CULTURE, SOCIETY AND INTERACTION IN THE PHILIPPINE SETTING


Jocano (1998) proposed a social framework that could be used as basis for understanding the relationships and interaction between and among groups in the Philippine education setting. The Framework shows the interlocking and interfacing of relationships of kinship and family, socialization practices and cultural themes that impact on the school system.

     Culture - is the complex whole which includes the customs, beliefs, more, folkways of a certain group of people.

 

     Education is transferring of culture

 

     Sub-Culture - specialized from culture practiced by a small group of people which shows uniqueness compared to other groups.

 

     Norm - what is considered normal is basically based on the number of people practicing a certain behavior.

 

  Kinds of Groups     

A group can be defined as a unit in which different personalities with different interdependence roles and status interacts. There are different kinds of groups; these are the Primary, the Secondary, the  In-Group, the Out-Group, the Peer Group, the Reference Group and the Voluntary Associations.

a.  The Primary Group is a group by which there is an intimate, there is face to face, there is informal as well as personal relationship among the members such as the ―family

 

b.  The Secondary Group is a group by which there is an impersonal, there is an informal, and there is a contractual, business-like as well as casual relationship among the members such as the ―religion or school.

 

c.   The In-Group is a group by which the member feels to have been given a sense of belongingness.

 

d.  The Out-Group is a group by which an individual feels some indifferences, dislike, strangeness, antagonism or hatred.

 

e.  The Peer Group is a group by which the members are almost in the same age as well as social and economic status. The Peer Group comes in different types; the Play-Group, the Gang and the Clique.

 

 

f.    The Play-Group is common among the children; there could be a minimum or no adult supervision in this group; it is also spontaneous and informal.

 

g.  The Gang is a group by which there is a recognized leader. The members are expected to follow their rules of behaviors; they have a definite place to stay, meeting time and they have planned activities. Sometimes, they even have a password.

 

h.  The Clique is a group by which the members have the same line of thinking as well as interest.

 

i.    The Reference Group is a group by which an individual or a member identifies him or herself consciously or unconsciously. This kind of group is more likely on identification and not really on the actual membership.

 

j.    The Voluntary Association is a group by which the members tend to join together because of their common needs, decisions, aims or goal.

 

 

  Types of Groups: 

a.  Integrated group - the members have common action in shared meanings and values

 

b.  Crowed- members act together on the basis of a shared emotion and feelings, as in religious revival meetings, revolutionary mob or a panic.

 

c.   Audience or mass - members act together on the basis of a common attitudes without interaction among members; like people at film showing.

 

d.  Public - this refers a number of people in some form of community come to a common agreement who have common interest but do not necessarily come to a common agreement.

 

Social Institution: According to Anthony Giddens, Social Institutions are enduring features of social life. It is a complex of positions, norms and social relations performing a social role. Social institutions includes government, families, and other groups of people with recognizable social interaction and norms of conduct.

 

Characteristics:

1.          Social Purpose-institution satisfy social needs

2.          Permanence-institution are relatively permanent

3.          Enforcing rules and regulations- institution governs behavior

4.          Promotes values- institution exerts social pressure regarding right conduct

 

  Major Social Institutions    

1.    Family – is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity and co-residence. It is the smallest social institution. One of the primary function of the family is to produce and reproduce persons both biologically and socially (in cases of adoption).

a.          Conjugal Family-includes the husband, wife, and children who are not of age yet.

b.          Consanguinity Family- consist of a parent and his or her children, and other people.

c.           Matrilocal Family- consists of a mother and her children

 

2.    Education is the transmission of knowledge is the primary purpose of education. As a social institution school has the following purpose.

1.    Intellectual - schools teach basic knowledge and skills commonly known as the 3 Rs and eventually developing their HOTS (higher order thinking skills)

2.    Political - schools develop allegiance to the country and promotes patriotism

3.    Social - schools develop person‘s ability to interact with fellow human being

4.    Economic - schools prepare the person to achieve suitable occupational endeavors

 

3.    Religion: According to Stark religion is the ―socially defined patterns of beliefs concerning the ultimate meaning of life; it assumes the existence of the supernatural and has a characteristics like:

1.    Belief in the higher being (deity)

2.    Doctrine of salvation

3.    A code of conduct

4.    Religious rituals

 

4.    Government: A government is an institution entrusted with making and enforcing the rules of a society as well as with regulating relations with other societies. In order to be considered a government, aruling bodymust be recognized as such by thepeople it purpose to govern.

 

Types of Government

a.  Democracy - is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as a parliament.

b.  Monarchy - is this system or form of government. A monarch, such as a king or queen, rules a kingdom or empire. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch's power is limited by a constitution. But in an absolute monarchy, the monarch has unlimited power.

c.   Authoritarianism - is a form of government characterized by strong central power and limited.

d.  Totalitarianism - is a form of government that seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state.

 

Social Problems - growing groups and countries experience various societal problem brought about by various factors.

     Juvenile delinquency, Crime, Alcoholism, Suicide, Drug addiction, Racial prejudice, Industrial conflict, Poverty and Graft and corruption

 

Social Control - refers to the ways in which members of a society influence one another so as to maintain social order.

     Informal Social Control includes Mores and folkways, Expectations not written down but perceived and made known to him, Pressure to conform, Internalizing the values and attitudes of family, Helping the child to understand and norms of the bigger group and Desire for acceptance of the bigger group

     Formal Social Control includes Passage of law, Formal mechanism to maintain control over the behavior of its members, Tendency to level an individual who is out of line and gossip and Curbing anti-social attitudes by disallowing privacy or ascribing undesirable status to deviants.

 

Social process-sociologist have noted that social change occurs in patterns and these patterns are called social process, this is also used to interpret social behavior.

 

  Classification of Social Process:   

     Competition - an impersonal attempt to gain scare and valued resources of wealth, land etc.

     Conflict - involves the use of deliberate power

     Accommodation - is the conscious adjustment and compromise among conflicting groups to live without conflict

     Assimilation - is the learning and acceptance by one group of the beliefs and values of another groups so that they gradually become virtually indistinguishable.

 

  Characteristics of Culture   

1.    Culture is Learned

2.    Pakikipagkapwa tao

3.    Family orientation

4.    Joy and humor

5.    Flexibility, adaptability, creativity

6.    Hard work and industry

7.    Faith and religiosity

8.    Ability to survive

 

  Weakness of the Filipino Character     

1.    Extreme personalism

2.    Extreme family centeredness

3.    Lack of discipline

4.    Passivity and lack of initiative

5.    Colonial mentality

6.    Kanya-kanya syndrome

7.    Lack of self-analysis and self-reflection


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