CONCEPT NOTES In UCSP

• Social organization is a concept that social scientists have developed for the scientific study of society, culture, and personality. It is also a
process of bringing order and significance into human social life.
• The concept of ‘organization” was used by sociologists in two different ways:
a. First, to stand for a relationship among people; and
b. Second, as a type of a particular social system called formal organization.

Characteristics of Social Organization:

1. Differentiation in statuses and roles on the basis of sex, age, and ability which may be observed in the activities of different types of
people.
2. Recurrent connection between sets of activities and the repeated tendency for one type of social activity to follow regularly after another.
3. A system of norms and values govern the social activities.
4. Some persons control the behaviour of others, and a system of sanctions maintain orderly behaviour.
5. Repeated activities and behaviour

Social Structure
- Refers to the independent network of roles and the hierarchy of statuses which define the reciprocal expectations and the power arrangement
of the members of the social unit guided by norms.
- It is the patterned and recurrent social relationships among persons in organized collectivities as well as among the various parts.
Social status
- Refers to members’ positions or ranks in the hierarchy of power relations.
Social Role
- Refers to the sum total of behaviour expectations and activities associated with a social position which a holder is supposed to carry out and
perform.
Social Function
- A component of social organization which refers to the results of actions that occur in relation to a particular structure and includes the
results of the activities of individuals occupying particular statuses.
• Society is a social system that is composed of people assigned to perform a definite task and function in a social system called social
institution.
• A group is constituted of two or more persons who interact and are together physically.

Forms of Social Organizations:

a. Social groups b. Cultural institutions c. Political organizations
Types of Social Groups Based on Structure:
a. Primary- members interact spontaneously (ex. family, church)
b. Secondary- members conduct themselves according to role expectation (ex. officemates, committee)
Types of Social Groups Based on Organization:
a. Formal- intentionally formed and planned (ex. student organizations, religious orders)
b. Informal- formed unplanned (ex. peer group, dating group)
Types of Social Groups Based on Membership:
a. Open- not exclusive (ex. dance club, public forum)
b. Close- exclusive (ex. political party, exclusive school for boys)
Types of Social Groups Based on Purpose:
a. Interest- formed for the purpose of promoting the trade, interests, and well-being of its members (ex. guild, labor unions)
b. Pressure- formed to influence the public views (ex. militant group, advocacy group)
c. Task group- formed for a completion of a task (ex. production team, orchestra)
Types of Social Groups Based on Perspective:
a. In-group- members have sense of loyalty & solidarity (ex. Eat Bulaga’sDabarkads)
b. Out-group- perceived to be apart from the others (ex. loners)
c. Minority- relatively less dominant (ex. ethnic groups)
d. Reference- not necessarily a member but they serve a comparative basis for self- evaluation (ex. geeks)

Sociologists consider aggregate, social category and the collective as important forms of human clusters. These are collections not considered as social
groups.
a. Aggregate- this happens when you see a number of personswho come togetherwithout interacting with each other like people waiting for a
jeep or bus to come, people inside a movie house or people riding in LRT/MRT train.
b. Social category- an agglomeration where members possess common identifying status characteristics but do not interact socially. We are
talking of the males and females in the society, the infants, the children, youths, adults, and the aged. These people may look similar in much
important way like biological features and so we can make distinctions on the basis of sex, age, and race, income or social class, occupation,
religion, political beliefs or ethnicity.
c. Collective (Temporary groups)-these are clusters of people interacting with each other but the interactions are temporary or short-lived.
Crowds, masses, public and social movements are temporary groups which also interest the sociologists.

Factors that influence groups:

1. Motivational base shared by individuals- people may form groups based on their needs, interests, desires, noble activities, insecurities
or problems.
2. Size of the group- the size of the group may range from two to a million members.
3. Type of group goals- it is fre quently understood that the structural patterns of social groups are affected by their goals.
4. The kind of group cohesion- refers to the extent to which members of a group have the capability to function and interact collectively
in the direction of their goals.

ACTIVITY 1:
 Answer the following questions and give each question an example to prove your answer. Write your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Do you believe social status changes? Yes or no? Why?

2. Why do people differ from their status?
3. In what way norms and values govern social activities?

ACTIVITY 2:
Answer the following questions and give each question an example to prove your answer. Write your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Do you think it is necessary to be in a group? Yes or no and why?

2. Enumerate at least 3 reasons why you can call a person “kabarkada” or “ka-tropa?”
3. When can you say that you are influenced by group?

ACTIVITY 3: Write your answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Recall a personal experience where you encountered being “apart” (not a part) from the group.
How did it affect in maintaining the stability of your social interaction? Describe your
experience thoroughly.
2. They say, “Never talk to strangers.” What is its impact in maintaining the stability of your social
interaction in your everyday life?
3. If you are given the chance to be part of an authority, how will you address disorders in the
society like terrorism?

CONCEPT NOTES IN DISS

Marxism- One of the primary focus on this theory is the application of Conflict Theory.

CONFLICT THEORY
 It focuses on the social inequalities and power difference within a group, analyzing society through this lens.
Social inequality- the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or
society.
Examples: Unequal access to a variety of social ‘goods’ (e.g. the labor market and other sources of income, the education and
healthcare systems, and forms of political representation and participation).

