Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

Culture and society are complexly related. As the society changes, culture follows and
vice versa. Today, we consider the world very complicated, hence it is very important to pay
attention to the interplay of society and culture. These two are fundamentals in
understanding human behavior, conduct and activities and social groups against the
backdrop of globalization and industrialization. Therefore, students as individuals and vital
members of the society are expected to value their roles in the society, apply the knowledge
they learned from school, and translate the gained knowledge/ideas into actions beneficial to
nation building.

Quarter 1. Module 3
Analyze the concepts, aspects and changes in/of culture and society.
Specific Objectives:
1. explain the concept of society and culture in anthropological and sociological
perspective;
2. describe some major characteristics of society and culture;
3. differentiate between the various meanings of culture within society; and
4. appreciate the significance of culture in the society.

June 23, 2025

Activity 1. Picture Analysis

Write your impression/s about the pictures/images below. Use your activity
notebook for your answer.

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School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Time to Read! Time for Note-taking!

The Concept of Society
Meaning and Nature of Society
According to sociologist, a society is a group of people with common territory,
interaction, and culture. Arcinas (2016) in his book, Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics, defined society as group of people who share a common territory and culture. It is a
group of people living together in a definite territory, having a sense of belongingness,
mutually interdependent of each other, and follow a certain way of life. Society is derived
from the Latin term “societas”, from socius, which means companion or associate. Thus, it
refers to all people, collectively regarded as constituting a community of related,
interdependent individuals living in a definite place, following a certain mode of life (Ariola,
2012).

Definition of society has two types - the functional definition and the structural
definition. From the functional point of view, society is defined as a complex of groups in
reciprocal relationships, interacting upon one another, enabling human organisms to carry on
their life-activities and helping each person to fulfill his wishes and accomplish his interests in
association with his fellows. From the structural point of view, society is the total social
heritage of folkways, mores and institutions; of habits, sentiments and ideals. The important
aspect of society is the system of relationships, the pattern of the norms of interaction by
which the members of the society maintain themselves.

The following are reasons people live together as a society (Ariola, 2012):
a. For survival – No man is an island. No man can live alone. From birth to death,
man always depends upon his parents and from others. The care, support, and
protection given by them are important factors for survival.
b. Feeling of gregariousness – This is the desire of people to be with other people,
especially of their own culture. People flock together for emotional warmth and
belongingness. the need for approval, sympathy and understanding to which the
individual belongs is a psychosocial need. Among Filipinos, the feeling of
gregariousness is found in all levels of society, especially among the lower
socioeconomic classes. The more the person is needy, the more he craves
sympathy and understanding from someone else.
c. Specialization – Teachers, businessmen, students, physicians, nurses, lawyers,
pharmacists, and other professionals organize themselves into societies or
associations to promote and protect their own professions.

Characteristics of Society
Society comprises of a group of people who share a common culture, live in a particular
area and feel themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity. Society or human society
is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations such as kinship,
marriage, social status, roles and social networks. By extension, society denotes the people of
a region or country, sometimes even the world, taken as a whole.
Society has the following characteristics:
1. It is a social system. A social system consists of individuals interacting with each
other. A system consists of sub-parts whereby a change in one part affects the other parts.

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Thus, a change in one group of individuals will affect the stability of the other parts of the
system.
2. It is relatively large. The people must be socially integrated to be considered
relatively large than if the people are individually scattered. Thus, the people in a family, clan,
tribe, neighborhood, community are socially integrated to be relatively large in scope.
3. It socializes its members and from those from without. Since most of society’s
members are born to it, they are taught the basic norms and expectations. Those who come
from other societies, before being accepted as functioning members, are socialized and
taught the basic norms and expectations of the society.
4. It endures, produces and sustains its members for generations. For society
to survive, it must have the ability to produce, endure and sustain its new members for at
least several generations. For instance, if a society cannot assist its members during their
extreme conditions of hunger and poverty, that society will not survive long.

5. It holds its members through a common culture. The individuals in a society

are held together because that society has symbols, norms, values, patterns of interaction,
vision and mission that are commonly shared by
the members of such society.
6. It has clearly-defined geographical territory. The members in a society must
live in a certain specific habitat or place and have a common belongingness and sense of
purpose.

