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Understanding Culture & Society

Lesson 5: Becoming a Member of Society


Socialization

 Human beings develop through social interaction. This development process acquired through
social interaction is called “socialization”.
 Socialization is a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity
(attitude, values and behavior) and learn the norms, values, behavior, and social skills
appropriate to his and her social position.
 It teaches as how to behave and act within our society.
 The process of socialization enables the individual to grow and function socially.
 Socialization is vital to: Sex Role Differentiation, Culture and Personality.

Socialization can be described from two points of view:

1. Objective Socialization – It refers to the society acting upon the individual


2. Subjective Socialization – The process by which society transmits its culture from one generation
to the next and adapts the individual to the accepted and approved ways of organized social
life.

This perspective on socialization helps identify formation of individuals which is essential in


establishing his/her social role. Likewise, it includes the following functions:

1. Personality and Role Development – It is through the process of socialization that we develop
our sense of identity and belongingness
2. Skills Development and Training – The much-needed social skills such as communication,
interpersonal, and occupational are developed
3. Values Formation – Individuals are influenced or engulfed by the prevailing values of social
groups and society.
4. Social Integration and Adjustment – The socialization process allows us to fit-in an organized
way of life by being accustomed including cultural setting.
5. Social Control and Stability – Integration to society binds individuals to the control mechanisms
set forth by society’s norms with regard to acceptable social relationship and social behavior.

Agents of Socialization

 These refers to the various social groups or social institutions that play a significant role in
introducing and integrating the individual as an accepted and functioning member of
society.
These agents of socialization are:
a. Family d. Peer Group
b. School e. Work Place
c. Church f. Mass Media

 The agents of socialization guide every individual in understanding what is happening in


our society. These agents prescribe social norms in order to control individual behavior in a
given society. The norms include society’s standards of morality, good manners, legality
and integrity.
 Such forms of norms are found in elements of culture such as folkways, mores and laws.

Social Status

 Socialization as a continuous process serves as an avenue for developing self-concept


which is essential in role identification. The self responds to categories called social statuses.
 Social status refers to the position that an individual occupies in society and implies an array
of rights and duties.
 Related to status is social role - which involves the pattern of expected behavior in a social
relationship with one or more persons occupying other statuses.

Prepared by: Kurt Zeus L. Dizon Lesson 5: Socialization, Conformity & Deviance
Understanding Culture, Society & Politics (UCSP)
 Social statues can be classified into two:
Ascribed Status Achieved Status
Those which are assigned to the individual It is acquired by choice, merit, or individual
since birth effort
It involves little personal choice like age It is made possible through special abilities
and sex or talents, performance or opportunities
It carries with it certain expectation of Choice in occupation, marriage, joining a
behavior religious organization are example
 The essential in social role playing are:
o A definition of the role and an identification of self.
o Behavior in given situations appropriate to the role.
o Background of related acts by other (counter roles) which serve as cues to guide
specific performances.
o An evaluation by the individual and by others of the performance of the roles.

Conformity and Deviance

Conformity

 Conformity is a behavior that is the same as the behavior of most other people in a society,
group, etc.
 Erving Goffman tried to show how certain social processes modify the presentation of self and
the impact of role expectations on the behavior of an individual. Everyone is consciously
playing a role. When persons present themselves to others in everyday interaction, they
organize their overt behavior in such way as to guide and control the impressions other form of
them to elicit role-taking response.
 The process of conformity attempts to change the individual’s behavior because to conform
to the social norm.
 Kelman (1985) distinguishes the different types of conformity:
1. Compliance (or group acceptance)
- An individual accepts influence because he hopes to achieve a favorable reaction from
another person or group. He/she adopts because of the expectation of a specific reward
and avoids specific punishment.
2. Internalization (genuine acceptance of group norms)
- An individual adopts the induced behavior because it is congruent or consistent with his
value system.
3. Identification (or group membership)
- An individual accepts influence because he/she wants to establish or maintain a satisfying
self-defining relationship to another person or group. Individual conform to expectation of
a social role (e.g. nurses, police officers).
4. Ingratiational
- This is when a person conforms to impress or gain favor/acceptance from other people.

Deviance

 Nonconformity of an individual would mean deviation from acceptable social norms – this
is called social deviance.
 Deviance describes an action or behavior that violates social norms, including a formally
enacted rule (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social norms (e.g., rejecting
folkways and mores).
 Deviance can range from something minor, such as a traffic violation, to something major,
such as murder.
 Ronald Smith and Frederick Preston outlined some functions which deviance performs to
support the social system in the following:
o Deviance serves as an outlet for diverse forms of expressions.
o Deviance serves to define the limits of acceptable behavior.
o Deviance may also promote in-group solidarity.
o Deviance can serve as a barometer of social strain.

Prepared by: Kurt Zeus L. Dizon Lesson 5: Socialization, Conformity & Deviance
Understanding Culture, Society & Politics (UCSP)
Deviance is a relative issue, and standards for deviance change based on a number of factors,
including the following:

•Location: A person speaking loudly during a church service would probably be considered
deviant, whereas a person speaking loudly at a party would not. Society generally regards
taking the life of another person to be a deviant act, but during wartime, killing another person
is not considered deviant.

