Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

HOW SOCIETY IS
ORGANIZED
 Lesson Objectives

1 2 3 4 5
Understand Examine the Differentiate Analyze the Determine your
the meaning sociological the various functions of social groups.
of social perspectives forms of social groups.
groups. about social social groups.
groups.
 Motivation
How do you
01 organize your
personal things?

Why do you think

02 organizing your
things is
important?
“Man is by nature a
social animal.”

-Aristotle
 SOCIETY
A society is mostly characterized as
an organized interrelated group of
people who act together for
collective living, as they share the
same language, territory, and
culture. However, a group of
individuals in a certain place does
not instantly make a social group.
Sociological Perspective of
Society
Social groups are fundamental
parts of human life. They are a
multitude of people who see
each other often and think of
themselves as part of a group.
There appears to be groups of
people everywhere.
 Sociological
Level of Analysis Focus
Perspective

The way each part of

Structural Functionalism Macro or Mid society functions together
to contribute to the whole

The way inequalities contribute

Conflict Theory Macro to social differences and
perpetuate differences in power

One-to-one interactions and

Symbolic Interactionism Macro
communications
Structural-functional theory
Structural-functionalism believes that
society is a constitution with
interconnected parts organized to attain
the biological and sociological needs of
individuals in the society. Hebert Spencer
(1820 – 1903) claimed that just like the
different organs of the body the various
parts of society worked together to keep
society functioning.

 The parts of society that

Spencer referred to were the
social institutions, or patterns
of beliefs and behaviors
focused on meeting social
needs.
Robert Merton (1910 – 2003) noted that
social processes had functions.
Manifest functions are the outcomes
of a social process that are expected.
On the other hand, latent functions
are unintended outcomes of a social
process. Dysfunctions may happen
when social processes have
undesirable outcomes for the society.
 Conflict theory
Conflict theory or Marxism sees society
as a competition for limited resources.
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) believed that
society was composed of individuals in
various social classes competing for
resources such as food, clothing, shelter,
and employment. Social institutions in
some cases displayed this practice of
inequalities and unequal social structure
between the rich and the poor.
Max Weber (1864-1920) added that aside
from economic inequalities, there were
also inequalities of social structure
andpolitical power that caused
struggle. He noted that various groups
were treated differently based on race,
gender, and educational attainment.
The people’s state of inequality was
influenced by class deviation, social
immobility and representation of
political power.
Symbolic Interactionist Theory
Symbolic Interactionism studied the
human relationship of individuals within
a society or human interaction in which
people make sense of their social
worlds or communication through
exchange of language, symbols and its
meaning. Nancy J. Herman and Larry T.
Reynolds (1994) declared that this
orientation showed people as active
individuals in the process of
socialization than merely state of
human action.
George Herbert Mead (1863 – 1931) is
considered as the founding father of symbolic
interactionism. His student, Herbert Blumer
(1900-1987), coined the term and
characterized it with these basic premises: (a)
human beings communicate based on the
meanings they ascribe to things; (b) the
attribute meaning of things come from our
interactions with others and society; and (c)
the meanings of things are interpreted
through a process used by the individual
intreating the things he or she experiences.
There are various perspectives about
groups in terms of the component that
should be considered among the social
groups like race, gender, universities,
committees, political parties, corporations,
and nations. According to John Macionis
(2012), the increase of group members trims
down the exquisite interaction of individual
members. They are more firm and can
withstand the loss of other members.
Bigger groups are not founded on personal
affection but more on conventional
regulation and order.
 Forms of Social Group
Groups are formed as an assemblage of people
who often interact with each other on the basis
of a common outlook concerning behavior and a
sense of common identity. A social group may
consist of two or more individuals who do
things together with a common goal and
interest.
 examples:
family schoolmate
relatives co-workers
couples business
friends neighborhood
church mate organization
clubs team mate
 GROUP
- is any collection of people who interact on
the basis of shared expectations regarding
one another’s behavior (Kornblum, 2003).

