Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I. Political Sociology
-branch of sociology concerned with the entire society as well as social
institutions.
Absolute Monarchy - power based on divine right and has absolute control and
IV. State
Emile Durkheim
State - not important as any other social institution. It is only one of the parts
which make the entire society function. He regarded society like an organism, he likened
the state as the society's brain whose main function is to think for the general welfare
of the people.
Karl Marx
State - is nothing but a tool used by ruling elite to protect their interests and to
legitimize their status. State as the executive committee of the ruling class. It is the
manifestation of the idea 'economic power begets political power' which means that
those who are wealthy have the capacity to influence the political affairs of a state.
Max Weber
State - developed alongside the emergence of industrial capitalism. States had
become bureaucratic, that is, it had taken the form of a formal organization rationally
design to perform tasks efficiently. State has the monopoly of the legitimate use foce.
V. Authority
Weber contested that state should exhibit authority, "power that people percieve
as legitimate rather than coercieve".
A. Traditional Authority - power is legitimized by virtue of divine right or longestablished cultural patterns. Usually relies on a narrative or mythologyof the divine
origins of the ruler.
B. Charismatic Authority - power is legitimized by "extraordinary personal abilities that
inspire devotion and obedience" (Macionis). Personality than ancestry. Often leaders are
seen as having supernatural powers or qualities.
C. Rational-Legal or Bureaucratic Authority - power is legitimized through the
enactment of laws. Legitimacy resides on legal rules and regulations.
I. Basic Concepts
A. Family- a social unit characterized by economic cooperation, management of
reproduction and child-rearing and common residence. It is a social group and
considered as the basicor most fundamental unit in any society. The so-called "breadwinners" of the family are forced to live and work away from home to provide tha family's
material needs.
Family Structure: Nuclear and Extended Family
Nuclear family- consists of a husbund, wife and a children formed around a
marital union, independent unit. Mostly found in highly industrialized countries.
Extended family- composed of two or more nuclear families that are linked by
blood ties. It can be either patrilineal (man) or matrilineal (woman).
B. Marriage- family is a group of people who are united by ties of marriage. Marriage is
essential in the formation of a family. It is socially approved union between two or more
adult partners that regulates the sexual and economic rightsand obligations between
them. It also involves the permanence of the marital union. "Until death do us part", this
served as the spouses' pledge to live together under matrinomy that will last until death.
C. Kinship- the relationships foound in all societies that are based on blood or marriage.
Consanguineal relatives, those people to whom we are related through birth or blood;
Affinal relatives, those to whom we are related through marriage. Fictive kinship are
people who are not related by either blood or marriage.
D. Household- a social unit consisting of a person living alone or a group of persons
who sleep in the same housing unit and have a common arrangement for the
Matrilocal family- married couple live with or near the residence of the bride's
Bilocal family (or ambilocality)- provides the married couple the freedom to
select where to reside.
Neolocal family- permits the married couple to reside independently of their
parents.
Avunculocal family- married couple resides with or near the maternal uncle of
the groom.
V. Theories on Family
A. Structural-Functional Theory- the family performs many vital tasks includeing
socializing the young and providing emotional and financial support for members.
The family answers the social needs of its members.
Tha family also helps regulate sexual activity.
All societies need to reproduce their members (social placement).
A family provides emotional intimmacy and material support for its members.
B. Social Conflict- considers the family as essential to our way of life. This approach
points out how the family perpetuates social inequality.
C. Symbolic Interaction- based on the premise that it is only through the social
behaviour of individuals.
2. Mortality- number of deaths per 1,000 of the total mid-year population in a specified
time and is measured by the crude death rate
3. Migration- spatial movements of a person or a group from one place to another,
involves changes or residence where one readjusts community affiliations
Factors involved in Migration
a. Push factors- unfavorable or unattractive conditions on a place which impel a
person to move out. Area of origin.
b. Pull factors- attractive factors. Area of destination.
Biological Structures
1. Age structure- proportion people at the different age levels.
a. Young Population - below age 20
b. Old Population- mostly 20 years and above
2. Sex Composition- affects the social and economic conditions of the society. The sex
ratio refers to the number of males per one hunred females.