Module 2: Cultural, Social, and Political Institutions
Lesson1: Kinship, Marriage, and the
Household
KINSHIP – Is the web of social relationships
that form an important part of the lives of most
humans in most societies, although its exact
meanings even with this discipline are often
debated. Kinship can refer both to the patterns
of social relationships in one more human
culture.
KINSHIP BY BLOOD
Three types of affiliation with kin:
 UNILINEAL DESCENT – Describes that
a person is affiliated with a group of kin through
the descent links of one sex only. (either male
or female)
1. Patrilineal Descent – Affiliates an
individual with kin of both sexes related
to him or her through men only.
2. Matrilineal Descent – Affiliates an
individual with kin of both sexes related
to him or her through women only.
There are four groups which refer themselves
as belonging to a particular unilineal group
because they believe they share common
descent in either the patrilineal line or the
matrilineal line.
1. Lineages – It is set of kin whose members
trace descent from common ancestors through
known links.
2. Clans – It is set of kin whose members
believe themselves to be descended from a
common ancestor but not that specified.
3. Phratries – It is aunilineal descent group
composed of supposedly related clans.
4. Moieties – It is when a whole society is
divided into two unilineal descent groups. The
people in each moiety believe themselves to be
descended from a common ancestor.
 AMBILINEAL DESCENT – Is a system
containing both unilineal descent groups
example both patrilineal and matrilineal
groups in which one belongs to one’s
father’s and/or mother’s descent group.
 BILATERAL KINSHIP – Means two
sided which refers to the fact that one’s
relatives on both mother’s and father’s
sides are equal in importance.
KINSHIP BY MARRIAGE
MARRIAGE – Is a socially approved sexual
and economic union, usually between a
man and a woman. It is a socially approved
sexual union in that a married couple does
not have to hide the sexual nature of their
relationship.
Types of Marriage:
1. Monogamy – It is form of marriage
in which one man marries one
woman.
2. Polygamy – It involves plural
marriage.
 Polygyny – A form of marriage
in which one man marries more than one
woman at a given time.
2.1 Sororal Polygyny – a type of
marriage in which the wives are
invariably the sisters.
2.2 Nonsororal Polygyny – a type of
marriage in which the wives are not
related as sisters.
 Polyandry – It is the marriage
of one woman with more than one man.
2.3 Fraternal Polyandry – When
several brothers share the same
wife.
2.4 Nonfraternal Polyandry – In this
type the husband need not have any
close relationship prior to the
marriage.
3. Polyamorous or Group Marriage – It
means the marriage of two or more women or
more men.
SELECTING A MARRIAGE PARTNER
 ENDOGAMY – It is a rule of marriage in
which the life-partners are to be selected
within the group.
 EXOGAMY – It is a rule of marriage in
which an individual has to marry outside his
own group.
KINSHIP BY RITUAL
A Kinship Ritual is a privileged social
relationship established by ritual, such as that
of godparents, or fraternal orders.
FAMILY AND THE HOUSEHOLD
Type of family by family size or structure-based
on family composition of who compromises the
family.
1. Nuclear family – a family unit that consists
of a single couple or monogamous family.
2. Extended family – a family unit that
consists of the husband and wife with their
children, and their relatives.
3. Reconstituted family – a family unit that
consist of one or both parents who have child
or children from a previous relationship or past
marriage.
4. Single parent family – a family unit which is
headed by one parent raising a child or
children.
Type of family by residence-based on the
nature of household residence:
1. Patrilocal – The son stays and the
daughter’s leaves, so the married couple
lives with or near the husband’s parent.
2. Matrilocal – The daughter stays and the
son leaves, so that the married couple lives
with or near the wife’s parents
3. Family of bilocal – Either the son or the
daughter leaves, so that the married couple
lives with ore near the wife’s or the
husband’s parents.
Lesson 2: Social and Political Organizations
POLITICAL AND LEADERSHIP
STRUCTURES.
Political Organization: Is any entity that is
involved in the political process. Political
organization includes political institutions,
political parties, and political groups. Political
organizations are engaged in political activities
aimed at achieving clearly defined political
goals, which improve the political system that
benefits the interests of their members.
TYPES OF POLITICAL ORANIZATIONS:
1. Bands – are societies that were
