Gabriel, Jossim Yap
BSChE-2A
My Reflec on
I recently read a lecture visual material provided by our Professor in Understanding the
Self subject. It was tled; “The Self as A Product of Modern Society Among Other Construc ons”,
a file that was shared by Prof. Sonny Boy ‘Cheng’ Morales. It was a material that talks about how
people act according to some factors provided, and le a very interes ng ques on that kept me
wondering, “How does the society affects you? How do you affect the society?”
Then material starts to uncover points to understand the en rety of the topic. But let me
first answer how does people behave under certain circumstances.
First is behavior according to Social Rules. Norms and expecta ons guide how people
should act or behave in different situa ons, for example, how to greet someone and how to dress
properly, but social rules have varia ons depending on what culture you belong to.
Tradi ons, they reflect the values and beliefs of society or community, there are tradi ons,
like fes vi es, rituals, ceremonies, food and music that help people feel connected to their history
and iden ty.
Family. As the basic unit of society, human development and awakening starts in the
family, as family members share the same blood and bonds together, they also influence each
other in terms of behavior, a tude and values.
Environment; this is the se ng where us, people, interact and act as ourselves, it can
affect our behavior, health and well-being depending on what environment we belong.
Environment provides challenges and threats that puts us into mo on.
Lastly, culture. Communi es or even socie es share the same culture, as it is a shared
system of meanings, symbols, values and norms that us humans used to understand and interact
with the world or the universe as we know. It was universally accepted that culture is both learned
and shared through different mediums into different genera ons. Culture guides us on how to
express our emo ons and our personali es as a whole. On the other hand, culture may also build
and break connec ons among people.
To end my reflec on, my answer to the ques on, “How does the society affects you? How
do you affect the society?” is, Society and I have mutual connec on and a dynamic rela onship.
Society influences me on how I feel, act and think, while I affect society by being an ac ve and
responsible ci zen, and I believe that being aware of this rela onship, I can become a be er
person and a member of the society I belong.