San Isidro High School- Kadingilan, Inc.

Purok-3, Poblacion, Kadingilan, Bukidnon

SY 2021-2022
Contact No.: 0917-155-7814, Email Address: [email protected]
LEARNING MODULE IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOLIDARITY, AND CITIZENSHIP (GRADE
12)
THIRD QUARTER
Lesson 3 Societal Dynamics and Processes
Period Covered Week 3- January 24-28, 2022
Learning Competency Analyze functions of communities in terms of structures, dynamics, and
processes
Learning Targets I can …
1. Understand the dynamics of our society.
2. Explain the functions of communities in terms of structures, dynamics, and
processes
Values in Focus Core Values: Perseverance
Reference/s Delos Santos, D. (2017). Community engagement, solidarity, and citizenship.
Quezon City: REX Book Store.

Introduction
People make dynamic exchanges and interactions that give life and vibrancy to our communities.
Processes operationalize these exchanges into new ideas and solutions to be applied in satisfying our
pressing needs and wants. Knowing how these exchanges manifest and the types of social mechanisms
inherent in exchanges is vital in understanding how norms are formed and the various functions of
communities in terms of its structures.

Social Exchange and Rational Choice Theory

Society cannot exist without interaction among its members. People, by nature, are social beings that
are interdependent with each other. Individuals seek to exchange ideas and socialize with their kin or
members of the community. Establishing social networks is one of the most important activities that are
necessary for communities to grow. All social beings, while unique to each other, are influenced by one
particular motivation and this is self-interest. Self-interest is driven by our evolutionary tendencies to survive.
Individuals, as rational beings, go through a cost-benefit review to see which choice will be best
suited for their goals or interests. While perceptions of benefit and value may vary among individuals, at the
end of the day, each person will always choose what best serves his or her interest.
Here are corollary assumptions under social exchanges:
1 People weigh incentives and trade-offs (reward or punishment). People are utility maximizers and thus,
rewarding actions will be reinforced more.
3 People and choices are interrelated and interdependent.
4 All interactions are within the bounds of social norms and expectations.

Since people will choose what is best for them, they also base their fundamental choices on the
subject of incentives. From the choices presented, people will end up choosing the most optimal among the
choices. Because people are social, all choices are interconnected and dependent on the environment they
are in. These choices are made through the interaction of all the aggregate choices of individuals,
organizations, and institutions.
Individual actions can either be motivated or dissuaded, depending on the exchange between the
choices at hand. We can easily see how we conduct this process of choosing each time we are faced with
two or more options. This theory on rational choices also applies to collectives because they are composed
of rational individuals that may have influence on the behavior and norms within the organization. In Rational
Choice Theory, we have the following basic tenets:
1. Completeness-Choices are not equal in terms of value to the individual, therefore, these options
can be sorted depending on relative value or importance.
2. Transitivity-Choices or variables are interrelated to each other and follows the relation thereof.
Example:
a. X is related to Y and Y is related to Z = X is related to Z.
b. XY and Y > Z= Z cannot be greater than X.
Following the assumptions above, we can say that choices are ordered in such a way that an
individual's choice to allow a relation that affects the final choice or determined outcome. Preferences,
however, can differ from strong, weak, to indifferent, among available choices. The differences are
determined based on the potential on being an alternative to the most optimum choice. The Rational Choice
Theory also has other assumptions that will shed more light on the motivations that influence the behavior of
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an individual or a group in a shared environment.

People, however, cannot have absolute knowledge over the choices due to lack of information or
information asymmetry. Their actions may be influenced by other actors’ choices due to bounded
rationality that can easily influence choice and behavior. Therefore, people and groups may have a logical
way in looking at things but because of the limitations, their best choice may not necessarily be the most
optimum for the group. Sometimes, the choice made may be a concession with the available information and
time.
These limitations may conflict with the assumptions under Rational Choice Theory. Remember,
however, that laws may sometimes not apply to different contexts because of the different variables that are
present in the equation. This is why there are questions regarding this theory since the assumptions may not
necessarily be true in all scenarios and that rationality may, in fact, be subjective in each choice.

