SAINT JOSEPH COLLEGE OF SINDANGAN

INCORPORATED

College of Arts and Sciences Department

Social Self Relating Harmoniously and Properly with Everyone

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. explain the basic concepts of social relationships;

2. discuss how relationships with others could be enhanced and improve by
applying the ideas on social relationships;
3. identify and evaluate critical factors for meaningful social relationship;
4. differentiate behaviors that make for acceptable social relationships from those
behaviors that are not acceptable; and
5. analyze your behaviors to achieve harmonious relationships with others.

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

1. Recollect your childhood experiences at home and answer family following:

a. Whom did you first play with?
b. Outside of the home, who were your first playmates?
c. Did you enjoy playing with your siblings, neighbors, friends, or relatives?
d. Were there times when you were involved in fights with your playmates? How did you feel
about these instances?
2. Go to YouTube and look for the song, ‘‘No Man is an Island’’ by Joan Whitney and Alex
Kramer. Reflect on the meaning of the song. You may also sing along.
1 Each man as my brother
No man is an island Each one as my friend
No man stands alone
2
Each man’s joy is joy to me
I saw the people gather
Each man’s grief is my own
I heard the music start
We need one another,
The song that they were signing
So I will defend
Is ringing in my heart
(Repeat 1)
The following are insight gleaned from this exercise. Add your own insights to this list.
1. The family is the basic social unit.
2. We need people in our lives.
3. We feel happy if we relate well with other people.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Many things may come to mind when you hear the word ‘‘social.’’ Generally, this term has something to
do with relating well or interacting with others. The study of social relationships or interactions is called
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. Lahey (2007) defines social psychology as the branch of psychology that
studies individuals as they interact with others. Plotnik and Kouyoumdjian (2014) state that social
psychology is a broad field whose goal is to understand and explain how thoughts, feelings, perceptions,
and behaviors are influenced by the presence of, or interactions with, others. Additionally, for Gerrig and
Zimbardo (2002), social psychology is the study of the effect of social factors on individual behavior,
attitudes, perceptions, and motives. It is likewise the study of behaviors as influenced by interactions and
transactions between persons.
The key words in the various aforementioned definitions are INTERACTIONS and RELATIONSHIPS.
Interaction refers to the mutual and reciprocal exchange of communication or action between two or more
persons or groups. There is an established connection, kinship, or attachment between persons or groups
attributable to several factors – interests, philosophy of life, goals, or ways of thinking – that bind them
together. There are two terms imply two-way exchanges.
PERSON PERCEPTION
In psychology, PERSON PERCEPTION refers to forming impressions and making judgments about
another person’s likability after seeing or meeting him/her. The assessment involves as well what kind of
person one is, including his/her intentions, traits, and behaviors (Plotnick & Kouyoumdjian, 2014). First
impressions, which are formed within a very short time with little conscious thought and based by past
experiences, are part of person perception (Macrae and Quadflieg, 2010).

SOCIAL NORMS
NORMS are patterns or traits characterized as typical or usual for a group. Other terms associated with
norms are “average” and “normal.” For example, an individual’s mathematics score may be considered
above the norm if it is more than the average score or below the norm if it is less than average.
SOCIAL NORMS refer to spoken and unspoken rules for behaving in particular situations. One example
is covering one’s mouth when sneezing or coughing in which they exist.
In social situations where people work and do things together for a purpose, two things may happen. First,
the performance of each individual member of the group is improved. This is also referred to as SOCIAL
FACILITATION (Levine, Resnick, & Higgins, 1993). Take for example to groups with five members
each in a javelin throw competition.
Second, working or being with a group may also reduce individual effort, a phenomenon known as
SOCIAL LOAFING. For instance, if a group of students I asked to solve a problem, some members of the
group may no longer try their best to contribute to the solution because they feel that there are others who
can do it better.
CONFORMITY
CONFORMITY refers to yielding to group pressure to act as everyone does, even when no direct request
has been made (Lahey, 2009). It is the tendency to behave like others in the group do.
Conformity is brought about by two motivations: to gain reward(approval) or avoid punishment
(disapproval); and to gain information.
Some factors make conformity more likely to exist in a group (Lahey, 2009);
1. Size of the group
2. Unanimous groups
3. Culture
4. Gender

