MODULE 3: THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

(Becoming a Member of Society)

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. explain the development of one’s self and others as a product of socialization;
2. identify examples of agents of socialization and describe their role in socialization; and
3. discuss conformity, deviance, and social control and cite the example of each.

Time Frame

February 1 to 12, 2021

Materials Needed

Desktop computer or laptop or tablet or mobile phone, activity sheet

Content
Content

In this module, you will learn about the development of one’s self and others as a product of socialization,
examples of agents of socialization, and describe their role in socialization. And also, you will learn about the
protection of human rights and the common good conformity, deviance, and social control and cite the example of
each.
This module focuses on how individuals learn about the culture and become members of society.
Specifically, this chapter aims to help students determine how people identify and acquire norms and values that
define their interaction with others in society, understand the consequences of ignoring these aspects, assess the
rules of social interaction, appreciate the role of innovation in response to problems and challenges, and recognize
the value of upholding human rights and promoting the common good.

SOCIALIZATION AND
ENCULTURATION
 JOHN LOCKE
o A British Enlightenment philosopher said that the human mind at birth is nothing but a blank slate
or tabula rasa.
o As a child grows, various experiences imprint knowledge on his or her mind.
o The human mind, for Locke, acquires information about the outside world through the senses, and
this information molds and defines a person’s awareness and view of the outside world.
o Locke did not believe that the human mind has innate conceptions.
o Throughout a person’s life, simple ideas are integrated with more complex ones, and these define
his or her political, economic, and social affairs.
 SOCIALIZATION
o Refers to the lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire their identities and
necessary survival skills in society.

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 o It prepares new members of society and trains them to think, feel, and act in inappropriate ways.
o Socialization is considered the central process of social life and is also a process of member
recruitment and replacement.

Note:
Examples of socialization include activities like child-rearing, the orientation of a student to his
or her new school, an initiation to an organization, attendance in Sunday school, cathecism for
Catholics, recruitment processes for political parties, and acquainting an immigrant to significant
aspects of life in his or her new country.
 The process of socialization enables a person to gradually become a self-aware and knowledgeable human
being, and learn the 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 that enables the development of
citizens to function effectively within a particular political system.
 In the early years of American sociology, the process of socialization was equated with “civilization.”
 In this view, it was assumed that an unruly human nature or fierce individualism existed before an
individual’s encounter with society.
 Socialization then was tantamount to “taming” individualists so that they would willingly Cooperate with
others on common goals and conform to socially acceptable ways of behaving

 INTERNALIZATION
o Refers to the process of accepting the social norms, attitudes, roles, and values transmitted by
people and social groups within society as one’s own.
 Society is seen as the primary factor responsible for how individuals learn to think and behave.
 This is the view of functionalists like Talcott Parsons, who explains that if people failed to play their expected
roles or behaved “strangely,” there is incomplete or inadequate ‘socialization.
 Interpretivist sociologists
o On the other hand, see socialization as an interactive process between individuals and other
members of society.
o This view gives importance to the independence of the individuals and their capacity to define their
personal views and ideas
o An example of socialization in the interpretive view is the changing definition of the family.
 For a more comprehensive view on the process of socialization, sociologists suggest combining the perspectives
of functionalism and interpretive and incorporate them in the analysis of other aspects of social life.
 The sociologist William Wentworth has proposed a synthesized view of socialization which considers how
factors such as free will, human autonomy, and social structures and processes influence socialization.
 The synthesized view identifies three significant aspects of socialization: social context, content and process,
and results.
 Social context refers to the particular circumstances of society and consists of its culture, language, and social
structures that define social class, ethnicity, and gender.
 Content refers to ideas, beliefs, behavior, and other information that are passed on by members of society to
the individual
 Process refers to the methods of interaction that enable the content to be given to the person undergoing
socialization.
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  Socialization is considered a highly interactive process that enables old and new members to cooperate with
and exercise mutual influence on one another.
 Results refer to the outcomes of socialization and are evident when individuals begin to practice the behaviors,
attitudes, and values that society considers necessary for them to function effectively as its members.
o An example of a result is the ability of an individual to speak his or her native language and
understand and comply with basic rules and norms in his or her community.
 A significant result of socialization is self-identity, which refers to the establishment of a unique sense of identity
and an awareness of how it relates to their society and the world.
 Anthropologists view socialization in terms of becoming familiar with one’s own culture and use the term
enculturation to describe the process of being socialized into a specific culture.
 Through enculturation, individuals learn cultural symbols, norms, values, and language by observing and
interacting with family, friends, teachers, and the rest of society.
 According to the renowned American anthropologist Margaret Mead, one must undergo a process of learning a
culture “in all its uniqueness and particularity.”
 Meanwhile, E. Adamson Hoebel considers enculturation as “both a conscious and unconscious conditioning
process whereby a person, as a child and an adult, achieves competence in his or her culture, internalizes it
and becomes thoroughly enculturated.”
 Melville Herskovits further clarifies the enculturation process by saying that in the early stages of human
growth.

