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PHILIPPINE SOCIAL REALITIES AND SOCIAL WELFARE
Objective Element:
"For any condition or behavior to be considered a social problem, it must have negative consequences for large numbers of people."
This view focuses on measurable harm or widespread effects. It's about whether a condition actually impacts society in some tangible way. Examples include:
High unemployment rates Widespread poverty Crime rates Environmental pollution
These issues can often be backed by data , statistics, or clear evidence of negative outcomes. If thousands or millions are affected, it's seen as objectively problematic.
🠀 Subjective Element:
"There must be a perception that a condition or behavior needs to be addressed for it to be considered a social problem."
Here, it's not about facts alone— public perception and awareness play a key role. A condition might objectively harm people, but if the public doesn’t see it as a problem, it might not receive attention. Conversely, something with relatively minor impact can be perceived as a major issue due to media coverage, moral panic, or cultural values.
Examples:
Mental health wasn't widely considered a social problem until recent decades. Some people may view drug use as a moral failing rather than a social issue, while others see it as a public health crisis.
🠀 How They Work Together:
A condition needs to have both :
- Actual harm or negative consequences (objective), and
- Recognition and demand for action (subjective)
Without both, it typically doesn’t gain the status of a “social problem.”
For example:
Climate change has huge objective consequences (rising sea levels, extreme weather), but in some regions, it’s still not widely accepted as a pressing problem (subjective element missing). Youth vaping became a social problem quickly not just because of potential health impacts (objective), but also because of strong media attention and concern from parents and schools (subjective).
ELEMENTS OF SOCIALSTRUCTURE
1. Institutions
Definition: An institution is a stable, organized system of social behavior with a recognized purpose. They are the foundational structures that guide our daily lives and maintain social order.
Key Characteristics:
Long-lasting and resistant to change. Shape values, norms, and roles. Provide expectations for how individuals should behave.
Traditional Core Institutions:
- Family – socializes individuals, regulates reproduction, provides emotional support.
- Religion – offers moral guidance, meaning, and community.
- Politics – organizes power, makes and enforces laws.
- Economics – manages production, distribution, and consumption of goods/services.
- Education – transmits knowledge, skills, and cultural values.
Emerging or Expanding Institutions:
Science and Technology – influence how we understand the world and interact with it.
Social groups (people interacting) are made up of statuses (positions individuals occupy).
Types of Statuses
- Ascribed Status o Given at birth or involuntarily assigned later in life. o You don't choose it—it's based on characteristics like: Race Sex Age Ethnicity Social class (you’re born into) o Example: A person born into royalty, or being a daughter or son.
- Achieved Status o Chosen or earned through effort, behavior, or accomplishments. o You have control over this status (at least partially). o Example: Becoming a doctor, teacher, athlete. Being a graduate or elected official.
🏛 ️ Statuses in the Bigger Picture
Let’s see how this fits into the larger social structure :
Institutions are made of ➡️ social groups Social groups are made of ➡️ statuses People occupying statuses play ➡️ roles (which we can talk about next!)
So in a school (institution), there are:
Groups: Students, teachers, staff. Statuses: "Student", "Teacher", "Principal", each with different positions. And each of those statuses comes with a set of roles (like expectations or duties tied to that position).
💭 Beliefs
Definition: Beliefs are the ideas or assumptions that people accept as true , whether or not they are backed by evidence.
Beliefs help people make sense of the world. They often come from culture, religion, education, and personal experience. They can vary widely between individuals and groups.
Examples:
"Hard work leads to success." "All people are created equal." Religious beliefs (e.g., in a higher power, life after death). Scientific beliefs (e.g., climate change is caused by human activity).
Beliefs shape how people interpret events, behaviors, and social norms.
🌟 Values
Definition: Values are the shared ideas about what is good or bad , right or wrong , important or unimportant in a society.
Values provide general guidelines for social living. They influence how people act, judge others, and make decisions. Often deeply ingrained and passed down from generation to generation.
Examples:
Honesty, freedom, equality, loyalty. In some cultures, individualism is a key value (focus on personal achievement). In others, collectivism is valued (focus on group harmony and responsibility).
o Violating them might just be considered "weird" or "rude," not serious. o Example: Saying “please” and “thank you,” dressing appropriately for an event, waiting your turn in line.
- Mores o Norms that have moral importance and are tied to core values of the culture. o Violating mores is seen as serious and may result in strong disapproval. o Example: Cheating on a spouse, using hate speech, or stealing.
- Laws o Norms that are formally written and enforced by the government. o They carry legal consequences if broken. o All laws are norms, but not all norms are laws. o Example: Speed limits, theft laws, anti-discrimination regulations.
