Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Conformity
 Why do people conform?
Group members conform to make decisions. Conformity occurs when members choose
the course of action that the majority favors.
❖ Acceptance
❖ Achieve goals
❖ Take part in group activities
❖ Ensure group’s continuation.
Deviance
❖ Have you heard the expression “Wag kang pasaway!” Being “pasaway” denotes deviance.
Deviance refers to violation of a norm. It is the opposite of conformity.
❖ Psychologists viewed deviance as a pathological phenomenon or a result of a
psychological disorder.
❖ Since norms vary across societies, the same goes with how society judges what qualifies
as a deviant behavior.
Deviance exists in all societies. In every society social norm, rules and expectations of appropriate
behavior exists and all people are expected to conform and observe these norms. However, no
society has complete behavioral conformity. There will always be social deviance in any society
since social deviance is universal.
Social deviance is a behavior of which others disapprove because they believe something ought
to be done about it. It is a norm violation that exceeds the tolerance level of the community and
results in negative socialism. It is a breaking of rule or an act of non-formity with the norm.
Characteristics of Deviance
1. It is understood within its social context.
A woman’s nude picture displayed in the classroom or office is considered a deviance, but
when displayed in an art exhibit is it not. A woman wearing a mini-skirt or “shorts” while
attending mass is not an acceptable behavior but, acceptable in a videoke bar or “outing”
activities.
2. Deviance may change overtime.
Gambling is not a deviance when no law prohibits it but when a law prohibits it, doing it
is a deviance.
3. Deviance depends upon the status and role a person holds.
A single woman who leaves the home in the late evening without a chaperon or
companion is considered a deviance but if a single man does it, it is not a deviance. A Christian
Filipino man who marries twice is a deviance but a Filipino Muslim who does it provided he can
support the other is not a deviance.
4. Deviance depends on the audience norms.
A celebrity gay who wears a woman’s apparel is funny, but the behavior is not a deviance.
A minor who is drinking alcohol is a deviant but not in the case of an adult doing the same.
Theories of Deviance
Biological Theory
 According to Cesare Lombroso, an Italian criminologist, criminals are physically
distinctive:
▪ Low foreheads

▪ Prominent jaws
▪ Protruding ears
▪ Hairy
▪ Unusual long arms
 Criminals are evolutionary throwback
 No longer accepted
Psychological Theory
 Focuses on abnormalities in the individual personalities
 If a person has positive self-image
and have strong moral values, then
criminality would be prevented
Sociological Theory: 5 Ways of
Achieving Goals
1.Conformity
 The conforming individual
uses positive and legitimate
means of achieving the goal
of success.
 Individuals still accept
cultural goals and try to
achieve them through
culturally approved
method.
 If you want to have good
grades, you must study,
analyze or comprehend each lesson well.
2. Innovation
 Individual resorts to deviance as illegitimate means of using new idea, or new process
which are more effective in reaching his goal. He rejects the use of socially accepted
means to achieve success.
 Individuals still accept cultural goals but go about in achieving it in a culturally disapproved
way.
 Leslie wants to have a good grades to impress her parents thus she commits cheating to
assure that she will get high score in Midterms.