Note:
Socialization and enculturation go hand-in-hand in instilling in the individual the accepted values,
norms, and standards of behavior in society through social rules on behavior and laws. Additionally these
processes also impart social status, roles, and identity on members of society. Socialization and enculturation
occur throughout an individuals’ life from childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, until death.

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION AND

DESCRIBE THEIR ROLE IN SOCIALIZATION

 An important part of the socialization and enculturation processes are the social groups that people come
in contact with and interact with throughout their lives.
 These groups are called participants or agents of socialization and enculturation and consist of
persons, groups, and institutions that teach people essential knowledge to participate successfully in
society.
 The most prominent agents of socialization include the family, school, peer groups, mass media, religion,
the State, and social and historical events.
1. THE FAMILY
 The family is the primary agent of socialization of an individual upon birth, throughout infancy, and up to
childhood.
 Parents and other family members are essential for the early care and development of the child, and as the
child matures, the family becomes an important venue for social engagement and political socialization.
 Apart from defining the identity of the individual as a member of society, the family itself as an institution is
also defined by the changes that society undergoes.
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  The traditional view of the family at present is experiencing change, and more children are receiving primary
care from other individuals apart from their parents.
 The prevalence of single-parent families and OFWs has given rise to families where one or both parents
are absent, leading to other individuals to take on the responsibility of child-rearing.
 Children
o Are first socialized at home within the family structure and they learn what is and what not permissible
behavior is.
o They learn obligations, often with clearly defined responsibilities, from family members, and also
become aware of their rights and privileges.
o Parents and family members also have a significant role in planning the future of their children.
o The family, as a significant agent of political socialization, also determines the political values and
views of children.
o The family also exerts a great influence on religious affiliation and belief.
o Oftentimes, the child is baptized or indoctrinated into the religious belief of the family.
o It is only later in adulthood that most individuals assert their own religious and political beliefs, often
coming into conflict with the ideas and beliefs of their family.
 For instance, a religious and conservative family may forbid their children from dating or having relationships
at a young age; while other families may have a more liberal view regarding relationships and allow their
teenage children to engage in them.
 More politically-minded and socially-aware families may choose to discuss political and social issues with
their children regularly and even involve them in social action or advocacies.
 Families who belong to the political or economic elite will have lifestyles and experiences that are different
from those who come from middle-class or lower-income families.
 Individuals raised in families considered as “minorities” such as the poor or indigenous communities, may
exhibit distrust in the government and have less interest in political involvement.
 Gender roles and values are also heavily influenced by the family, how family members value certain
gender identities and roles influences the individual’s outlook on gender and sexuality.
2. THE SCHOOLS
 Schools have a critical and active role in socialization, as their various academic and social activities mold
students’ beliefs, values, and attitudes.
 Schools teach students important values like competitiveness, cooperation, conformity, innovation,
punctuality, orderliness, and respect for authority.
 Students learn the value of self-improvement and hard work through classroom activities and learning tasks
which give them opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills.
 Students also benefit from the constant guidance and evaluation provided by teachers.
o There are varied classifications of o Private schools,
schools. o Technical-vocational schools, and
o There are public schools, o Alternative schools.
 Most schools offer a traditional education based on a standard curriculum, while some schools
implement a progressive or constructivist education that emphasizes the individual needs and skills of
students.