Major Functions of Society

A society is important because they have the following functions:
1. It provides a system of socialization. Knowledge and skills, dominant patterns of
behavior, moral and social values, and aspects of personality are transmitted to each
members, especially to the young. the family, the peer group, the school, the church and
other government and nongovernment organizations play a role in the individual’s
development.
2. It provides the basic needs of its members. Food, clothing, shelter, medicine,
education, transportations and communication facilities, among others must be provided by
society to satisfy the basic needs of its members.
3. It regulates and controls people’s behavior. Conformity to the prevailing norms
of conduct ensures social control. The police, armed forces, law enforcement agencies and
even the church and other government and non-government organizations exist as means of
social control. Peace and order are created through a system of norms and
formal organizations.
4. It provides the means of social participation. Through social participation, the
individuals in a society learn to interact with each other, present and discuss their concerns
and solve their own problems or renew their commitment and values. the people are give the
opportunities to contribute to their knowledge and skills for the betterment of their family,
neighborhood and community. religious organizations, civic organizations, people’s
organizations (PO) and non-government organizations (NGOs) do their part in community
development.
5. It provides mutual support to the members. Mutual support is provided to the
members of society in the form of relief in any form and solution to problems met by them.
This form of assistance may come from the family, neighbors, clans, government and non-
government agencies, civic and religious organizations.
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Types of Societies
Societies exist in particular places and times, and they change over time. Societies are
organized in particular patterns, patterns that are shaped by a range of factors, including the
way people procure food, the availability of resources,
contact with other societies, and cultural beliefs. For example, people can change from
herding to farming only if they have the knowledge, skills, and desire to do so and only in
environments that will support agriculture. As societies develop,
changes take place in the social structures and relationships between people that
characterize each type of society. For example, in industrialized societies, relationships
between people typically must become more formal because people
must interact with strangers and not just relatives. It is important to note that not all societies
go through all stages. Some are jolted into the future by political events or changes in the
global system, and some resist pressures to become modernized
and continue to live in simpler social systems.
Sociologists and anthropologists (experts who study early and tribal cultures)
identified different types and classification of societies. Below are the different types of
societies as mentioned by Ariola (2012) in his book Sociology and Anthropology with Family
Planning:

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School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Dissolution of a Society

There are several ways by which a society is dissolved: (1) when the people kill each
other through civil revolution; (2) when an outside force exterminates the members of the
society; (3) when the members become apathetic among themselves or have no more sense
of belongingness; (4) when a small society is absorbed by a stronger and larger society by
means of conquest or territorial absorption; (5) when an existing society is submerged in
water killing all the people and other living things in it; or (60 when the people living in such a
society voluntarily attach themselves to another existing society.

Activity 2. List and Define!

From the concept of society, list 10 important terms and define each in your own
words. Write your answers in your activity notebook. Each term is worth 2 points.

June 24, 2025

Before we continue with the lesson, may I ask for five volunteers to share in class the
10 terms they defined from the previous activity. Each volunteer will earn 10 points, which
will be written beside the activity number. These points will count toward your class
participation.

“Time to Read! Time for Note-taking!”

Please take note that your notes will be checked. You don’t need to write everything-just a summary is
better.

The Concept of Culture

Meaning and Nature of Culture

It was E.B. Taylor who conceptualized the definition of culture in 1860s. According to
him, culture is a complex whole which consist of knowledge, beliefs, ideas, habits, attitudes,
skills, abilities, values, norms, art, law, morals, customs, traditions, feelings and other
capabilities of man which are acquired, learned and socially transmitted by man from one
generation to another through language and living together as members of the society

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

(Arcinas, 2016). Below are other definitions of culture as mentioned in the book of David and
Macaraeg (2010) entitled“ Socioloy: Exploring Society and Culture”:

