Understanding Culture, Society And Politics (Lesson 4) PDF

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS Lesson 4: Becoming a Member of Society 1. Explain the development of one’s self and others as a product of socialization and enculturation. 2. Identify the context, content, processes, and consequences of enculturation and socialization. 3...

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS Lesson 4: Becoming a Member of Society 1. Explain the development of one’s self and others as a product of socialization and enculturation. 2. Identify the context, content, processes, and consequences of enculturation and socialization. 3. Identifies the social goals and the socially acceptable means of achieving these goals. 4. Advocate inclusive citizenship. 5. Promote protection of human dignity, rights, and the common good. Lesson Objectives  Enumerate the top 5 individuals, groups or institutions that you consider as major influences in the way you think and behave. Guide question: 1. How did this become major influences in your way of thinking and behaving? 2. What made them more influential than other agents of socialization?  Topics: 1.Enculturation and Socialization 2.Conformity and Deviance 3.Human Dignity, Rights and Common Good  UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS Lesson 4: Becoming a Member of Society  As a child grows, various experiences imprint knowledge on his or her mind. “the human mind at birth is nothing but a blank slate, or tabula rasa” - John Locke Throughout a person’s life, simple ideas are integrated with more complex ones, and these define his or her political, economic, and social affairs. TO BE HUMAN IS TO BE SOCIAL. TO BE SOCIAL IS TO LIVE IN SOCIETY. BUT WHAT IS IN SOCIETY THAT MAKES AN INFANT FULFILL ITS BEING HUMAN? “SOCIETAS or SOCIUS” ◦-a bond or interaction between parties that are friendly or at least civil.  Social ◦ the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society Merriam Webster Dic. To be a full member of a society, an Socialization is traditionally seen as individual has to acquire and learn a one way process in which society all the necessary social roles and molds the individual to conform to skills required of a competent established social norms and rules. member of that society. The process of learning these skills and social roles is called socialization. Society provides the individuals with range of choices that enable them do certain things while forfeiting other choices.  SOCIALIZATION ◦Refers to a lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture ◦Refers to a lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire their identities and necessary survival skill in society 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. (Socialization is also important in politics, and a citizen develops and acquires political ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions through political socialization, a process which enables the development of citizens to function effectively within a particular political system.)  ENCULTURATION ◦Process by which people learn the requirements of their surrounding culture and acquire the values and behaviors appropriate or necessary in that culture. ◦Process that helps individuals become functional members of society SOCIAL GROUPS Agent of Socialization  STATE MASS PEER MEDIA RELIGION GROUPS FAMILY SCHOOL  IDENTITY FORMATION  Identity Formation ◦Is the development of an individual’s distinct Influences personality which is personal identity regarded as a by which the persisting entity in a individual THINKS particular stage of life of him or herself by which a person is recognized or known Identity Formation Cultural Identity Ethnic Identity National Identity Religious Identity NORMS & VALUES  NORMS VALUES ◦A rule that guides ◦Are culturally defined standards that people use the behavior of to decide what is members of a desirable, good and beautiful and that serve as society or group. broad guidelines for social living.  NORMS ARE CONVENTIONS OF SOCIETY; THEY ARE THE RULES AND EXPECTATIONS BY WHICH A SOCIETY GUIDES THE BEHAVIOR OF ITS MEMBERS STATUS & ROLES  STATUS ROLES ◦Refers to a social ◦Refers to the behavior expected of someone position that a who holds a particular person holds status.  STATUS Ascribed status ◦Refers to a social position that a person holds Achieved status  ROLES ◦Refers to the behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status. THE MORE STATUSES WE HAVE AND THE MORE ROLES WE TAKE ON CONFORMITY Theoretical & DEVIANCE Interpretations of Deviance CONFORMITY ◦Refers to the process of altering one’s thoughts and actions to adapt to the accepted behavior within his or her group or society.  Deviance ◦Defined as a behavior that elicits a strong negative reaction from group members and involves actions that violate commonly held social norms Structural Strain Theory ◦ Robert Merton ◦ It states that deviant behavior occurs when people experience strain or tension when culture imposes goals that individuals should achieve, but the social environment makes it hard or challenging for individuals to meet such goals through a legitimate manner. Poverty often breeds crime Conformity “Hopeful Poor” Innovation “Surviving Poor” Ritualism “Passive Poor” Retreat “Retreating Poor” Rebellion “Resisting Poor” Individuals still accept Conformity “Hopeful Poor” Individuals still accept cultural goals and try to achieve them cultural goals but go through culturally about in achieving it Innovation “Surviving Poor” approved methods in a culturally disapproved way Individuals challenge Ritualism “Passive Poor” Individuals still live in the existing culturally society and follow its accepted goals by culturally approved coming up with new Retreat “Retreating Poor” ways, but they no ones They commit illegal activities and crimes longer try to achieve in order to earn a their cultural goals living Rebellion “Resisting Poor” Example Labeling Theory ◦Howard Becker ◦States how members of society label others, whether they are deviant or not.  Social Control Theory ◦ Travis Hirschi ◦ Explains how social factors (religion, economics, family, education) relate to the choices and actions of an individual. ◦ Deviance occurs when a person’s or group’s attachment to social bonds is weakened.