Sociology-Anthropology

LECTURE NOTES 4

Sociology-Anthropology

The Human Group

The Concept of Group

A group of people composed of two or more persons interacting with each other, guided by a set of norm. The
members of a group exist through their consistent, coordinated action directed toward the achievement of some
common objectives, the achievement of which will bring gratification to the participating members.

The Social Group

Consist of two or more people who interact recurrently in a patterned way and who recognize that they constitute a
distinct social unit.

Sociology emphasis on the analysis on the similarity of traits among individuals and their interaction process

Anthropology - emphasis on the production of culture as the product of their association

Characteristics of Groups

1. Permanence of the bond

2. Means of identifying members
3. Mechanism for recruiting new members
4. Goals or purposes
5. Social statuses and roles (norms for behavior)
6. Means for controlling members/ behavior

Greetings Professor Brunz!

This is Karen Kunawicz, I'll be writing the script for Bodytalks episode on the BARKADA. It's one of 20
episodes in the series for Knowledge Channel.

I figured e-mail would be the best way to interview you as our crew is in a rush to shoot and I'm assuming
we both have busy schedules.

Thanks for your help and here are the questions:

1. What is a barkada? How many people make up a barkada?

It is a social contract between the self and the other/s, with unwritten rules, obligations, and
loyalty. Social contract means there is a shared understanding and shared meanings of seeing the
public world. From this bond a subculture may arise producing their own image or group
projection, own language or argot and collective behavior.

2. How are they formed? How does one join a barkada?

By sharing the same meanings and understandings of the seemingly irrelevant day-to-day
activities, the self and the other/s forms what we call barkada or barkadahan. Conformity to the
groups identity, socio-economic status and age bracket are among the few considerations that
will allow access and membership in the barkada.
3. At what age do Filipino youth get involved with barkadas?

As soon as they enter school they form bonds with children of their age and attain its peak during
adolescence. As he/she grows older, the individual dynamically forged affiliations or barkadas
from simple neighborhood clicks to schoolmates/classmates in the early formative elementary
years to adventurous days in high school and wild trips in college, kumpares and kumares during
baptisms or as business partners in a more mature life stage. Ones social life is significantly
affected by his/her group affiliations.

4. What are the unwritten rules of a barkada?

Loyalty, conformity to the group standards (economic status, physical skills and attributes etc.)
and the perpetuation of the groups shared beliefs.

5. Why do people join barkadas?

Traditionally, one joins a barkada to locate ones identity or in a more ancient fashion, it is but
natural for the individual to seek and establish social bonds. Today, I assume individuals find
themselves as a member of a particular group because of shared interest with a special emphasis
on having fun.

6. Are there 'leaders' in a barkada? (Even if not official) What roles do they play?

Presumably yes, these individuals direct most of the activity of their groups, the kind of music
that rocks or otherwise, what kind/brand of clothes and accessories to wear, where to eat etc
others simply drift.

7. Is it the norm in Philippine society to be part of the barkada?

Yes, but Its not simply a norm, psychologists assert its a human nature, but, with the increasing
access to virtual communities among Filipino youths one must seek to redefine the meaning of
barkada and be conscious of its evolution. The traditional understanding of barkada now comes
in a new package like chatmates and textmates simply known as space-occupants of the virtual
world.

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a barkada? What are the negative /
positive perceptions about the barkada?

Outside the family, barkada serves as the reference group for approved or disapproved behavior
thats why parents take this association seriously. Certainly, there are positive and negative
effects, advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a barkada but in the final analysis it is
always the individual who is responsible for all his/her actions.

9. Do barkadas last a lifetime?

As a sociologist I assume that the individual always suffers the dichotomy of the public and the
private or the self and the others. It is difficult to differentiate private from public affairs. From this
assumption, we can then assert that the individual will always be a member of a collective or a
barkada either he or she likes it or not. Poets however, argue that dead or alive one is here alone
forever.

10. What are the different types of barkadas? (school barkada, neighborhood barkada, hobby barkada,
etc.)

See ans. To number 3

11. How strong is the barkada's influence on an individual?

Barkadahan/ barkada is one of the social forces aside from major institutions such as school,
church, media etc. that strongly influences the individual because of its tolerance and
permissiveness. It allows the individual to validate his/her view of the world without the close
supervision of the parents. The principle of reciprocity takes an active part on this social process
where the individual seeks to establish ones identity separate from their parents. Approval,
reward or punishment of his/her contemporaries direct the action of the individual thus making
this collective a major player in the social life of the self.

12. Is the family considered a barkada?

It can be, however, friendship in the family is on a different level and I suppose its on a higher
level, there is a certain degree of permissiveness when we talk about barkada or barkadahan
that is not present in the traditional familial bonds. If the family learns to accept and promote this
tolerance it eliminates the old discourse of generation gap. But in a society where the very
definition of a family is problematic specifically with the emergence of new social arrangements
such as single parenthood, gay marriages etc. it will be difficult for us to attach additional
attributes in the growing confusions about the family.

13. Do barkadas "break up?" Why?

There maybe several reasons why barkadas break up; first is mobility (migration/immigration
(locally (rural to urban migration) /internationally for reasons such as education and job
placements, social mobility from one social class to the other) with this comes the challenges of
communication and the attempts to bridge the spatial divide. Secondly, change of interest simply
means that the value the individual attributes to the belief of the group is no longer perpetuated.
The group no longer serves ones interest; the collective understanding no longer exist. Finally,
competition among its members.

If you have any questions please e-mail me.

Thank You
Karen