 Culture is a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a

system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic formby means of which men
communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes towards
life. – Clifford Geertz
 Culture consists of learned systems of meaning, communicated by means of natural
language and other symbol systems, having representational, directive, and affective
functions, and capable of creating cultural entities and particular senses of reality. –
Roy D’Andrade
 Culture is an extrasomatic (nongenetic,nonbodily), temporal continuum of things and
events dependent upon symbols. Culture consists of tools, implements, utensils,
clothing, ornaments, customs, institutions, beliefs, rituals, games, works of art,
language, etc. – Leslie White
 Culture consists in the shared patterns of behavior and associated meanings that
people learn and participate in within the groups to which they belong. – Whitten and
Hunter
 A society’s culture consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to
operate in a manner acceptable to its members. – Ward Goodenough
 Culture is an instrumental reality, and apparatus for the satisfaction of the biological
and derived need”. It is the integral whole consisting of implements in consumers’
goods, of constitutional characters for the various social groupings, of human ideas and
crafts, beliefs and custom. – Malinowski
 Culture in general as a descriptive concept means the accumulated treasury of human
creation: books, paintings, buildings, and the like; the knowledge of ways of adjusting
to our surroundings, both human and physical; language, customs, and systems of
etiquette, ethics, religion and morals that have been built up through the ages. –
Kluckhohn and Kelly
 Culture refers to that part of the total setting [of human existence] which includes the
material objects of human manufacture, techniques, social orientations, points of view,
and sanctioned ends that are the immediate conditioning factors underlying behavior
or in simple terms it is the “man made part of the environmen. – Herskovits
 A culture is the total socially acquired life-way or life-style of a group of people. It
consists of the patterned, repetitive ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are
characteristic of the members of a particular society or segment of a society. – Harris
 The concept of culture as everything that people have, thinks, and does as members of
a society. This definition can be instructive because the three verbs correspond to the
three major components of culture. That is, everything that people have refers to
material possessions; everything that people think refers to those things they carry
around in their heads, such as ideas, values, and attitudes; and everything that people
do refers to behavior patterns. Thus all cultures comprise (a) material objects, (b)
ideas, values, and attitudes, and (c) patterned ways of behaving. – Gary Ferraro

In general, culture is a term used by social scientists, like anthropologists and

sociologists, to encompass all the facets of human experience that extend beyond our
physical fact. It simply refers to the way we understand ourselves both as individuals and
as members of society, and includes stories, religion, media, rituals, and even language
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

itself. Irrespective of the various definitions, conceptions and approaches to the

understanding of the concept of culture, it is however agreed that culture is a way of life
and morality is a part of culture. Practically all modern definitions share key features.

Characteristics of Culture

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Importance/Functions of Culture

Sociologists recognize and regard culture as one of the most important concepts within
sociology because it plays a vital role in our social lives. It is essential for shaping social
relationships, maintaining and challenging social order, determining how we make sense of
the world and our place in it, and in shaping our everyday actions and experiences in society.
Moreover, culture is important to sociologists because it plays a significant and important role
in the production of social order. The social order refers to the stability of society based on the
collective agreement to rules and norms that allow us to cooperate, function as a society, and
live together (ideally) in peace and harmony (Cole, 2019).

In the book of (David and Macaraeg, 2010), the following functions of culture were
given emphasis: (1) it serves as the “trademark” of the people in the society; (2) it gives
meaning and direction to one’s existence; (3) it promotes meaning to individual’s existence;
(4) it predicts social behavior; (5) it unifies diverse behavior; (6) it provides social solidarity;
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

(7) it establishes social personality; (8) it provides systematic behavioral pattern; (9) it
provides social structure category; (10) it maintains the biologic functioning of the group; (11)
it offers ready-made solutions to man’s material and immaterial problems; and (12) it
develops man’s attitude and values and gives him a conscience.