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  Schools are also distinguished as sectarian or nonsectarian, with the former being grounded on a
particular set of religious values while the latter is not affiliated to a particular religious group.
 All activities and elements experienced and encountered in the school including:
o Classes, o Extracurricular activities,
o Curriculum, o Participation in student government
o Values, influence one’s views about society and
o Interaction with teachers and other his or her role in it.
members of the school administration,
 Schools are also venues for political socialization.
 Governments make it a point to include in the curriculum knowledge and values that are essential for the
promotion or preservation of the ideal social, political, and economic system in society.
 All states attempt to perpetuate certain core values but the substance of these values, as well as the
methods used to instill them, may vary depending on the particular social context.
 During Martial Law, for instance, almost all classrooms in public schools have pictures of the president and
the first lady.
 Students were also required to sing Ang Bagong Lipunan or “A New Society” the government slogan or
theme during that time.
 Children start learning political information and attitudes during their elementary years.
 Among the first things that children learn is that they belong to a political unit, starting with:
o the barangay, o a province, and
o then a town or a city, o The nation.
 The school also shapes the political concepts that expand and develop children’s feelings of attachment to
their nation or country.
 This sense of belonging and identity can be further influenced by religion, ethnolinguistic identity, and the
type of community where one belongs to.
 Schools are also vital in the development of political unity by establishing shared identities among citizens
who come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
 Schools provide information that highlights and reinforce the shared identities that unite members of a
nation.

Note:
Apart from learning about the varied ethnolinguistic groups, cultures, religions, and geographic regions
in the country, Filipino children are taught the common values, historical experiences, and shared symbols,
rituals, and practices such as the Lupang Hinirang, the Panatang Makabayan, and the national language.

 Through education, students become more aware of the interactions between people and social
institutions and how these influence society.
 The school also provides students venues for increased political and social participation, enabling them to
become increasingly aware of political issues, processes, and opportunities for involvement.
 This results in students taking on more mature and responsible political roles as they grow into
3. THE PEER GROUPS
 Peer groups also reinforce acceptable behaviors introduced by the family and school, allow a certain degree
of independence from family and certain figures of authority, and are also a means for socialization and
involvement in social and political issues.
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  Peer groups refer to people who share the same interests or characteristics such as age and social
background.
 Children going to school form groups with other children of their age.
 Through interaction, these children develop habits such as sharing toys, food, and other resources; playing
games; and doing school work.
 By having a peer group, a child attains a sense of belonging and a shared identity with other members of
the group because of mutual support, shared activities, and common interests.
 Peer groups for the most part are formed by informal, spontaneous, and voluntary means.

Note:
There are certain organized groups, however, that can be considered peer groups since they allow
individuals who share similar backgrounds and interests to come together. Examples of these organizations are
the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Young Liberals. Peer groups, in fact, are often utilized by governments to.

 In these instances, peer groups become active agents of political socialization, targeting not only the youth
but also adults.
 Democratic states encourage organizations to foster camaraderie and a sense of unity and purpose.
 This is to encourage greater citizen involvement across age groups.
 Some states with authoritarian governments use peer groups to reshape attitudes and beliefs and compel
citizens to subscribe to their views and agendas.
4. The Mass Media
 Mass media includes forms of communication such as:
o books, o radio,
o magazines newspapers, o television, and
o other print materials, o Movies.
 It is a powerful agent of socialization that is widely used by many institutions and organizations involved in
the use of print and electronic communication.
 Mass media functions as a socializing agent in the following ways:
o It is a source of information regarding events in society,
o It presents various viewpoints regarding events and developments within society, and
o It provides entertainment by showcasing other people’s experiences
 The prevalence of mass media within society results in its enormous impact and influence on people's
views, behavior, and attitudes.
 Government and mass media are also closely related.
 Most democratic states have government-owned television and radio stations that are regulated by
agencies tasked with enforcing policies ensuring freedom of the press and upholding professional standards
in media and communication.
 The pluralist model portrays media as an ideological marketplace that enhances debate and electoral
choice.
 The market model suggests that media reflects the views of the general public and that media presents
what they think the people want.

