UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

FINALS: Week 3
How Society is Organized

Learning Competency

At the end of the lesson, learners:

a. traces kinship ties and social networks.

b. describe the organized nature of social life and rules governing behavior.
c. compare different social forms of social organization according to their manifest and latent
functions.
d. analyze social and political structures. and
e. analyze economic organization and its impacts on the lives of people in the society.

Get Started:
Direction: Supply with answers the following questions.

1. How do you define, “No Man Is an Island.”?

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2. When do you consider someone your best friend?
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3. Do you agree that your best friend can be considered as sibling from a different womb?
Why/How do you say so?
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4. What is the purpose of having a family?
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5. Why not all people we encounter become close to us?
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Get Informed:
Key Points.

A social group exhibits some degree of social cohesion and is more than a simple collection or
aggregate of individuals.
Social cohesion can be formed through shared interests, values, representations, ethnic or social
background, and kinship ties, among other factors.
The social identity approach posits that the necessary and sufficient conditions for the formation
of social groups is the awareness that an individual belongs and is recognized as a member of a
group.
The social identity approach posits that the necessary and sufficient conditions for the formation
of social groups is the awareness that the individual belongs and is recognized as a member of a
group.

Key Terms.

SOCIAL GROUP: A collection of humans or animals that share certain characteristics, interact
with one another, accept expectations and obligations as members of the group, and share a
common identity.
THE SOCIAL IDENTITY APPROACH: Posits that the necessary and sufficient condition for
the formation of social groups is awareness of a common category membership.
THE SOCIAL COHESION APPROACH: More than a simple collection or aggregate of
individuals, such as people waiting at a bus stop, or people waiting in a line.

PRIMARY GROUPS

A primary group is typically a small social group whose members share close, personal, enduring
relationships.

Key Points.

Primary groups are marked by concern for one another, shared activities and culture, and
long periods of time spent together. They are psychologically comforting and quite
influential in developing personal identity.
Families and close friends are examples of primary groups.
The goal of primary groups is the relationships themselves rather than achieving some other
purpose.

Key Terms.

Close friends: They are examples of primary groups.

Group: Several things or persons being in some relation to one another.
Relationship: Connection or association; the condition of being related.

Charles Cooley

The concept of the primary group was introduced by Charles Cooley, a

sociologist from the Chicago School of sociology, in his book Social
Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind (1909). Primary groups play an
important role in the development of personal identity. Cooley argued that the
impact of the primary group is so great that individuals cling to primary ideals in

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

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POLITICS
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more complex associations and even create new primary groupings within formal organizations. To that
extent, he viewed society as a constant experiment in enlarging social experience and in coordinating
variety. He, therefore, analyzed the operation of such complex social forms as formal institutions and
social class systems and the subtle controls of public opinion.

Functions of Primary Groups

A primary group is a group in which one exchanges implicit items, such as love, caring, concern,
support, etc. Examples of these would-be family groups, love relationships, crisis support groups, and
church groups. Relationships formed in primary groups are often long-lasting and goals in themselves. They
also are often psychologically comforting to the individuals involved and provide a source of support and
encouragement.

SECOND GROUPS

Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal-oriented; their
relationships are temporary.

Unlike first groups, secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal
oriented. People in a secondary group interact on a less personal level than in a primary group, and their
relationships are generally temporary rather than long lasting. Some secondary groups may last for many
years, though most are short term. Such groups also begin and end with very little significance in the lives
of the people involved.

Key Points.

The distinction between primary and secondary groups was originally proposed by Charles Cooley.
He termed them “secondary” because they generally develop later in life and are much less likely
to be influential on one’s identity than primary groups.
Secondary relationships involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another.
In contrast to primary groups, secondary groups do not have the goal of maintaining and developing
the relationships themselves.
Secondary groups include groups in which one exchanges explicit commodities, such as labor for
wages, services for payments, and such. They also include university classes, athletic teams, and
groups of co-workers.

Functions

Since secondary groups are established to perform functions, people’s roles are more
interchangeable. A secondary group is one you have chosen to be a part of. They are based on interests and
activities. They are where many people can meet close friends or people, they would just call acquaintances.
Secondary groups are also groups in which one exchanges explicit commodities, such as labor for wages,
services for payments, etc. Examples of these would-be employment, vendor-to-client relationships, a
doctor, a mechanic, an accountant, and such. A university class, an athletic team, and workers in an office
all likely form secondary groups. Primary groups can form within secondary groups as relationships become
more personal and closer.

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UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

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IN-GROUPS AND OUT-GROUPS

In-groups are social groups to which an individual feels he or she belongs, while an individual does
not identify with the out-group.

Key Points.

