[Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L.

Jalac, BNHS 2017

Social, Political, and Cultural Change

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

define and explain social, cultural, and political changes,

recognize common concerns or events within society on the phenomenon of change,
explain the concept of social and cultural change and highlight the mechanisms, and
analyze social, political, and cultural change within society.

How do changes in society take place?

Find out the answer in this lesson!

Learn about it!

Social and Cultural Changes
Social change is the transformation of social institutions over time. Cultural change, on the other hand, is the
transformation of culture or the way people live.

Communication
Communication is a vital human process. Through communication, people exchange information and
thoughts.
Nowadays, communication is made easier.
Nowadays, people can share information in just a click. New mediasocial networking, text messaging, e-
mail, and the likehave defied time and distance.
While it makes the world seem borderless, this form of communication may produce individuals who lack the
basic understanding of direct and personal connections.

Transnational Families
A transnational family is where one or both parents live and work in another country while the children
remain in their country of origin.
While these families remain secured financially, their members are also exposed to setbacks.
Children who become overly unsupervised find themselves facing peer pressure, too much independence,
and lack of family orientation. These may result in alcohol or drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy, mood
swings, or early marriage.

Political Changes
Political change happens when the rulers of a country lose power or when the type of governance in the country
changes. Governance is the kind of system or ideology used to express authority in a country. It may be a
democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, and others.

Local Public Services

Local public services are provided by the government to people living within its jurisdiction, either directly (through
the public sector) or by financing the provision of services.
 [Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L. Jalac, BNHS 2017

Youth Volunteerism
Volunteerism is the use or involvement of a volunteer or free labor in community services.

Mechanisms of Changes
There are different mechanisms or tools involved in social and cultural changes.

Diffusion
Diffusion is the process through which the cultural traits of one society are borrowed, transmitted, and adopted by
another and considered as its own.

Examples:

Migration
Globalization

Invention
Invention is the process where new cultural elements are created to solve social and cultural problems.

Example: Internet

Discovery
Discovery is the process where people recognize or gain a better understanding of already existing elements
present in the environment.

Example: Scientific research

Changes within Society

Change is said to be constant. It is inevitable. It is expected to happen. The big question, however, is what makes it
happen? Of course, there are many factorssocial, political, or cultural.

Along with time, persons, environments, and ideologies change. People move in and move out. People live and die.
People's stories and experiences change. People make discoveries and innovations.

The environment changes as wellnature, water, earth, minerals, climate, seasons, sources of raw materials, and
energy.

New knowledge replaces old ones. Slavery has been banned. Civil rights were granted to those who were once
deprived of them. Same-sex marriage is on its way to worldwide recognition. Nothing is permanent but change, so
they say.

All these contribute significantly to changes people experience socially, politically, and culturally.
 [Understanding Culture, Society and Politics) Jellie Ann L. Jalac, BNHS 2017

Explore!
How should a person react to changes within society? Is it with acceptance or with reservation? Explain your
answer.

Try it!
Cite three societal changes. Cite one for each: social, political, and cultural changes. Identify their positive and
adverse effects.

Changes within Society

1.

2.

3.

What do you think?

Is change constant? If yes, what makes it consistent in society?

Keypoints
Social change is the transformation of social institutions over time.
Cultural change is the transformation of culture or the way people live.
Political change happens when the rulers of a country lose power or when the type of governance in the
country changes.
Diffusion is the process through which the cultural traits of one society are borrowed, transmitted, and
adopted by another and considered as its own.
An invention is a process where new cultural elements are created to solve social and cultural problems.
Discovery is the process where people recognize or gain a better understanding of already existing
elements present in the environment.
Changes are inevitable. Therefore, all changessocially, politically, and culturallymust be for the benefit of
all.