SOCIAL ROLES AND SOCIAL NORMS

SOCIAL ROLES specify the part or position of a person in society. It also specifies behavior expected to
be exhibited by an individual in practicing his/her role. Whether aware or not, a person may play several
roles, each of which influences the behavior of another individual. A father, for example, may play the
role of a parent, a spouse, a middle-aged man, a person of Filipino ancestry, a brother, a son, a
mathematics professor, and the like. An individual’s behavior undergoes changes so as to meet the
expected behavior of every role he/she plays in particular circumstances. Thus, when a mother is at home,
she plays the role of parent; if she is in the office as manager, then she plays the role of a boss.
A SOCIOGRAM indicates the social structure of a group and the relationship of people within the group.
It shows who are popular, isolates, islands, and mutual friends.
NATURE AND DEPTH OF RELATIONSHIPS
1. FAMILIARITY refers to being comfortable with another person and is a necessary condition for a
close relationship to develop.
2. ATTRACTION may lead to deeper relationships (Santrock, 2003). One person may be drawn or
attracted to another due to reasons like similarities or differences in interests, personality characteristics,
life goals, and lifestyles, to name a few.
3. LOVE is a special attachment one has for himself/herself or for somebody else. It is an intense feeling
of deep or constant affection and emotion in which a person always sees to the good, happiness, and
welfare of the other.
Three of the most common kinds of love are as follows:
1. ROMANTIC LOVE. Also called passionate love, it includes an intermingling of different emotions:
fear, anger, sexual, desire, joy, and jealousy, among others.
2. AFFECTIONATE LOVE. Also referred to as companionate love, it is the type of love that occurs
when someone has deep and caring affection for a person and desires to have him/her near constantly.
3. CONSUMMATE LOVE. It is the strongest and fullest type of love (Sternberg, 1985). This ideal form
of love involves passion intimacy, and commitments.
THE TRIANGULAR THEORY OF LOVE
In 1985, Robert Sternberg postulated that love is made up of three components: passion, intimacy, and
commitment. PASSION has something to do with physical and sexual attraction to another. INTIMACY
is characterized by the emotional feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing of the relationship.
COMMITMENT is the cognitive appraisal of the relationship and the intent to maintain it even in the face
of problems. One or a combination of these ingredients forms a kind of love or love-like feeling.
Some interpretations on the illustration are as follows:

 If passion is the only ingredient present, the feeling is infatuation, as in a fling or an affair.
 Intimacy and commitment without passion show affectionate love.
 The combination of passion and commitment without intimacy results in fatuous love.
 Consummate love is achieved if all three components are present.
C. Read and share it with your classmates.
D. Pick a song that expresses love and sing it. Determine the message of the song.
ATTITUDES are beliefs that predispose people to act and feel in certain ways towards people, objects, or
ideas. A POSITIVE ATTITUDE is reflected in a happy, pleasant, or optimistic disposition. On the other
hand, a NEGATIVE ATTITUDE is associated with pessimism or a general or a general feeling of dislike.
The three distinct features of an attitude include belief, feelings, and disposition.
For example, the negative attitude of a person towards sidewalk vendors can be described by:
a. a belief that sidewalk vendors are dishonest;
b. a strong dislike for sidewalk vendors; and
c. a refusal to buy from sidewalk vendors.
HOW ATTITUDES ORIGINATE
Generally, attitudes of a person develop over time and have emotional components. However, they are
normally acquired from two sources – first-hand experience and accounts by others.
Attitudes are also learned from others through modeling and reinforcement. If parents show positive
attitudes towards certain ethnic groups by socializing with them, their children will develop the same
attitudes towards these groups.
Persuasion and Attitude Change
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION plays a big part in this process. The extent of change in the attitude
depends on the speaker, the message, and the listener.
STEREOTYPES
STEREOTYPES are generalizations in which the same traits or characteristics are assumed to be
possessed by all members of a group (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2002).
PREJUDICE is an unfair, biased, or intolerant attitude or opinion towards the members of group.
DISCRIMINATION is the specific unfair behavior or treatment towards the members of a group.
Discrimination against people based on their skin color or ethnic heritage is called RACISM, while
discrimination against people because of their gender is referred to as SEXISM.
NAME:____________________________________________ BLOCK:__________
YEAR & COURSE: _________________________________
ANSWER SHEET NO.1
(Prior Knowledge)
1. Recollect your childhood experiences at home and answer family following:
a. Whom did you first play with?
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b. Outside of the home, who were your first playmates?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
c. Did you enjoy playing with your siblings, neighbors, friends, or relatives?
______________________________________________________________________________
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d. Were there times when you were involved in fights with your playmates? How did you feel
about these instances?
______________________________________________________________________________
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2. The following are insight from this exercise. Add your own insights to this list.
a. The family is the basic social unit.
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b. We need people in our lives.
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c. We feel happy if we relate well with other people.
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NAME:____________________________________________ BLOCK:__________
YEAR & COURSE: _________________________________