3. Ritualism
 The individual rejects traditional cultural goals but still adheres to the usual steps to
obtain those goals as a conscientious and diligent person.
 Individual still live in society and according to culturally approved ways, but no longer try
to achieve cultural goals
 A student who did not study the lesson but refuses to commit cheating instead he/she
just play the “eenie, Mini, Minnie, moe” in answering his/her test.
4. Retreatism
 Individual no longer desires to achieve goals and have abandoned the cultural ways of
achieving it.
 Student who decided to drop out of schooling.
5. Rebellion
 Individual rejects and attempts to change the goals and means approved by society. He
tries to overthrow the existing social system and attempt to establish a new social system
because he believes that the existing social order is unfair and unjust to him.
 Individuals challenge the existing cultural goals by coming up with new one.
 Being a member of rebels’ group just to become financially stable.
Mechanisms of Social Control
Deviance is checked through social control to ensure that norms and conventions are
safeguarded, and order preserved. Society controls individual ideas and behaviors through the
following mechanisms:
Labeling Theory
This theory states how members of society label others, whether they are deviant or not
(Newman, 2012). People label others as deviant when they defy, or do not conform to social
norms. Non-conformity provides offensive signals to holders of norms; non-conformity is often
tantamount to disagreement and disapproval. After a group of people has labeled an individual
as a deviant, members of a community or society often treat the individual negatively and with
feelings of hate, mistrust, or fear (Cohen, 1966 in Newman, 2012).
Gossip
This is often practiced in small-scale communities where people know each other
personally. Because small-scale communities heavily rely on “getting along” with each other,
outbursts or confrontational situations are not ideal. By gossiping or talking behind someone’s
back and spreading rumors about him or her, society reinforces what norms should be followed
and punishes the deviants by putting them to shame.
Laws
Laws are formal codes of conduct that are met with negative sanctions (i.e. punishment)
when violated (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride, 2008). Laws are meant to guide the daily
lives of members of society by providing clear definitions of relationships among individuals,
including expectations on how people should behave in particular contexts. Only those who
exercise authority are recognized by the members of society to practice coercion in the exercise
of sanctions (Haviland et al, 2008).
The Value of Human Dignity Rights to Promote Common Good
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 virtue of 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.
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.
Three Human Rights
Natural Rights
 These are rights possessed by man (not granted by the state) but conferred to him by
God and nature so that he may live happily.
 Right to happiness; right to live; right to love.
Statutory Rights
 These are rights granted to individuals by laws which are promulgated by the law-
making body and consequently may be abolished by the same body.
 Right to receive minimum wage; right to receive 13th month pay; right to inherit property.
Constitutional Rights
 These are rights of the citizens to participate directly or indirectly in the establishment or
administration of the government.
 Rights of citizenship (Article IV); right of suffrage.
United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Simplified Version
This simplified version of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been
created especially for young people.
1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas.
We should all be treated in the same way.
2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.
3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.
5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.
6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!
7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are
not treated fairly.
9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep
us there, or to send us away from our country.
10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should
not let anyone tell them what to do.
11. We’re Always Innocent till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until
it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.
12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to
come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.
13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to
travel as we wish.
14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own
country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.
15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.
16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want
to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.
17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody
should take our things from us without a good reason.
18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a
religion, or to change it if we want.
19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we
like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.
20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together
in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.
21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country.
Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.
22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and
childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.
23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and
to join a trade union.
24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.

25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people
who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.
26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn
about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we learn.
27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings;
others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and
to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.
28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms
in our own country and all over the world.
29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and
freedoms.
30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.
Advocating Inclusive Citizenship
Inclusive citizenship is a governing policy directed at giving all citizenship a strong feeling
that they are a part of the overall society. Its policies include laws that provide non-segregated
access to all citizens, regardless of their race, gender, religious affiliation and socio-economic
status.
How society is organized
The famous poet, John Donne, once wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every
man is a part of the continent, a part of the main.” He was recognizing the most distinctive
characteristic of people as social animals whose behavior and personalities are shaped by
groups. Throughout life, most of the daily activities of people are performed in the company of
others. The need for human contact is both a practical and psychological need. If people are
deprived of the company of others for a prolonged period of time, mental breakdown is the
usual result.
A group is a unit of people who interact with some regularity and identify themselves as
a unit (Newman, 2012). In a stricter sense, it is a collection of people interacting together in an
orderly way on the basis of shared expectations about one another’s behavior.
Categories of group
1. According to social perspective

• Aggregate – people at the same place at the same time but have little or no
interaction. Examples: passengers in a bus or a crowd in the street.

• Category – number of people who hold common status but rarely or do not
interact. Examples: Businessmen in a corporate meeting or students joining
a science club.
2. According to influence

• Primary Group – small, face to face group in which interaction is direct and
personal. It includes the following characteristics: personal orientation and
long-term relationship. Examples: Families and close friends.

• Secondary Group – members have casual contact. Characteristics are goal

orientation and short-term relationship.
3. According to membership

• In group – social groups to which an individual feels he/she belongs.

Example: basketball team; dance troupe/club.

• Out group – social groups that an individual does not identify with.
4. According to reference group - Those that provides individual with set of standards.
Example: a neophyte scientist considers his superiors as a reference group.
5. According to network - Social connection of individual takes part of. Example: a
politician’s link with civil society organizations and NGOs.