🚦 Sanctions
Definition: Sanctions are the reactions or consequences people face for following or breaking norms.
They help enforce social control —keeping behavior aligned with what’s expected.
Two Types of Sanctions:
- Formal Sanctions o Imposed by official organizations or authorities (e.g., police, schools, workplaces). o Examples: Getting a raise for good performance (positive formal sanction) Getting arrested for breaking the law (negative formal sanction)
- Informal Sanctions o Given by individuals or small groups in everyday social interaction. o Examples: Smiles, praise, or high-fives for doing something kind (positive) Eye rolls, gossip, or being ignored for rude behavior (negative)
🔁 How Norms and Sanctions Connect to Social Structure:
Norms reflect a society’s values and beliefs.
They are reinforced by sanctions to ensure people conform. When enough people challenge norms , it can lead to social change (e.g., civil rights movements).
🠀 Sociological Imagination
Definition: The sociological imagination is the ability to see the link between personal experiences and the wider society. It helps us understand how individual lives are shaped by social, cultural, historical, and institutional forces.
As Mills said, it allows us to “grasp the connection between history and biography.”
🠀♀️ vs 🌍 Private Troubles vs. Public Issues
A central part of sociological imagination is being able to distinguish between:
- Private Troubles o Personal problems experienced by the individual. o They feel unique, but may actually be shared by many others. o Example: One person being unemployed might feel like a personal failure.
- Public Issues o These are larger social problems that affect many people and are rooted in society’s structure. o Example: High national unemployment due to economic shifts or outsourcing—this isn't just your problem, it’s a systemic one.
The sociological imagination asks:
"Is this just happening to me, or is there a bigger pattern behind it?"
🔍 Examples in Everyday Life:
Student debt o Private Trouble: “I can’t afford college.” o Public Issue: Rising tuition, systemic inequality in education access. Mental health o Private Trouble: “I’m anxious or depressed.”
🔍 Two Main Theories of Social Problems within this Perspective:
1. Social Pathology Theory
Analogy: Just like a body can get "sick," so can society. Social problems are viewed as the result of a moral or institutional “sickness.” Focus is on moral failure, weak institutions , or deviant behavior. Examples: o Crime or juvenile delinquency = breakdown in family structure. o Poverty = failure of education or economic systems. o Violence = decline in religious or moral values.
Solution: "Fix" or strengthen the institutions (like family, education, religion) to restore balance.
2. Social Disorganization Theory
Focuses on the disruption of social norms and values. When society changes too quickly or norms conflict, people feel disconnected or confused about expectations. This leads to anomie (a state of normlessness, as described by Émile Durkheim). Examples: o Rapid urbanization or technological change → disconnection in communities. o Cultural shifts that leave old norms behind but haven’t replaced them with new ones → confusion and deviance.
Solution: Re-establish clear norms and community structure to restore order.
🠀 Connection to the Bigger Picture
The Structural-Functionalist view:
Emphasizes stability and consensus. Sees change as potentially disruptive unless it’s gradual and orderly. Believes that every element of society has a purpose —even deviance (which can reinforce norms or push for change).
️ CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
Core Idea: Society is seen as a place of constant conflict, competition, and inequality. Different groups are fighting over limited resources —like power, wealth, education, or social status.
This perspective is heavily influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx , who focused on the struggle between:
The bourgeoisie (the "haves") → own the means of production (factories, land, capital) The proletariat (the "have-nots") → must sell their labor for wages
💸 Key Concepts within the Conflict Perspective
1. Class Inequality
The rich and powerful use their wealth, influence, and institutions (law, media, politics) to maintain control. Social problems often reflect the interests of the elite being protected at the expense of the majority. Example: Poverty is not a personal failing but a result of systemic exploitation.
2. Corporate Violence
Refers to harm caused by businesses to workers, consumers, or the public—often hidden and accepted as "normal business." Examples include: o Unsafe working conditions o Toxic chemicals or pollution o Faulty products sold to consumers o Prioritizing profits over public safety
The elite protect corporate interests even when harm is done, showing power imbalance and lack of accountability.
In other words, society is built through millions of small, everyday interactions where people use symbols (like language, gestures, labels) to communicate and make sense of the world.
🔄 Key Concepts
- Symbols o Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture. o Examples: Words, gestures, facial expressions, clothing, status symbols (like a luxury car or a wedding ring).
- Meaning is Not Fixed o Meanings can change depending on the context and interaction. o For example, the word “boss” might mean “leader” to one person and “oppressor” to another.
- The Self is Socially Constructed o We develop our identity based on how others see and respond to us. o Through repeated interaction, we begin to see ourselves the way others define us—this is called the Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley).