In- group favoritism refers to a preference and affinity for one’s in-group over the out-group, or
anyone viewed as outside the in-group.
One of the key determinants of group biases is the need to improve self-esteem. That is
individuals will find a reason, no matter how insignificant, to prove to themselves why their
group is superior.
Intergroup aggression is any behavior intended to harm another person, because he or she is a
member of an out-group, the behavior being viewed by its targets as undesirable.
The out-group homogeneity effect is one’s perception of out-group members as more like one
another than are in-group members (e.g., “they are alike; we are diverse”).
Prejudice is a hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinct group, based solely on their
membership within that group.
A stereotype is a generalization about a group of people in which identical characteristics are
assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members.

Key Terms.

In-group bias: It refers to a preference and affinity for one’s in-group over the out-group, or
anyone viewed as outside the in-group.
Intergroup aggression: It is any behavior intended to harm another person because he or she is a
member of an out-group, the behavior being viewed by its targets as undesirable.
In-group favoritism: It refers to a preference and affinity for one’s in-group over the out-group,
or anyone viewed as outside the in-group. This can be expressed in evaluation of others, linking,
allocation of resources and many other ways.
2019, D. Mojica, BlogSpot, UCSP 4 – How is Society Organized

REFERENCE GROUPS

Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their
own behavior as a reference group.

Key Points.

Social comparison theory argues that individuals use comparisons with others to gain accurate
self-evaluations and learn how to define the self. A reference group is a concept referring to a
group to which an individual or another group is compared.
Reference groups provide the benchmarks and contrast needed for comparison and evaluation of
group and personal characteristics.
Robert K. Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of
people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires.

Key Terms.

self-identity: a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual’s perception of “self” in

relation to any number of characteristics, such as academics and non-academics, gender roles and
sexuality, racial identity, and many others.
social role: it is a set of connected behaviors, rights, and obligations as conceptualized by actors
in a social situation.

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reference group: it is a concept referring to a group to which an individual or another group is

compared.

Reference groups are used to evaluate and determine the nature of a given individual or other
group’s characteristics and sociological attributes. It is the group to which the individual relates or aspires
to relate himself or herself psychologically. Reference groups become the individual’s frame of reference
and source for ordering his or her experiences, perceptions, cognition, and ideas of self. It is important for
determining a person’s self-identity, attitudes, and social ties. These groups become the basis of reference
in making comparisons or contrasts and in evaluating one’s appearance and performance.

SOCIAL NETWORKS

A social network is a social structure between actors, connecting them through various social
familiarities.

Key Points.

The study of social networks is called both “social network analysis” and “social network theory “.
Social network theory views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes are the individual
actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors.
In sociology, social capital is the expected collective or economic benefits derived from the
preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups.
The rule of 150 states that the size of a genuine social network is limited to about 150 members.
The small world phenomenon is the hypothesis that the chain of social acquaintances required to
connect one arbitrary person to another arbitrary person anywhere in the world is generally short.
Milgram also identified the concept of the familiar stranger, or an individual who is recognized
from regular activities, but with whom one does not interact.
Milgram also identified the concept of the familiar stranger, or an individual who is recognized
from regular activities, but with whom one does not interact.

Key Terms.

Node: They are the individual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between
the actors.
Social Capital: The good will, sympathy, and connections created by social interaction within and
between social networks.

2019, D. Mojica, BlogSpot, UCSP 4 – How is Society Organized

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

MA’AM Z
POLITICS
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Get Tested:

Activity 1.

Direction: Classify the people you know based on the table below.

Secondary In and Out

Primary Group Reference Group Social Networks
Group Group

Activity 2.

Direction: In the maximum of 5 minutes, create an infomercial that would best show the
importance of social groups in the life on an individual.

Criteria for Grading.

Criteria %
Content 25%
Creativity 20%
Time duration 5%
Total 50%

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

MA’AM Z
POLITICS
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FINALS: Week 4

Cultural, Social, and Political

Institutions

Get Started:

Direction: Answer the following questions.

1. What do you think are the functions of social institutions?

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2. How do social institutions affect cultural values?
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Get Informed:

➢ Social institution - A social institution consists of a group of people who have come
together for a common purpose.
➢ Family - the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their
children.
➢ Family Orientation - often compared to family of procreation. Family of procreation
refers to the family you create through marriage and by having or adopting children.
➢ Family of procreation - often compared to family of orientation, which is the family that
we are born into.
➢ Practices in tracing family lineage
➢ Unilineal system – a system of determining descent groups in which one belongs to one’s
father’s or mother’s line, whereby traced exclusively through male ancestors (patriline),
female (matriline).
➢ Patrilineal - relating to or based on relationship to the father or descent through the male
line.
➢ Matrilineal - refers to familial relationships that can be traced through a female. To follow
the matrilineal line in your family, start with your mom.
➢ Bilateral - comes from Latin: “bi” means “two” and lateralis means “belonging to the
side.” Debates about issues can be described as bilateral — if people on both sides get to
speak. However, bilateral can describe anything with two sides, like some of the organs in
the body: the brain, heart and lungs all have two distinct sides.