Elements of Culture

1. Symbols refers to anything that is used to stand for something else. It is anything
that gives meaning to the culture. People who share a culture often attach a specific
meaning to an object, gesture, sound, or image. An example of which are the feasts
we are celebrating. Those particular events give a representation of a particular
culture. Even the meanings we provide to things such as colors and graphic symbols
provide understanding which is common to a certain group of people (David and
Macaraeg, 2010). For instance, a cross is a significant symbol to Christians. It is not
simply two pieces of wood attached to each other, nor is it just an old object of
torture and execution. To Christians, it represents the basis of their entire religion,
and they have great reverence for the symbol.
2. Language is known as the storehouse of culture ( Arcinas, 2016). It system of
words and symbols used to communicate with other people. We have a lot of
dialects in the Phillipines that provide a means of understanding. Through these,
culture is hereby transmitted to future generation through learning (David and
Macaraeg, 2010).
3. Technology refers to the application of knowledge and equipment to ease the task
of living and maintaining the environment; it includes artifacts, methods and
devices created and used by people (Arcinas, 2016).
4. Values are culturally defined standards for what is good or desirable. Values
determine how individuals will probably respond in any given circumstances.
Members of the culture use the shared system of values to decide what is good and
what is bad. This also refers to the abstract concept of what is important and
worthwhile (Davidand Macaraeg, 2010). What is considered as good, proper and
desirable, or bad, improper or undesirable, in a culture can be called as values
(Arcinas, 2016). It influence people’s behavior and serve as a benchmark for
evaluating the actions of others. Majority of Philippine population is bonded together
by common values and traits that are first taught at home and being applied in our
day to day lives. Filipinos are known for the following values: (a) compassionate; (b)
spirit of kinship and camaraderie; (c) hardwork and industry; (d) ability to survive;
(e) faith and religiosity; (f) flexibility, adaptability and creativity; (g) joy and humor;
(h) family orientation; (i) hospitality; and (j) pakikipagkapwa-tao.
5. Beliefs refers to the faith of an individual ( David and Macaraeg, 2010). They are
conceptions or ideas of people have about what is true in the environment around
them like what is life, how to value it and how one’s belied on the value of life relate
with his or her interaction with others and the world. These maybe based on
common sense, folk wisdom, religion, science or a combination of all of these
(Arcinas, 2016).
6. Norms are specific rules/standards to guide for appropriate behavior (Arcinas,
2016). These are societal expectations that mandate specific behaviors in specific
situations (David and Macaraeg, 2010). Like in school, we are expected to behave in
a particular way. If violate norms, we look different. Thus, we can be called as social
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

deviants. For example, Filipino males are expected to wear pants, not skirts and
females are expected to have a long hair not a short one like that of males. Social
norms are indeed very essential in understanding the nature of man’s social
relationship. They are of different types and forms According to Palispis (2007), as
mention by Baleña (2016), in the social interaction process, each member
possesses certain expectations about the responses of another member. Therefore,
it is very important to determine the different forms of societal norms.

Types:

a. Proscriptive norm defines and tells us things not to do.

b. Prescriptive norm defines and tells us things to do

Forms:

a. Folkways are also known as customs (customary/repetitive ways of doing things);

they are forms of norms for everyday behavior that people follow for the sake of
tradition or convenience. Breaking them does not usually have serious
consequences. We have certain customs that were passed on by our forebears that
make up a large part of our day to day existence and we do not question their
practicality. Since they are being practiced, it is expected that we do them also. For
example, we Filipinos eat with our bear hands.
b. Mores are strict norms that control moral and ethical behavior; they are based on
definitions of right and wrong (Arcinas, 2016). They are norms also but with moral
understones (David and Macaraeg, 2010). For example, since our country
Philippines is a Christian nation, we are expected to practice monogamous
marriage. So if a person who has two or more partners is looked upon as immoral.
Polygamy is considered taboo in Philippine society.
c. Laws are controlled ethics and they are morally agreed, written down and enforced
by an official law enforcement agency (Arcinas, 2016). They are institutionalized
norms and mores that were enacted by the state to ensure stricter punishment in
order for the people to adhere to the standards set by society (David and Macaraeg,
2010).

Two Components of Culture

Sociologists describe two interrelated aspects of human culture: the physical objects of
the culture (material culture) and the ideas associated with these objects (non-material
culture).

1. Material culture consists of tangible things (Banaag, 2012). It refers to the

physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.
These include homes, neighborhoods, cities, schools, churches, synagogues,
temples, mosques, offices, factories and plants, tools, means of production, goods
and products, stores, and so forth. All of these physical aspects of a culture help to
define its members' behaviors and perceptions. Everything that is created,
produced, changed and utilized by men is included in the material culture (Arcinas,
2016).
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

2. Non-material culture consists of intangible things (Banaag, 2012). Non‐material

culture refers to the nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture,
including beliefs, values, rules, norms, morals, language, organizations, and
institutions. For instance, the non‐material cultural concept of religion consists of a
set of ideas and beliefs about God, worship, morals, and ethics. These beliefs, then,
determine how the culture responds to its religious topics, issues, and events. When
considering non‐material culture, sociologists refer to several processes that a
culture uses to shape its members' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Four of the
most important of these are symbols, language, values, and norms. Non-material
culture can be categorized into cognitive and normative culture. The former
includes ideas, concepts, philosophies, designs etc. that are product of mental or
intellectual functioning and reasoning of the human mind. Whereas, the latter
includes all expectations, standards and rules for human behaviour. (Arcinas, 2016).