composed of fairly small nomadic groups of
people.
2. Tribal Organization – are a distinct
people, dependent on their land for their
livelihood, who are largely self-sufficient, and
not integrated into the national society.
3. Chiefdom – Is a form of hierarchical
political organization in which formal leadership
is monopolized by the legitimate senior
member of select families or houses.
4. State – Is an autonomous political unit,
Encompassing many communities within its
territory and having a centralized government
with the power to collect taxes, draft men to
work or war, and decree and enforce laws.
POLITICAL THEORIES OF STATE
FUNCTION:
 Anarchy – The state is inherently an
instrument of domination and repression, no
matter who is in control of it.
 Classless Society – Every member of
the state have equal access to everything.
 Pluralism – Views society as a
collection
of individuals and groups, who are competing
for political power.
AUTHORITY AND LEGITIMACY
1. Traditional – Derives from long-
established customs, habits, and social
structures.
2. Charismatic – Type of authority in
which
is derived when the leader claims that his
authority is derived from a “higher power”
3. Rational – depends for its legitimacy on
formal rules established laws of the states.
Lesson 3: The Economic Institution
Institutions are basically durable systems of
established and embedded social rules that
create a social structure.
ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS are the formal
and informal rules that organize the economic
flow and activity of a society. Economic
institutions aid in strategizing and deciding the
flow of production, consumption, and
distribution of goods and services of a society
to ensure that each individual’s need are met.
Economic Institutions are tasked to answer the
following questions:
1. What goods and services should be
produced?
2. How should these goods and services
be produced?
3. For whom should the goods and service
be produced?
RECIPROCITY is a form of gift exchange
between two parties wherein return is expected
after product or gift giving.
TRANSFER AND REDISTRIBUTION
Also known as “government transfer” of
“transfer payment”, Transfer payments are
payments that are made without any good or
service being received in return.
(Ex: Pensions and welfare benefits, donations
and lottery prizes)
REDISTRIBUTION is the process of
transferring income and wealth be it in the
other form of money, physical property, and the
like-form individual to other individuals.
MARKET TRANSACTION is basically the
systems of exchange in a market. It is when
goods and service are traded and bartered
amongst individual within their market and
society.S
 Purchases: A buyer and seller interact
with one another to exchange goods for
an amount of money.
 Loans: A loan is a sum of money that a
person may borrow.
 Bank Accounts: Also known as
“transaction account”. These types of
accounts are deposit accounts held in a
bank or any other financial institution
that allow individuals available access to
money through cash withdrawals,
checks, and debit.
Lesson 4: The Non-State Institutions
NON-STATE INSTITUTIONS is also known as
Non-state actors, are people and/or
organizations that participate in international
affairs and relations but are not affiliated with
any state or nation.
 BANK AND CORPORATIONS
Is one of the important systems that is needed
for a society to run is an organization or
institution that provides for said society’s
finances. There are many roles of a bank but
the most basic role it has is the regulation of
the flow of money in the society.
 COOPERATIVES AND TRADE UNIONS
COOPERATIVE (Coops-co-ops) are
association owned by people who voluntarily
cooperate with each other under the influence
of their social, economic, and cultural benefits.
 TRANSNATIONAL ADVOCACY GROUP
Movement and main goal is to challenge how
the international playing field is being run.
 DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES
Economic Development Agencies are
described to be independent organizations that
aim to implement strategic ways of developing
territories and societies.
 INTERNATIONAL ORAGANIZATIONS
Is a typical organization that promotes,
enhances, ensures its members through
advocacies and state actions. They are seen
as an acting facilitator in alliance formation
amongs nations.
1. International Nongovernmental
Organization (INGOs) operates in the
international playing field. They are
 usually non-profit and advocate a world- actualize itself as fully as possible is the basic
wide campaign. drive... the drive of self-actualization.
2. Intergovernmental Organization
(IGOs)
Are organizations composed of
sovereign states.

