the middle class; the millionaires

3. Collectivity - Collection of people in a given place and time Eg. Crowds, masses, public and social
movements are temporary groups

IMPORTANCE OF A GROUP

1. A group is a major source of solidarity and cohesion.

2. A group reinforces and strengthens our integration into society.

3. A group shares basic survival and problem solving techniques to satisfy personal and emotional
needs.

4. A group gives meaning and support to an individual.

HOW IS A GROUP FORMED?

1. The desire to achieve an objective

2. To meet the needs of the individual member

3. People are treated alike by others.

CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS

1. PRIMARY GROUPS - personal and intimate relationship - face to face communication -

permanence duration - a strong sense of loyalty or “WE” feeling - small in size - informal structure -
traditional or non-rational decision-making

2. SECONDARY GROUPS - Large in size - impersonal, aloof relationship - indirect communication -

temporary duration - weak group cohesiveness based on self interest - rational decision-making -
formal structure

GROUP BOUNDARIES
A. IN- GROUP - group with which the individual identifies and which gives him sense of belonging,
solidarity, camaraderie, esprit de corps, and a protective attitude toward the other members. - The
members are loyal to each other and share common norms, activities, goals and background.

B. OUT-GROUP - viewed as outsiders by the in-group; - Any member of the in-group has insufficient
contact with the members of the out-group - Members of the in-group have feelings of strangeness,
dislikes, avoidance, antagonism, indifference and even hatred toward the out-group.

C. REFERENCE GROUP - Group that is significant to us as models even though we ourselves may
not be a part of the group. - Is one which an individual does not only have a high regard for but one
after which he or she patterns his/her life - Its central aspect is self-identification rather than actual
membership.

TYPES OF GROUP BOUNDARIES

A. FORMAL GROUP BOUNDARIES - groups in which duties and privileges are clearly defined and
expectations are prescribed, independent of the person who happens to occupy a given position -
Individual roles are explicitly designed as president, v-president, secretary, and treasurer - With
constitution or set of by-laws.

B. INFORMAL GROUP BOUNDARIES - Arises spontaneously out of the interactions of two or more
people - They are unplanned, have no explicit rules for membership, and do not have specific
objectives to be attained - The members exchange confidences, share a feeling of intimacy and
acquire a sense of belongingness.

CONSEQUENCES OF GROUP BOUNDARIES

a. people gain a clearer sense of their diversity

b. ethnocentrism may grow

c. serious personal and social problems may arise

FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL GROUPS

The primary group plays a vital part in the socialization process. It forms the social nature and ideals
of individuals especially in shaping the culture and personality where a person learns social norms,
beliefs, morals, and values. On the other hand, secondary group members tend to relate to others
only in specific roles and for practical reasons. This group helps in fulfilling various types of human
needs and brings about social awareness and social change. Also, this group helps fulfill various
special interests in such fields as sports, dance, music, and others.

An in-group may form within our secondary group such as our workmates, group mates, or
assembly which functions as a group of people who can connect with each other because of their
sense of identity and belongingness while out group functions as a competitor or rival group that an
individual is opposed to.

Reference group provides a standard of measurement. This group has a strong impact on how a
person thinks and acts as it may serve as guide to a member’s behavior and social norms. Thus,
networks function as a social media influencer.

Social networks are influential in a wide range of online platforms used for building social
relationships with other people including sharing of political opinions, likes and dislikes, and can even
show trending societal issues or personalities