Activity 3. Material or Non-Material Culture

Determine whether the culture being described is a Material Culture or Non-material

Culture. Write your answer in your activity notebook.

1. The San Juanico bridge is one of the longest bridges in the Philippines.
2. Singing the Philippine National Anthem is being patriotic to our country.
3. “Panghaharana” is an old fashion courtship of Filipinos.
4. The Roman catholic religion is the largest religion in the world.
5. The Malacanang Palace is where the President of the country resides.
6. Sampaguita as known to be the national flower of the Philippines is rich with
symbolism.
7. San Miguel Leyte celebrates festivity through the Bathan Festival.
8. Lechon baboy is always an important menu in every occasion in the Philippines.
9. Pagmamano and saying po and opo show high respect to elders.
10.Vote buying during election is becoming a norm in the society.

June 25, 2025

Today, I hope you have learned the difference between material and non-material
culture. To start the class, may I ask for 10 volunteers to share 2 examples of material and
non-material culture observed in your community. Each volunteer will receive 5 points for
participation.

Let’s continue learning by reading…

Modes of Acquiring Culture

1. Imitation - Children and adults alike have the tendency to imitate the values,
attitudes, language and all other things in their social environment. Some of those

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

things imitated are internalized in their personality and become a part of their
attitude, character and other behavioral patterns.
2. Indoctrination or Suggestion - This may take the form of formal training or
informal teaching. Formally, the person learns from school. Informally, he may
acquire those behaviors from listening or watching, reading, attending training
activities or through interaction.
3. Conditioning - The values, beliefs, and attitudes of other people are acquired
through conditioning. This conditioning can be reinforced through reward and
punishment.

Adaptation of Culture

1. Parallelism means that the same culture may take place in two or more different
places. Example: The domestication of dogs, cats, pigs and other animals may have
semblance in other places.
2. Infusion refers to those behavioral patterns that pass back and forth from one
culture to another. This is the transfer or spread of culture traits from one another
brought about by change agents such as people or media Examples: food and
eating practices, marriage and wedding ceremonies, burial rituals, feast
celebrations.
3. Convergence takes place when two or more cultures are fused or merged into one
culture making it different from the original culture.
4. Fission takes place when people break away from their original culture and start
developing a different culture of their own.
5. Acculturation refers to the process wherein individuals incorporate the behavioral
patterns of other cultures into their own either voluntarily or by force. Voluntary
acculturation occurs through imitation, borrowing, or personal contact with other
people.
6. Assimilation occurs when the culture of a larger society is adopted by a smaller
society, that smaller society assumes some of the culture of the larger society or
cost society.
7. Accommodation occurs when the larger society and smaller society are able to
respect and tolerate each other’s culture even if there is already a prolonged
contact of each other’s culture.

Causes of Cultural Change

1. Discovery is the process of finding a new place or an object, artefact or anything

that previously existed. For example, the discovery of fire led to the art of cooking;
discovery of oil, of organisms and substances; of diseases; of atoms and sources of
energy.
2. Invention implies a creative mental process of devising, creating and producing
something new, novel or original; and also the utilization and combination of
previously known elements to produce that an original or novel product. It could be
either social or material or it could also be invention of new methods or techniques.
Example of social invention: invention of number system, government, language,
democracy, religion, and alphabet Example of Material Invention: invention of the
wheel, machines.
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

3. Diffusion is the spread of cultural traits or social practices from a society or group
to another belonging to the same society or to another through direct contact with
each other and exposure to new forms. It involves the following social processes:
a. Acculturation – cultural borrowing and cultural imitation Example: The
Filipinos are said to be the best English speaking people of Asia.
b. Assimilation – the blending or fusion of two distinct cultures through long
periods of interaction Example: Americanization of Filipino immigrants to
the US.
c. Amalgamation – the biological or hereditary fusion of members of
different societies. Example: Marriage between a Filipino and an American.
d. Enculturation – the deliberate infusion of a new culture to another
Example: The teaching of American history and culture to the Filipinos
during the early American Regime.
4. Colonization refers to the political, social, and political policy of establishing a
colony which would be subject to the rule or governance of the colonizing state. For
example, the Hispanization of Filipino culture when the Spaniards came and
conquered the Philippines.
5. Rebellon and revolutionary movements aim to change the whole social order
and replace the leadership. The challenge the existing folkways and mores, and
propose a new scheme of norms, values and organization