🠀 How This Perspective Explains Social Problems
Social problems are not just "out there"—they are constructed through labels, definitions, and reactions.
Example: Deviance and Crime
A person isn’t a “criminal” because of their action alone, but because society labels them as one. Labeling Theory: Once labeled as “deviant,” a person may be treated differently— and that label may shape how they see themselves, creating a cycle.
Example: Mental Illness
Whether someone is viewed as “sick,” “dangerous,” or “in need of help” depends on how society defines and reacts to their behavior.
🠀 Summary Table of the Three Perspectives
Perspective Focus View of Social Problems
Structural- Functionalist
Stability and function Result from dysfunction or breakdown of norms
Conflict Power and inequality Result from^ exploitation and power struggles
Symbolic- Interactionist
Meaning and interaction Result from labeling and social definitions
🠀 Types of Poverty
1. 🏚 ️ Absolute Poverty
Definition: A condition where a person lacks the basic necessities of life—such as food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. It is life-threatening and often measured using a universal poverty line (e.g., living on less than $2.15/day according to the World Bank). Example: A family that cannot afford enough food to survive.
2. 🠀 Relative Poverty
Definition: Poverty defined in relation to the standards of the society someone lives in. A person may have their basic needs met, but they cannot afford the average lifestyle of their community. It's more about inequality and social exclusion. Example: A child who has food and shelter but can’t afford internet or school supplies in a wealthy neighborhood.
Poverty is measured by comparing an individual’s or household’s income to a poverty line (like the $2.15/day global benchmark). Most common and widely used approach, especially by governments and international agencies. Pros: Easy to measure, track, and compare over time and across countries. Cons: Doesn’t capture non-financial aspects of poverty (e.g., health, education, dignity).
Example: If someone earns below the set national poverty line, they are considered poor, regardless of their health, skills, or social standing.
🎯 2. Capability Approach (Amartya Sen’s model)
Focus: What people are able to do and be —their freedoms and opportunities. Poverty is seen as a lack of capabilities , not just a lack of money. Emphasizes well-being , choice, and human development. Pros: Broader and more human-centered; ties poverty to freedom and functioning (e.g., being educated, being healthy). Cons: More complex to measure than income.
Example: A person with enough money but no access to education or healthcare is still considered poor under this approach.
🚪 3. Social Exclusion Approach
Focus: Being shut out from full participation in society. Poverty is not just about material lack, but also about being excluded from social, economic, political, and cultural life. Often used in Europe and by sociologists. Pros: Highlights discrimination, marginalization, and inequality. Cons: Can be difficult to quantify.
Example: Ethnic minorities or people with disabilities might be excluded from employment or political representation, regardless of income.
🗣 ️ 4. Participatory Approach
Focus: What poor people themselves define as poverty and their own experiences. Emphasizes inclusion, empowerment, and community voice. Involves the poor in designing and evaluating poverty-reduction programs. Pros: Culturally sensitive and empowering. Cons: Subjective and harder to scale for broad comparison.
Example: In a participatory rural appraisal, people in a village might define poverty as lack of land or social respect—things that aren’t captured in income statistics.
🔁 Summary Table
Approach Focus Area Strengths Limitations
Monetary Income & consumption
Easy to measure and compare Ignores social and human factors
Capability
Freedom & functioning
Human-centered, broad view of well-being Harder to quantify
Social Exclusion
Participation & access
Focuses on discrimination and inequality
More abstract and context-specific
Participatory Lived experiences Empowers the poor, locally grounded
Subjective, not easily standardized
🠀 SPECSEG Framework
🠀🠀🠀 S – Social
Focus: Relationships, community life, access to social services, inclusion or exclusion. Questions to ask: o Is the group marginalized or included? o What’s their access to education, health care, or support networks? Example: Poor communities may have limited access to quality schools or safe housing.
Example: Faith-based groups may offer support to marginalized communities, or certain spiritual beliefs may influence health behaviors.
💰 E – Economic
Focus: Income, employment, access to resources, wealth gap. Questions to ask: o Is there job security? o Are basic needs met? o What’s the distribution of wealth? Example: Lack of jobs or low wages keeps people in a cycle of poverty.
🎭 C – Cultural
Focus: Traditions, language, identity, customs, and norms. Questions to ask: o Are cultural practices valued or discriminated against? o How does culture shape people’s opportunities or restrictions? Example: Indigenous groups may be excluded from services due to language barriers or cultural misunderstanding.
🔍 How to Use SPECSEG:
When analyzing a problem—like poverty, inequality, or conflict—go through each SPECSEG element to identify root causes, effects, and possible solutions across all aspects of life.