Lesson 5: Educational Institution

EDUCATION is a social institution through

which a society’s children are taught basic
academic knowledge, learning skills, and
cultural norms.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION is a place

where a person acquire education.

FORMAL EDUCATION describes the learning

of academic facts and concepts through a
formal curriculum.
PRIMARY EDUCATION AS A HUMAN RIGHT
After assessing that education is a major
INFORMAL EDUCATION is where we learn
contributing factor in not just a person’s
how to dress for different occasions, how to
development but of the society’s as well, it is
perform regular life routines like shopping for
essential that education be provided for every
and preparing food, and how to keep our
individual in a society. According to UNESCO,
bodies clean.
education is a fundamental human rights as it
promotes individual freedom, empowerment,
PRODUCTIVE CITIZENRY
and yields important development benefits.
In the Philippines, about P367.1 billion from the
P2.606-trillion 2015 National Budget went to
Lesson 6: Religion and Belief Systems
the Department of Education. It can be seen
how much education is valued in this country
All societies have a belief system that can be
as a large amount of money is set aside for
grouped into the term religion. Religion is the
educational use. As it is expected, each
set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices
country is in high hopes that their citizens turn
pertaining to supernatural power, whether they
out to be good citizens and properly contribute
are gods, spirits, ghost or demons which are
to the development of their society.
supernatural beings.
SELF-ACTUALIZATION
There are a lot of kinds of religions in the world.
Self-actualization is a term that has been used
Under some:
in various psychology theories, often in slightly
different ways. The term was originally  MONOTHEISM generally means a religion
introduced by the organismic theorist Kurt with one God. It is a belief with one
Goldstein for the motive to realize one's full personal and transcendent God.
potential. Expressing one's creativity, quest Types of monotheism:
for spiritual enlightenment, pursuit 1. DEISM assumes the fact of the existence
of knowledge, and the desire to give to society of a single creator god, who was little or
are examples of self-actualization. In no continued involvement of the world.
Goldstein's view, it is the organism's master 2. HENOTHEISM it normally means the
motive, the only real motive: "the tendency to exclusive worship of a tribal-national deity
 which does not deny the reality of patron
deities of other people.
3. MONISM It is the philosophical stance that
explains all that is in terms of a single
reality and thus conflict with any belief
which distinguishes radically between
different grades of being.
4. PANTHEISM holds that the universe and
God are identical.
5. SUBTANCE MONOTHEISM it holds that
the many gods are different forms of a
single underlying substance.
6. TRINITARIAN MONOTHEISM It is the
Christian doctrine of believe in one god
who is tree distinct person’s
Example of monotheistic religions: Christianity,
Islam, and Judaism.
 ANIMISM Is a belief of system of some
indigenous tribal people especially prior to
the development of organized religion.
Animism is said to describe the most
common, foundational thread of
indigenous people’ “spiritual” or
“supernatural” perspectives.
 POLOTHEISM refers to the worship of or
believe in multiple gods.
Examples are: Hinduism, Mormonism, and
Shinto.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
is a concept defining the distance in the
relationship between organized religion and the
nation state. It may refer to creating a secular
state, with or without explicit reference to such
separation, or to changing an existing
relationship of church involvement in a state.
Lesson 7: Health
Health is, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO) defined as the state of
complete physical, mental, social well-being.
HEALTH DOMAIN:
 Physical Health refers to the way that
your body functions.
 Physiological Health is the ability to
recognize reality and cope with the
demands of everyday life.
 Emotional Health is expressing your
emotions in a positive and non-
destructive way.
 Social Health is the quality of your
relationships with family, friends,
teachers, classmates, and others.
 Spiritual Health refers to the
maintaining harmonious relationships
with other living things, and having
spiritual connection with purpose.
CULTURE-SPECIFIC SYNDROMES AND
ILLNESS
With the growing spread of knowledge and
learning across the globe, it is quite inevitable
for different cultures and nations to form their
own terms of illness that occur specifically in
their regions.
 Bughat is described as something that
happens to a person that has recently
healed from a sickness but then shortly
gets sick again after.
 Usog happens when an unsuspecting
stranger greets you with an “evil eye”
and usually happens to young children.
Systems of diagnosis, prevention, and
healing
There are many illness being discovered and
researched by different scientists and with this,
many forms of healing and treatment have also
been formed.
 Eastern Medicine these types of healings
are the modern day practices of medical
world and are typically referred to as
medical science.
 Alternative Healing is a healing practice
that has the effect of medicine but does
not necessarily originate from medical
practices or a scientific method.
HEALTH AS A HUMAN RIGHT
As illnesses and sicknesses are viewed as
natural occurrence of a human life cycle, it is
quite necessary for health to be a part of our
basic human rights. The WHO constitution
enshrines the highest attainable standard of
health as a fundamental right of every human
being.

Reference: Understanding Society, Culture, and

Politics by Myla Arcinas.