Grant, Tim Alden. "An Animated Introduction to Social Science." Online video clip. YouTube.

Soomo Publishing, 11
Feb. 2011. Web. 15 June. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIdaTSG2Gg.

III. WHAT DO SOCIETY AND CULTURE LOOK LIKE?

Society
Imagine if a group of people (let’s say 1,000 people) magically got transported
into an empty planet. These people do not have a way of leaving, so it makes the
most sense to stay on that new planet and spend the rest of their lives there. If
you had 1,000 people in the same territory, starting from scratch, what do you
think is the first thing they’ll do?

They would most likely create shelter, gather food, and pretty much make sure
they have what they need to survive, right? Working together to make sure that
everyone gets what they need sounds like a really good plan, right? But what if
some of the 1,000 persons stranded on this new planet don’t want to work with
the others? What if some of them only want to take care of themselves? Want to
be on their own, want to build their own homes, want to gather their own
food—and NOT share?

Whose decision will be followed: the ones who want everyone to work together,
or the ones who want to do things on their own?
The scenario above is a simplified version of what most societies experience.
There are too many opinions, too many points of view, and way too many wants
and needs—all because there are MILLIONS of people out there; this makes it
difficult to decide what a society should do as a whole.

So how come some societies are able to function well? Does this mean that in
those societies, every single person agrees on the same thing?

Well, most societies will create “social constructs”, or social controls, so that their
society will not fall into chaos. When there is order (not chaos) or a systematic way
of doing things that you can count on, then things would be predictable. It would
be easier to live our lives if we knew what to expect from the people around us.

Because this is such a broad topic, in our discussion, we will only cover 3 examples
of social controls or social constructs: customs, institutions, and laws.
Customs are widely accepted ways of behaving around other people in your
society.

Where do these customs come from? When a habit or action becomes established
in your society, then it becomes the automatic response that would be required of
you in those situations. For example, in the Philippines, it is a custom to approach
your elders and take their hand and press this against your forehead. The action of
“mano po” is an old habit used to show respect for your elders, and it has been
carried down over the years.
 Claridades, James. "bless you darling." Tumblr. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://squeegool.tumblr.com/post/35825116818/bless-you-darling-usual-response-of-the.

“In general, customs regulate the whole social life of man. It is the customary
practices that contribute to the harmonious social interactions in a society which
normal times of peace and tranquility.” ("Customs." Sociology Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Custom.php.)

Once we are aware of the customs of our society, to become "accepted" by the
people around us or to feel that we belong, there is a tendency for us to conform.

"Big Remember Me Group Hug 1.gif" Wikia. N.p., N.d.,. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://shakeitup.wikia.com/wiki/File:Big_Remember_Me_Group_Hug_1.gif

Conformity is all about seeking stability in a society. What does that mean?
Out of the million different social interactions that happen to one society in a day,
it is surprising that instead of chaos erupting, a certain kind of order is still the end
result. Sociologists often look at this naturally occurring system and have found
that one of its causes is conformity.

Schawbel, Dan. "Are People More Important Than Projects in the Workplace?." Personal Branding Blog. N.p., 18
June 2008. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/are-people-more-important-than-projects-in-the-workplace/.

We will naturally tend to want to cooperate with the people around us for us to
feel that we belong with the group, and so we conform to the customs of our
society’s culture.

Here are some odd new year’s customs that are done around the world. Even
though some of these sound a tad bit ridiculous, the people of their society will
still conform to them because it fosters a feeling of belongingness.
 Institutions are another good example of social constructs. Institutions “may be
described as established and recognized usages governing the relations between
individuals and groups. They represent the social structure and machinery
through which human society organizes, directs, and executes the multifarious
activities required to satisfy human needs.” (Shyamasree Saha. "Some basic concepts of
sociology." SlideShare. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
http://www.slideshare.net/payalsaha/some-basic-concepts-of-sociology.)

JayWill. "Ben Carson’s Psychology Test Account Gets Even More Bizarre." Before It's News. N.p., 8 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2015/11/ben-carsons-psychology-test-account-gets-even-more-bizarre-3240406.html

Let’s make it easier to understand that definition.

An institution is created to formalize, or to make it easier, for societies to fulfill

the customs that have become somewhat permanent in their culture. An
institution is created when you systematize a custom.

For example: deciding to commit to one partner and to build one family together
with that partner has become so common in most societies that an institution has
been formed to make this process easier for people—it is called Marriage.

Other examples of institutions include: Education and Government.

Have you ever wondered WHY schools exist? How did Education become an
institution?

Let’s go back to the scenario we first mentioned above. If you have a new society
of 1,000 people who have to build a new life on a new planet, it makes sense that
eventually, some of these people will fall in love, and build families. If you are a
parent, you would want your children to know how to do things (like how to plant
vegetables, gather food, hunt animals for meat, or build simple structures). You
would want them to learn about the world around them (how your society ended
up in that planet or what are the boundaries of your society’s territory, etc). You
want them to know about lots of different things so that your children can
eventually decide which of the things they learned about are the ones they are
good at or the ones they like best.
If you only have a few children in the community, then it would be easier for
everyone if it were the parents who taught their own sons and daughters. But
once you have more people (like when the population goes up to 4,000
people)—it would make sense if the parents who are better at teaching will be the
ones to teach everyone’s children.

When the other parents don’t have to spend a lot of time teaching their own kids
anymore, then they are able to use this time to do other productive things, like
plant or harvest more crops, help build shelters with other families, sew clothes,
gather fruits, trade food or materials with other people in your society, etc.
This is why Education is considered an institution. Society prefers to have a
system on how their children learn because most people feel that this is the
best way for them to do it. So over the years, schools have been built and the
education system is, more or less, how you see it now.
Do you understand institutions better now?

If you do, go to your facilitator and explain to them, in your own words, why
Government is also considered as an institution. Your facilitator will let you know
whether you’ve already got it or if you need to rethink on how Government is an
institution.

Remember what we previously said about how institutions are a social construct?

Because institutions are constructed by society, this means that society can also
deconstruct them. Society can change these institutions, if they want to.
Sometimes this happens on its own (little changes that add up over time), or
sometimes this happens deliberately (big changes are made so the transformation
is immediately seen).

At the end of the day, remember that most social constructs are created because
they are a form of “social control”.

This is best understood when you think about the Law.

 "2014 in the Philippines." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_the_Philippines.

Law is a kind of institution that promotes order in a society through chosen

customs, which are backed up by punishments in case there is failure to conform
to them. For example: one of the important customs that most societies follow is
respect for life. Because most people respect each other’s right to life, a law
exists which says that if you take the life of someone else (i.e., you kill them), you
are going to be heavily punished for it.

There are social agencies assigned to do the ‘enforcing’ of the law—these

agencies are headed by an institution called ‘The State’ or Government.

The State is able to use force and punishment if there are citizens in its society
that do not follow the law. Why is this possible? Because people have agreed that
there should be an institution (like Law) that helps maintain order in their society.

The things that get turned into laws are customs or behavior that matter a lot
to that specific society. This means that not all laws are the same. There are laws
in the Philippines which will not be found in a different country, like India, and vice
versa.