ANSWER SHEET NO.2

Activity 1: Differentiating between Interactions and Relationships
A. The following items are examples of social situations. Determine whether each is a
characteristic of a simple exchange or interaction (I) or a relationship (R). Write your answer on
the space provided before the number.
______1. In the afternoon workshop session of a two-day seminar, six students from different
schools who met one another only during this activity were asked to discuss and exchange views
about the topic ‘‘effective student leadership.’’ They elected a leader to steer the discussion.
______2. Three schools entered into an agreement as “sister-schools” for five years. These
schools agreed that they will share library facilities, science laboratories, computer labs, and
other instructional materials for the use of their students. They entered into this negotiation
because they want to improve the academic performance of their students.
______3. Four students were seated in the bleachers watching a basketball game. While the
game was going on, they discussed with one another the strategies of the most valuable player.
After the game, they went home.
______4. A group of medical doctors are members of an organization. Every end of the month,
they come together to report what they have accomplished in their assigned projects. They also
present the problems they countered while doing their projects. The other members of the group
would help by giving suggestions or possible solutions to their problems.
______5. The alumni of Pag-asa High School, Class of 1975, come together attend the annual
grand reunion every December. They have become a closely-knit group, such that even outside
of the December grand reunion, they meet, plan, and implement projects for their school. On
certain occasions, they get together in parties where they sing, dance, and exchange stories.
______6. There is a long line of people waiting to be served by the bank. Two persons who were
classmates many years ago recognized and greeted each other: “Are you Melissa? We were
classmates 20 years ago in high school.” Melissa answered, “Yes, I am. Are you Rosine?” After
the first exchange of greetings, they shared with each other many things about their jobs,
families, and what keeps them busy. After 30 minutes, they were served by the bank staff, and
later, they went their separate ways.
B. From the situations given, what are the conditions that differentiate a simple interaction from
a relationship.
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NAME:____________________________________________ BLOCK:__________
YEAR & COURSE: _________________________________
ANSWER SHEET NO.3
Activity 3: Determining Appropriate Behavior
A. Describe how you are expected to behave and interact with other people in each of these
situations. You may consider the following factors: volume of your voice, dress code, general
behavior.
1. Attending a formal party
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2. Studying in the library
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3. Eating lunch in a restaurant
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4. Attending a picnic outdoor
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5. Attending a class
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6. Meeting a new friend
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7. Watching a basketball game
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8. Participating in a game
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9. Attending church services
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10. Cheering for a team in a game
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B. Determine if the behavior is appropriate (A) or (I) inappropriate in the given social situation
considering societal, cultural, or institutional guidelines.
__________ 1. Sharing stories with friends in the library
__________ 2. Laughing during a religious service
__________ 3. Joking with friends in a picnic
__________ 4. Keeping quite inside the church
__________ 5. Listening quietly during a piano recital
__________ 6. Speaking in soft tones during a party
__________ 7. Speaking in modulated voice while attending a conference
__________ 8. Laughing loudly while waiting at the doctor’s office
__________ 9. Wearing short pants for an interview with an employer
__________ 10. Wearing the required uniform in the office
__________ 11. Laughing loudly in the classroom
__________ 12. Talking softly with family members at the dinner table.
__________ 13. Cheering for one’s team in a basketball game
__________ 14. Arguing loudly with an officemate
__________ 15. While queuing, complaining that service is taking too long
C. Answer the following questions to process your understanding of the previous exercises:
1. In a social situation where students are attending a seminar, are there behaviors or interactions
which are pleasing or irritating to others? Explain your answer.
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2.How do you think the other students in the library would feel or think if you talk at the top of
your voice? How about if you speak in low tones?
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3. When cheering for your volleyball team, is it alright to talk in loud tones? Why or why not?
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4. When is a social behavior appropriate? When is it inappropriate?
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NAME :____________________________________________ BLOCK:__________
YEAR & COURSE: _________________________________
ANSWER SHEET NO.4
ACTIVITY 4: School Rules
Try to recall as many school rules, policies, or guidelines that pertain to student life and welfare
discussed during your freshman orientation. Write down the rules and regulation you recall.
Reflect on them and write an essay guided by the questions below. Submit the essay to your
teacher.
a. What did you think about these rules, policies, or guidelines?
b. How did you feel when you were asked to follow the rules, policies, or guidelines of the
school?
c. Are you complying with these requirements now?
d. Are there certain rules that you are not comfortable with? What are these?
e. If your answer to item d is yes, in what ways are you coping with such situation?

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NAME :____________________________________________ BLOCK:__________
YEAR & COURSE: _________________________________
ANSWER SHEET NO.5
ACTIVITY 5: Film Showing
Watch “Inspiring Video on Positive Attitude” by AKP Studios on YouTube. It is a video on one
facet of the life of American President Abraham Lincoln.
1. Identify the significant failures in the life of President Abraham Lincoln.
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2. What did he do to overcome his failure?
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3. Describe the personality of President Lincoln relative to the failures he experienced.
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