Philippine Realities, Social Welfare, and Social Problems

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering sociological concepts, theoretical perspectives, the SPECSEG framework, and major political and economic problems in the Philippines.

Social

Anything that involves relationships, interactions, and connections among people.

Social Context

The environment of family, community, culture, and society that shapes how individuals think, behave, and relate to others.

Reality

Everything that truly exists, encompassing all things, events, and experiences that make up the world as it actually is, not merely as imagined.

Objective Reality

The world as it actually is, existing independently of human perception, thought, or interpretation.

Subjective Reality

The world as an individual experiences, interprets, and understands it based on personal thoughts and emotions.

Social Reality

The shared understanding of the world that is constructed and maintained through communication, cooperation, and social interactions.

Philippine Social Reality

The unique combination of social, political, economic, cultural, spiritual, environmental, and gender conditions that define life in the Philippines.

Needs

The basic biological, psychological, and social requirements essential for human survival, well-being, and participation in community life.

Social Problem (Fuller and Myers)

Conditions or situations which members of society regard as a threat to their values.

Social Problem

A condition or behavior that negatively affects a large number of people, is widely recognized as harmful or undesirable, and calls for collective action to resolve.

Social in Origin

A criterion of a social problem establishing that the condition is man-made or created by society rather than by nature.

Social in Damage

A criterion of a social problem stating that the condition causes harm to society and broad groups of people rather than just a few individuals.

Social in Definition

A criterion of a social problem stating that issues are socially constructed and recognized through public discourse and collective awareness.

Social in Solution

A criterion of a social problem indicating that resolution requires collective action and cannot be achieved single-handedly.

Person-Blame Approach

An individualistic, micro-level perspective that attributes social problems to individual failings, personal shortcomings, attitudes, and poor choices.

Victim-Blaming

The unfair practice of holding individuals responsible for hardships or problems that are largely caused by structural inequalities or unjust systems.

System-Blame Approach

A structural, macro-level perspective that explains social problems as the result of flaws, failures, and dysfunctions within societal institutions and systems.

Functionalist Perspective

A sociological theory credited largely to Emile Durkheim which views society as relatively stable, with institutions designed to fill vital needs and maintain social order.

Conflict Perspective

A sociological perspective based on Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that views society as composed of competing groups struggling for power and resources due to structural inequalities.

Bourgeoisie

The ruling capitalist class that owns the means of production, such as tools and factories.

Proletariat

The working class that does not own the means of production and is oppressed and exploited by the bourgeoisie.

Symbolic Interactionism

A micro-level sociological theory coined by Herbert Blumer focusing on how people interact and construct shared meanings, defining social problems through social labeling.

SPECSEG Framework

An analytical framework used to examine the Social, Political, Economic, Cultural, Spiritual, Environmental, and Gender dimensions of society.

Social Structures

The distinctive, stable arrangements of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact, live together, and which often perpetuate inequality.

Demography

The science of populations that investigates population dynamics through three main processes: birth, migration, and aging (including death).

Birth Rate

A demographic indicator measuring the number of individuals born in a population within a given amount of time.

Death Rate

A demographic indicator measuring the number of deaths in a population in a period with a particular disease as the underlying cause.

Mortality Rate

The number of deaths resulting from a particular cause within a population.

Morbidity Rate

The rate at which a specific disease or illness occurs within a given population.

Self-Rated Poverty (SRP)

A metric tracked by the Social Weather Survey measuring the percentage of Filipino families rating themselves as Mahirap (Poor).

Executive Branch

The part of the Philippine government composed of the President and the Vice President that executes and enforces the law.

Legislative Branch

The branch of the Philippine government authorized to make, alter, and repeal laws through power vested in Congress.

Judicial Branch

The branch of government made up of the Supreme Court and lower courts that holds the power to settle controversies involving legally demandable and enforceable rights.

Political Dynasty

A family or clan with multiple members occupying elected government positions either sequentially or simultaneously.

Thin Dynasty

A type of political dynasty in which a political clan controls a single elected position over time across successive generations.

Fat Dynasty

A type of political dynasty in which a political clan holds multiple government positions simultaneously.

Obese Dynasty

Clans with $5$ or more active family members running for or holding public office at the same time.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total monetary or market value of all finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific period.

Gross National Product (GNP)

The total economic value produced by a country's economy in a given year, whether the value is created from domestic production or overseas receipts.

Gross National Income (GNI)

The total income earned by a country's residents and businesses, derived from both domestic production and net income or subsidies received from abroad.

Inflation Rate

The rate of increase in prices over a given period of time, measuring the broad rise in prices or cost of living.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

A measure of change in the average retail prices of a fixed basket of commodities, goods, and services commonly purchased by households relative to a base period.

Primary Sector

The economic sector that involves the extraction and harvesting of natural resources from the Earth, such as mining and agriculture.

Secondary Sector

The economic sector consisting of processing, manufacturing, and construction companies that turn raw materials into goods.

Tertiary Sector

The economic sector that provides services directly to consumers, such as restaurants, tourism, and sales.

Quaternary Sector

The economic sector centered on acquiring, processing, and sharing information or knowledge, such as teaching and research.

Quinary Sector

The highest-level economic sector whose role is executive decision-making, including roles such as President or CEO.