Competition and Conflict

Once you graduate and apply for your university of choice, then you are in competition. From the
number of graduates each year, there are only a limited number of slots available per college and university.
A test will be done to validate the quality of the students and from the pool, only a select few will advance to
become their students.
In a competition, there are various actors that vie for limited number of opportunities present, or in
some instances, only one can be selected. Society, in the same way, has the same finite opportunities that
only few can deserve. In real life, we are in constant competition not only against our peers, but also against
the very institutions we are in. We fight to survive the competition in our own way, resulting in conflicts.
Unlike in competition where the main aim is to reach the goal, conflict aims to defeat the other in
more ways than the norm suggests. Conflict is more deliberate, and more violent coercive tactics may be
employed by the actor. Competition may be done in a more amicable way, but once it becomes more
personal or is escalated, then the relationship among actors becomes confrontational and more violent.
Many think that competition and conflict represent the dark side of social behavior, but in contrary, they are
critical and vital in the promotion of change and reevaluation of norms. Through competition and conflict, we
can study about how collectives test the boundaries of their dynamic and solidarity as one unit operating
under a particular environment.

Cooperation and Accommodation

The other side of the spectrum is cooperation and accommodation. Each time you play team sports
or games that require you to be with other players for a shared goal, then cooperation is needed to achieve
the task. Cooperation happens when people come together and pitch in to achieve a common task or goal.
This union is essential for groups to achieve goals that are almost impossible to achieve when done by just
one actor.
Between conflict and cooperation, there is what we call the state of accommodation. Similar to a
compromise, it represents neutrality in social interactions whereby the individual merely ascribes to an
agreement to keep the status quo.
Cooperation and accommodation have different effects on a community. Cooperation, on one hand,
provides the necessary communal spirit that motivates people to contribute and volunteer. The support
coming from individuals enhances the community's chances of survival. Proactive participation provides the
support mechanisms for the collective. Accommodation, on the other hand, may cause the community to be
complacent regarding stands on issues and concerns. The lack of participation may result in more social
maladies, such as despondency or apathy, which will render the community inefficient in the long run.

Social Change
Society is ever-changing. It is never static since the people that make up the society are, in nature,
continually changing in terms of their interactions on a certain milieu. Social change refers to the fluctuations
or deviations in the order of society. Changes that affect its institutions, norms, or cultures are all variables
that can affect social change. Factors affecting social change are the structures and institutions that all
contribute to the ongoing calibration of norms in our society. Examples of these critical structures are politics,
economics, culture, technology, and the environment. Changes in these structures will drastically alter the
way of life of communities and other actors.
Perspectives of social change:
1. Evolutionary Theory-explains that society follows an evolutionary development from a simple commune
and then moves toward more complex systems
2. Conflict Theory explains that conflict between the holders of power and the disenfranchised are the drivers
of social change and conflict is a necessary characteristic in social relations
3. Functionalist Theory explains that the set roles and statuses hold social balance and therefore, any
change in the scheme will have repercussions on the functions of other roles and statuses

Community Structure, Process, and Dynamics

Community structure is represented by the social hierarchies that are inherent to each collective. The
various social statuses and roles all are part of the social system we are all in. All members of the
community, from doctors, lawyers, firemen to the students, live by these statuses and roles. We evaluate our
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choices and actions relative to others around us or by weighing the consequences or rewards that such
actions may bring once done. Our individual choices will have direct and indirect effects to the overall
community narrative. The community process in itself is never linear but a complex web of interactions that
both correlate and cause variable change to the status quo.
For community dynamics, the actors are the individuals, civil society groups, pressure groups, and
movements who all contribute to the communities in the creation of meaning. In the interface of these actors,
we create networks that provide cohesion and order to our social environment. Different kinds of
interactions, however, can either help or jeopardize the harmony in the society through cooperation, conflict,
or by simply accommodating current norms.
Communities exist primarily on the wills of its members. We are the ones that create the value and
meaning. The way we see our communities will determine its effect not only to us, but also to many others.
Our own personal perspectives and surroundings are interrelated and never isolated, and they come
together to form a worldview that we believe is true. The very process of rational behavior is anchored on our
capacity to understand and evaluate the multitudes of causalities with different choices. However, when we
do not fully understand ourselves and what we are capable of, we resort to being the apathetic victim to the
big, bad society we have constructed for ourselves.
The most important element for effecting change is the community. Together, we are the answer to
the problems at hand. With the community, our personal choice to be proactive, to volunteer and take part in
movements, Organizations, and projects will be the critical elements for social change. It is high time to
realize that change does not exist outside of us but within us and our community. Empowered by the very
act of choosing, we have the power to initiate. It is time to move from the stands and be part of the solution,
to shed off indifference, and move toward building a better community. We are all creators, builders, and
architects of our future. Let us all unite and take charge; change is upon us and it starts with our choice.

Activity 1. WRITTEN WORK (15 points)

Direction: Explain the functions of communities in terms of structure, process, and dynamics. Use the matrix
below.

Community Structure Community Process Community Dynamics

  

Answer the question sincerely. (5 points)

 How do communities prosper in these dynamic exchanges and processes? Elaborate your
answer.

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