UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIETY AND

POLITICS
Culture, Society and Politics are concepts. They
exist in the realm of ideas and thoughts. As
such, they cannot be seen or touched and yet
they influence the way we see and experience
our individual and collective lives as social
beings.
 Values and Beliefs as Behavior Motivators
• It can be observed that Human behavior, whether individual or collective, is
propelled by powerful motivators. Within the perspective of the Social Sciences,
these motivators may be in the form of Values and beliefs.

• Values are a person’s or a collectivity’s principle or standard of behavior and

are considered as judgment of what is important in life. Values are criteria
people use in assessing their daily lives, arranging priorities and choosing
between alternative course of action.

• Belief on the other hand, is something one accepts as true or real. More often
than not, belief takes the form of firmly held opinion or conviction, regardless of
the lack of verifiable evidence. Beliefs may be based on Tradition, faith,
experience, scientific research, or some combination of these.
 Social Dynamics: Social, Political and Cultural Change
Scenario Phenomenon
1. Taking “selfies” is Alyssa’s preoccupation. It became a habit when
her parents gave her a phone on her birthday. Selfieing

2. Kapitan Jack is the incumbent mayor of the City of Zamboanga. His

son, Jack Jr. is currently running for the congressional seat of district, a Political dynasty
position occupied by his mother Cong. Valerie for about three
consecutive terms.

3. Mina, a college student, is living alone in Cebu. Both of her parents

are OFWs working in the Middle East. She visits them every summer Transnational families
break.

4. As a youth volunteer, Verna finds the rainy season a busy season

due to the frequency of typhoon-related disasters. Sometimes she Youth Volunteerism
even spends her own money to buy relief goods for typhoon victims.

5. Mike almost missed the chance to finish high school because he had Video gaming
been absent most of the time playing Mobile legends.
• What is common among the scenarios is that they may all be considered as
manifestations of cultural and political changes. New technological platforms
facilitating communication, self-expression, and interactions represent the
cultural change, while possession and expression of power represent the
political change.

• Society in a broader sense involves social, cultural, and political realities. As

formal and systematic studies of society, these three facets are refered to as
the “Social Sciences” also known as “disciplines”. If the perspective highlights
the external influences that facilitate or on strain human actions, the discipline
is called “Sociology”. If the perspective underlines the role of cultural
structures in organizing human interactions, the disciplines is referring to as
“Anthropology”. And if the perspective zeroes in on power relations the the
discipline is called “Political Science”.