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  This is seen in television networks where telenovelas and “reality shows” are dominant on-air since these
types of shows are seen by media owners and executives as the most popular forms of entertainment
among the people.
 The dominant-ideology and elite-values models, meanwhile emphasize the influence of bias in the
activities of media institutions.
 The dominant-ideology model traces this bias to links between media and the political and social elite.
This could be seen in instances when prominent business or political figures own, control, or exert influence
over certain media outlets through their business or social connections.
 The elite-values model, meanwhile, recognizes media bias as a product of the personal views of media
professionals such as journalists, broadcasters, and editors.

Note:
The influence of media, however, is lesser among people who have been exposed to more agents of
socialization and have a stable set of political and social views. Other views point to the contribution of media
to a decline in political awareness and participation, as people now spend more time watching television and
devote their time to entertainment rather than informing themselves on significant social issues. This leads to a
decline in the sense of community which is vital in upholding democracy.

5. The Religion and State

 Both religion and state are considered as the ultimate sources of authority, making the church and
government important agents of socialization.
 Religion exerts a great influence on the views of a person, legitimizes accepted social practices, provides
stability to society, and can even be sources of social change.
 The Catholic Church in the Philippines has, in several instances, taken a prominent role in bringing about
social and political change in the country.
 The Catholic Church continues its engagement with the government through its support or opposition to
the latter's policies on social and political issues such as graft and corruption, land reform, social justice,
and reproductive health.

CONFORMITY, DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL

CONTROL AND CITE EXAMPLE OF EACH

1. CONFORMITY
 Groups exert great influence on an individual’s thoughts, values, attitudes, and behavior
 It also provides a sense of identity and belongingness that enable the person to relate fully with other group
members
 For an individual to continue functioning as a member of the group, he or she conforms to the general
behaviors and attitudes prevalent within it.
o 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.
Social psychology considers conformity as a product of pressure exerted by the group on the
individual
Herbert Kelman identifies three types of conformity: compliance, identification, and
internalization or acceptance.
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 o Compliance
 Refers to the outward conformity to social pressure but privately disagreeing with it.
 This action is often motivated by the desire to gain rewards or avoid punishment.
 This is the least enduring type of conformity, since the motivation provided by rewards and
punishments may not always be present, or the authority figure may be unable to exert his or
her influence fully on the group or society at all times.
o Identification
 Refers to the individual adopting a certain behavior because it enables him or her to have a
satisfying relationship with the members of his or her group.
 The individuals also adopt the opinions and values of the group and may strive to emulate an
authority figure-usually a parent or leader that he or she respects or admires.
o Internalization or acceptance
 Involves both public compliance and internal acceptance of the norms and standards imposed
by the group.
 This is the most permanent and deeply-rooted response to social influence.
 Acceptance of internalization is motivated by the desire to be right, with the authority figure or
person of influence being deemed trustworthy, credible, and of good judgment.
 Acceptance eventually results in the integration of the group’s set of beliefs and behavior into
the individual’s framework.
2. DEVIANCE
 Deviance is defined as a behavior that elicits a strong negative reaction from group members and involves
actions that violate commonly held social norms and it varies depending on the context of the group or
society.
 For instance, during the Nazi regime in Germany, many individuals were singled out as deviants-Jews,
gypsies, the disabled, homosexuals, and other “non-Aryans.”
 Germany and the rest of Europe at present officially no longer consider these people as deviants.
 Another example is the case of women driving cars.
 In the Philippines, women drivers are a common sight, but in Saudi Arabia driving a car is considered an
undesirable behavior for women and is banned by law.
 There are various views regarding the causes of and influences on social deviance.
 Sociologists believe that conformity and deviance are closely tied concepts and that social influences
such as socioeconomic status and relationships of power define how individuals react to authority and
behave in certain situations.
 Deviant or criminal behavior is learned in the same way as abiding by the law.
 Emile Durkheim uses the term anomie to refer to a condition where social control becomes ineffective due
to the loss of shared values and sense of purpose in society.
 This gives way to either the breakdown of traditional life or a period of social change.
 Another sociologist, Robert Merton, relates deviance to the strain felt by individuals whenever social norms
conflict with reality.
o His structural strain theory argues that the tensions and strains between socially-approved goals
and an individual’s ability to meet them will lead to deviance.
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  The subcultural viewpoints to the emergence of deviant behavior within certain groups in society or
subcultures
 The set of values and behavior prevalent within these groups makes them very prone to engage in deviant
or criminal behavior.
 The symbolic-interactionist view considers deviance as a socially constructed phenomenon influenced
largely by interpersonal relationships between members of society.
 This view is related to the labeling theory, which believes that there‘s no deviance in society; deviance
only emerges when society begins labeling certain actions as “deviant” or “undesirable
 This view also believes that deviant behavior emerges and is reinforced by interacting with people who
display deviance.
 People are more prone to display deviant behavior when their family members or other people close to
them display the same deviant behavior.
 The conflict perspective analyzes deviance in the framework of competing interests between social
groups and the maintenance of power among the elites.
 This view considers concepts of deviance as a reflection of society’s inequalities as those who are less
powerful in society or minorities are more likely to be considered as deviants or criminals.
 The broken windows theory suggests a direct relationship between social disorder and deviance, and
that maintaining even an appearance of order is sufficient to discourage deviance.