•Age: A five-year-old can cry in a supermarket without being considered deviant, but an older
child or an adult cannot.

•Social status: A famous actor can skip to the front of a long line of people waiting to get into
a popular club, but a non-famous person would be considered deviant for trying to do the
same.

•Individual societies: In the United States, customers in department stores do not try to
negotiate prices or barter for goods. In some other countries, people understand that one
should haggle over the price of an item; not to do so is considered deviant.

Sociological Theory of Deviance

1. Functionalist Theory - Emile Durkheim claimed that deviance was in fact a normal and
necessary part of social organization. When he studied deviance he stated four important
functions of deviance.
a. Deviance affirms cultural values and norms. Any definition of virtue rests on an opposing
idea of vice: There can be no good without evil and no justice without crime.
b. Deviance defines moral boundaries, people learn right from wrong by defining people
as deviant.
c. A serious form of deviance forces people to come together and react in the same way
against it.
d. Deviance pushes society's moral boundaries which, in turn leads to social change.

2. Strain Theory – Robert Merton argued that in an unequal society, the tension or strain between
socially approved goals and an individual’s ability to meet those goals through socially
approved means will lead to deviance s individuals reject either the goals, the means or both.

Merton’s Deviance Typology


Institutionalized Means
Accept Reject
Reject

Conformity Innovation
Cultural Goals

Ritualism Retreation
Accept

Rebellion

Merton gave the following forms of deviance that emerge from strain:

a. Conformity – it involves accepting both the cultural goal of success and the use of
legitimate means of achieving that goal. (e.g.: monetary success is gained through hard
work)
b. Innovation – Involves accepting the goal of success but rejecting the use of socially
accepted means to achieve it, turning instead to unconventional & illegitimate means.
(e.g.: monetary success is gained through crime).
c. Ritualism – People deemphasize or reject the importance of success once they realize they
will never achieve it and instead concentrate on following or enforcing these rules than
ever was intended. They reject society's goals, but accept society's institutionalized means.

Prepared by: Kurt Zeus L. Dizon Lesson 5: Socialization, Conformity & Deviance
Understanding Culture, Society & Politics (UCSP)
d. Retreatism – Withdrawal from the society, caring neither about success nor about working.
Merton sees them as true deviants, as they commit acts of deviance to achieve things that
do not always go along with society's values
e. Rebellion – This occurs when people reject and attempt to change both the goals and the
means approved by society.

3. Control Theory – Travis Hirschi assumed that the family, school, and other social institutions can
greatly contribute to social order by controlling deviant tendencies in very individual.
- Control theory advances the proposition that weak bonds between the individual and society
free people to deviate. By contrast, strong bonds make deviance costly. This theory asks why
people refrain from deviant or criminal behavior, instead of why people commit deviant or
criminal behavior. The control theory developed when norms emerge to deter deviant
behavior. Without this "control", deviant behavior would happen more often. This leads to
conformity and groups.

4. Conflict Theory - states that society or an organization functions so that each individual
participant and its groups struggle to maximize their benefits, which inevitably contributes to social
change such as political changes and revolutions.

- Deviant behaviors are actions that do not go along with the social institutions as what cause
deviance. The institution's ability to change norms, wealth or status comes into conflict with the
individual. The legal rights of poor folks might be ignored, middle class are also accept; they
side with the elites rather than the poor, thinking they might rise to the top by supporting the
status quo.
- This theory also states that the powerful define crime. This raises the question: for whom is this
theory functional? In this theory, laws are instruments of oppression: tough on the powerless
and less tough on the powerful.

Social Control of Deviance

 In order to regulate nonconformity with the social norms, society created measures in order
to limit deviance.
 Social control refers to the efforts if a group or society to regulate the behavior of its members
in conformity with established norms.
 Social control includes the use of behavioral restraints to encourage people to follow set social
expectations.

There are two types of consequence:


1. Informal consequence
 These are unofficial, often casual pressure to conform
 Positive informal sanctions involve reward for conformity or compliance
o Examples: smiles, kiss, affirmation, or words of approval
 Negative informal sanctions involve penalties for not conforming
o Example: ridicule, ostracism rejection or even expulsion
2. Formal consequence
 These are official, institutionalized incentives to conform and penalties for
deviance.
 These are needed in large and complex societies
 The criminal justice system is the most important and visible institution of social
control.
 These may take the form of arrest, pre-trial, sentencing or imprisonment.
References:

•Lanuza, Gerry M. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. First edition. Manila : Rex Book Store
•Madrid, R., Santarita, J. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. Quezon City: Vibal Group, Inc.
•Carayugan, M., Malit-Alicante, F. (2014) Development of Sociology Handbook through Assessing
Importance and Relevance of Sociology Topics. Baguio City: University of the Cordilleras.

Prepared by: Kurt Zeus L. Dizon Lesson 5: Socialization, Conformity & Deviance
Understanding Culture, Society & Politics (UCSP)

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