Considerations of this theory:

-Dominant process in the society is conflict
-Society is divided into two groups: masses and elite who exploit them
-Stresses that social inequality and conflict between the dominant elite and the masses.
-It sees the negative side of the society.

Proponents:
Karl Marx- introduced the idea about class struggles, and conflict is the main source of social change.
Charles Wright Mills- introduced the power elite, a tiny minority government, military government, and business figures believed
to control the government.

Conflict Theory in Socio-Cultural Aspect

Inequalities exist within a culture’s value system. Therefore, a society’s cultural norms benefit some people but hurt others. Some
norms, formal and informal, are practiced at the expense of others. In the Philippines, gay and lesbian couples have been denied
the right to marry because of our culture in our society.

Conflict Theory in Economic Aspect

In the economy, patterns of class conflict theory occur when one class of people is systemically empowered over another. The less
empowered class demands a share of resources that the more fortunate class has in abundance, leading to social conflict. For
example, at the core of conflict theory is the effect of economic production and materialism: dependence on technology in rich
nations versus a lack of technology and education in poor nations.
Conflict Theory in Political Aspect
Political conflicts arose among competing societies or factions of people even in the past and present. However, they are spurred by
basic desires: the drive to protect or gain territory and wealth, and the need to preserve liberty and autonomy. Modern-day conflicts
are still driven by the desire to gain or protect power and wealth, whether in the form of land and resources or in the form of liberty
and autonomy.

SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONISM
This theory focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction.
Proponents:
George Herbert Mead - a founder of symbolic interactionism; believed that people develop self-images through interactions with
other people.
Herbert Blumer - coined the term “symbolic interactionism” and outlined these basic premises: humans interact with things based
on meanings ascribed to those things; the ascribed meaning of things comes from our interactions with others and society; the
meanings of things are interpreted by a person when dealing with things in specific circumstances.
Example: If you love books, for example, a symbolic interactionist might propose that you learned that books are good
or important in the interactions you had with family, friends, school, or church; maybe your family had a special reading time
each week, getting your library card was treated as a special event, or bedtime stories were associated with warmth and
comfort.

On socio-cultural aspect - Interactionists see culture as being created and maintained by the ways people interact and in how
individuals interpret each other’s actions.
Example: The dog was named Lucifer. The said name would be the devil because maybe the dog is extremely mean.

On economic aspect - One important symbolic interactionist concept related to work and the economy is career inheritance.
This concept means simply that children tend to enter the same or similar occupation as their parents, which is a correlation
that has been demonstrated in research studies (Antony 1998).
Example: The children of police officers learn the norms and values that will help them succeed in law enforcement, and since
they have a model career path to follow, they may find law enforcement even more attractive.

On political aspect, symbolic interactionism, as it pertains to government, focuses its attention on figures, emblems, or
individuals that represent power and authority. Example: Malacañang Palace represents power and authority of the President
of the Philippines.
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society.
Communication—the exchange of meaning through language and symbols—is believed to be the way in which people make sense of their
social worlds. Theorists Herman and Reynolds (1994) note that this perspective sees people as being active in shaping the social world
rather than simply being acted upon.

Constructivism
It is an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be. We develop
social constructs based on interactions with others, and those constructs that last over time are those that have meanings which are
widely agreed-upon or generally accepted by most within the society.

Symbolic Interactionism plays vital role in our everyday lives. It recognizes and hold concrete meanings to socio-cultural, economic and
political aspect.
Examples on the table below are some symbols in our daily life and their corresponding interpretations/meanings in the different aspects
in our society.
Symbol Interpretation/Meaning Aspect
Physical gesture- WINK The person is interested on you. Socio-Cultural
Cedula Residency tax Economic
Balance image Justice Political

Exercise: WRITE YOUR ANSWER ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER.

Situational Analysis
Direction: Read the situation and answer the questions that follow. State whether the given situation is
under the socio-cultural, economic and political aspect and the reason of your choice.
1. You came across a certain friend. He was wearing necklace with a cross pendant. While you were
walking, you passed by a church and he made a gesture which is a sign of a cross. You also notice that
he was holding a book which is very familiar to you, a bible.
What is your interpretation about the behavior of your friend?
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2. You came across a high school classmate while walking downtown. You were surprise that her hair is
so much dyed in different colours and her haircut is not so neat. She was wearing a black make up
matched with her all black attire. Her arms are filled with tattoo. Upon talking to her, she gets out
something in her pocket and lit the cigarette.
What is your interpretation about the behavior of your high school friend?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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3. Your Senior high school classmate wants to be a doctor just like her Dad. For her, she wants to follow
the footsteps of her father because the materials she will be going to use is ready already. She will not
anymore buy medical books and another medical supplies for her studies. What is your interpretation
on your classmate’s decision?
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4. Mr. Cruz is your favorite Social Science teacher. You love the way he explains the subject matter
especially his examples. He has a loud voice thus everybody listens to his talks. You respected him so
well because he is not just your favorite teacher but also your mentor and second parent in school.
What aspect of symbolic interactionism did you portray?
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5. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the current President of the Republic of the Philippines.
As President, he has given the right in residing at Malacañang Palace.
What is your interpretation on the given situation?
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