- is consists of two or more people who are

bound together in relatively stable patterns of
social interaction and who share a feeling of
unity (Hughes and Kroeler, 2009)

- it is a collection of individuals characterize by:

a) Communication
b) Recognition
c) Specialized roles
 THREE REQUIREMENTS FOR A GROUP

1. there must be 2. There must be 3. The members

two or more interaction. must be together
people physically.
 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE GROUPS
1. Motivational base shared by
individuals (based on needs,
interests, desires, noble 2. Size of the group
activities, insecurities, or
problems)

4. The kind of a group

3. Type of group goals cohesion/unity (the capability
to function and interact
collectively in the direction of
their goals)
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A GROUP
Group is characterized by the following:
2. A group has a social
1. A group has identity structure in the sense that
identifiable by both its each part or member has a
members and outsiders. position related to other
positions.

4. There is mutual
3. Each member in a group
reciprocity among
has roles to play
members in a group.
 GROUP AS DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHER
COLLECTION OF PEOPLE LIKE:
1. aggregate 2. category 3. collectivity
-A simple collection of - A simple collection of - Collection of people in
people who are in the people who share a given place and time
same place at the same distinctive characteristics
(age, sex, race,
time without interacting
income/social class,
with each other occupation, religion,
political beliefs, ethnicity)
 Importance of a group:
1. A group is a major source of solidarity
and cohesion.
2. A group reinforces and strengthens
our integration into society.
3. A group shares basic survival and
problem-solving techniques to satisfy
personal and emotional needs.
4. A group gives meaning and support
to an individual.
HOW IS A GROUP FORMED?
1. The desire to achieve an
objective

2. To meet the needs of the

individual member

3. People are treated alike by

others
CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS
A. Primary Groups
- personal and intimate relationship
- face to face communication
- permanence duration
- a strong sense of loyalty or “we”
feeling
- small in size
- informal structure
- traditional or non-rational decision-
making
CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS
B. Secondary Groups
- Large - impersonal, aloof
relationship - indirect
communication
- temporary duration
- weak group cohesiveness based on
self-interest
- rational decision-making
- formal structure
 GROUP BOUNDARIES
A. IN- GROUP
- group with which the individual identifies and which gives
him sense of belonging, solidarity, camaraderie, esprit de
corps, and a protective attitude toward the other members.
- The members are loyal to each other and share common
norms, activities, goals and background.
 GROUP BOUNDARIES
B. OUT-GROUP
- viewed as outsiders by the in-group;
- Any member of the in-group has insufficient contact with the
members of the out-group
- Members of the in-group have feelings of strangeness, dislikes,
avoidance, antagonism, indifference and even hatred toward the
out-group
 GROUP BOUNDARIES
C. REFERENCE GROUP
- Group that is significant to us as models even though we ourselves
may not be a part of the group.
- Is one which an individual does not only have a high regard for but one
after which he or she patterns his/her life
- Its central aspect is self-identification rather than actual membership
TYPE OF GROUP BOUNDARIES
A. FORMAL GROUP BOUNDARIES
- groups in which duties and privileges
are clearly defined and expectations are
prescribed, independent of the person
who happens to occupy a given position
- Individual roles are explicitly designed
as president, v-president, secretary,
and treasurer
- With constitution or set of by-laws
TYPE OF GROUP BOUNDARIES
A. INFORMAL GROUP BOUNDARIES
- Arises spontaneously out of the
interactions of two or more people
- They are unplanned, have no explicit
rules for membership, and do not have
specific objectives to be attained
- The members exchange confidences,
share a feeling of intimacy and acquire
a sense of belongingness.
CONSEQUENCES OF GROUP
BOUNDARIES
a. people gain a clearer sense of their
diversity

b. ethnocentrism may grow

c. serious personal and social

problems may arise
 Functions of Social Groups
- The primary group plays a vital part in the socialization
process.

- On the other hand, secondary group members tend to relate

to others only in specific roles and for practical reasons.
 Functions of Social Groups
An in-group may form within our secondary group such as our
workmates, group mates, or assembly which functions as a group of
people who can connect with each other because of their sense of
identity and belongingness while out group functions as a competitor
or rival group that an individual is opposed to.
 Functions of Social Groups
- Reference group provides a standard of measurement.
- This group has a strong impact on how a person thinks and acts.
- Social networks are influential in a wide range of online platforms
used for building social relationships with other people including
sharing of political opinions, likes and dislikes, and can even show
trending societal issues or personalities.
Thank You