3. Social Control and Sanctions

 Social control is defined as any systematic means and practices used to
o Maintain norms, o Regulate conflict; and
o Rules, o Discourage deviant behavior.
o Laws;
 Sanctions are the most common means of social control and are often employed to address conflicts and
violations of social norms. Sanctions can be formal or informal.
 Formal sanctions are those provided for by laws and other regulations in society.
 Laws formally designate certain deviant behaviors as crimes and prescribe sanctions for such acts.
 The adoption and enforcement of laws serve to reinforce accepted social norms, as well as define deviant
behaviors that merit punishment in society.
 Each society has its own set of definitions regarding crime and the appropriate sanctions to be applied
 Other sanctions provided for crimes include imprisonment, banishment, fines, and corporal punishment.
 Informal sanctions are most commonly imposed by smaller societies, communities, or groups.
 There are no set laws or regulations that define the nature of these sanctions, and these are often arbitrarily
agreed upon by members of the group or society.
 Ostracism and social stigma are the most common forms of informal sanction.
 The ostracized individual is forcibly isolated from the rest of society for a certain time.
 The stigmatized person remains within society but is subject to isolation and rejection by other members
of society.
 Gossip is considered as another way of imposing informal sanctions, as it is an informal means of
monitoring and censuring the behavior of certain individuals.
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 Human dignity refers to the idea that a person has the innate right to be valued, respected, and treated
well.
 Human rights are legal, social, and ethical principles that consider the human person as deserving of
liberties and protections by his or her human dignity.
 Human dignity and human rights are significant concerns when dealing with socialization and issues on
deviance and social control.
 Socialization primarily aims to instill recognition of and respect for human rights and dignity. These issues
are also legitimate concerns when society deals with deviance and the enforcement of social control.
 Human rights are founded on natural rights, which are universal and inalienable, and are not
contingent on laws, customs, beliefs, or values of a particular culture. Examples of these rights are
the right to life and freedom.

 Human rights are considered to have the following characteristics:

o They are universal because they belong to all human beings regardless of race, religion, gender,
and other characteristics.
o They are fundamental since they cannot be taken away from any human being.
o They are indivisible as various rights are interrelated and given equal importance.
o They are absolute since they cannot be qualified and are considered necessities for living a
genuine life
 A major legal instrument that upholds the recognition of human rights is the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), which was drafted by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in
1948.
 This document was one of the major results of the end of the Second World War.
 The atrocities committed during the war convinced many countries of the need to craft an international
charter that will ensure that such crimes will no longer be repeated.

References
Atiensa, MA, Rico, RL, et.al, (2016). Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics for Senior High
School. C & E Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City

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