Ethnocentrism, Xenocentrism and Cultural Relativism as Orientations in Viewing

Other Cultures

Cultural variation is the differences in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit
around the world. What may be considered good etiquette in one culture may be considered
bad etiquette in another. In relation to this, there are important perceptions on cultural
variability: ethnocentrism, xenocentrism and cultural relativism.

Etnocentrism is a perception that arises from the fact that cultures differ and each
culture defines reality differently. This happens when judging another culture solely by the
values and standards of one’s own culture (Baleña, et.al,2016). This is the tendency to see
and evaluate other cultures in terms of one’s own race, nation or culture. This is the feeling or
belief that one’s culture is better than the rest. Whereas, xenocentrism is the opposite of
ethnocentrism, the belief that one’s culture is inferior compared to others. People are highly
influenced by the culture or many culture outside the realm of their society. This could be one
of the effects of globalization. Exposure to cultural practices of others may make one
individual or group of individuals to give preference to the ideas, lifestyle and products of
other culture.

Cultural relativism is an attempt to judge behavior according to its cultural context

(Baleña, et.al,2016). It is a principle that an individual person’s beliefs and activities should be
understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture. This concept emphasizes the
perspective that no culture is superior to any other culture (Arcinas, 2016) because (a)
different societies have different moral code; (b) the moral code of a society determines what
is right or wrong within the society; (c) there are no moral truths that hold for all people at all
times; (d) the moral code of our own society has no special status, it is but one among many;
and (e) it is arrogant for us to judge other cultures, so we have to be tolerant to them.
``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Other Important Terms Related to Culture

1. Cultural diversity refers the differentiation of culture all over the world which
means there is no right or wrong culture but there is appropriate culture for the
need of a specific group of people.
2. Sub-culture refers to a smaller group within a larger culture.
3. Counterculture refers cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted
within a society (example in the 1960”s counter culture among teenagers reflect
long hair, blue jeans, peace sign, rock and roll music and drug abuse).
4. Culture lag is experienced when some parts of the society do not change as fast as
with other parts and they are left behind
5. Culture shock is the inability to read meaning in one’s surroundings, feeling of lost
and isolation, unsure to act as a consequence of being outside the symbolic web of
culture that binds others.
6. Ideal culture refers to the social patterns mandated by cultural values and norms.
7. Real culture refers to the actual patterns that only approximate cultural
expectations.
8. High culture refers to the cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite.
9. Popular culture refers to the cultural patterns that are widespread among a
society’s population.
10. Culture change is the manner by which culture evolves.

Activity 4. Culture Listing

In groups of four or five members, list as many cultural practices as you can that you
have learned from your family, friends, and community. Write your answers on a whole sheet
of paper.

Assignment.

On June 27, 2025, you will create a poster showing how society or culture has evolved
over time. Please bring coloring materials, pencils, one short bond paper, and any other
materials needed for the activity. This is a group activity with 5 to 6 members. Posters must
be completed in school during my scheduled time with your class.

June 26, 2025

Activity 5. What I Understood!

Hello! I believe you’ve already learned many concepts about society and culture.
Today, you are to write 20 terms you have understood, along with their definitions, on a
whole sheet of paper. The terms you write will be used to evaluate you during the in-person
oral graded recitation.

June 27, 2025

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF LEYTE
SAN MIGUEL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Activity 6. Poster Making (Group activity)

1. In a group of 5 or 6 members, create a poster depicting how society or culture has evolved over
time.
2. Use any coloring and art materials to make your poster more attractive.
3. Use one short bond paper for your output. Attach a short explanation of the poster on ½
crosswise paper.
4. The poster will be scored as follows: Content(50pts), Color Combinations(30pts),
Explanation(20pts), Total(100pts)
5. The output should be completed in the classroom and finished within the allotted 1-
hour period.

``
School ID : 303426
School Address : Brgy. Cayare, San Miguel, Leyte
Email Address : 303426@deped.gov.ph