MARRIAGE

Some cultures, marriage is arranged by families, and in other people choose their own husbands or
wives if they decide to marry. There are some places where marriage is limited to unions between a man
and a woman, while more and more states and countries recognize marriage between same-sex couples too.

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POLITICS
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TYPES OF MARRIAGE

1. Societies rules of marriage

For the societies that practice marriage there are rules about whom one can marry and
cannot marry (note: not all groups marry; traditionally the Na in Southwest China do not marry). All
societies have some form of an incest taboo that forbids sexual relationships with certain people. This is
variable from culture to culture. Several explanations have been preferred to explain the origins of incest
taboos. One cites biological reasons. Non-human primates seem to have an instinctual aversion to having
sex with near relatives, so perhaps the same happens for humans. Another biological reason is that the incest
taboo was established to maintain biological diversity. This suggests that people understood the
consequences of breeding with relatives.

2. Endogamy

marriage within one’s own tribe or group as required by custom or law.

3. Exogamy

marriage to a person belonging to a tribe or group other than your own as required by
custom or law.

4. Polygamy

having more than one wife at a time.

5. Polyandry

having more than one relationship—husband at a time.

6. Monogamy

is when you are married to, or in a sexual relationship with, one person at a time. Humans
are one of the few species that practice monogamy. Well, sometimes you may have heard of
something called polygamy, which is having more than one spouse at a time. The difference
between monogamy and its antonym, polygamy, lies in the prefixes. In Greek, poly means
“multiple,” while mono means just the opposite: “single.” Therefore, if you are committed to one
romantic partner at a time, you are in a monogamous

TYPES OF RESIDENCE

1. Patrilocal residence

is structured by a rule that a man remains in his father’s house after reaching maturity and
brings his wife to live with his family after marriage. Daughters, conversely, move out of their natal
household when they marry.

2. Matrilocal residence

is instituted by a rule that a woman remains in her mother’s household after reaching
maturity and brings her husband to live with her family after marriage. Sons, conversely, move out
of their natal household after marriage to join their wife’s household. It can take on several forms,
some, but not all of which occur within matrilineal societies. Non-standard cases include societies
with bride service, in which a man moves in with his wife’s family but sets up his own household
after his obligations are met.

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3. Ambilocal residence

also called bi-local residence is the societal post-marital residence in which couples, upon
marriage, choose to live with or near either spouse’s parents.

4. Neolocal residence

type of post-marital residence in which a newly married couple resides separately from
both the husband’s natal household and the wife’s natal household.

TYPES OF FAMILY IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

1. Transitional family

is a residential service for young women and children. The goal is to assist these young
women in developing the educational, vocational, and social skills necessary for a
successful transition to self-sufficiency.

2. Single parent

parent is a parent who parents alone. It means there is an absence of the other parent as
opposed to a co-parent, meaning that the parent is not the only parent regardless of whether they
are a couple.

3. Reconstituted

The simple definition of a blended family, also called a stepfamily, reconstituted family,
or a complex family, is a family unit where one or both parents have children from a previous
relationship, but they have combined to form a new family. The parents may or may not then have
children with each other.

LEGAL SEPARATION

A legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining
legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order.

A. Annulment

legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and
void.

B. Divorced

known as dissolution of marriage, is the termination of a marriage or marital union, the

canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving.

POLITICS AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS

1. Patriarchal

a social system in which males hold primary power and predominate in roles of political
leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property.

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2. Matriarchal

a social system in which females hold the primary power positions in roles of political
leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property at the specific exclusion of
males – at least to a large degree.

3. Egalitarian

relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights
and opportunities.

POLITICAL DYNASTY

This is a family in which several members are involved in politics, particularly electoral politics.
Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations or multiple siblings may be
involved.

INCEST

It is the sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual
activity between people in a consanguineous relationship (blood relations), and sometimes those related by
affinity, stepfamily, those related by adoption or marriage, or members of the same clan or lineage.

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Get Tested:

Activity 1.

Direction: Pick a partner from your classmates and have a debate. Choose who will be a pro and
who will go against. In a video presentation, with no time duration, of your debate.

Topic: Divorce in the Philippines: is it helpful or not?

Criteria for Grading

Criteria %
Punto de vista 25%
Basis (Supporting details) 15%
Accuracy 10%
Total 50%

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND

MA’AM Z
POLITICS