PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS ON SOCIO-CULTURAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES

WITH CASE STUDY ON BIOPIRACY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Prepared by: Emmanuel Jimenez Bacud, CSE-Prof, BA, MA Political Science I
The Graduate School, University of the Cordilleras
I.) THEORETICAL ANALYSIS ON THE NATURE OF SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
A.) DECONSTRUCTING AN ISSUE AND A PROBLEM
In their simplest denotation provided by the Merriam Dictionary, an issue is something that is in dispute between and among two
or more parties (group of people) such that whether or not the government will increase the peoples taxes to expedite the rehabilitation
of quality public facilities such as comfort rooms, handwashing areas, hospitals, etc or whether or not the Philippine Universities should
offer a trimester-program among its students to shorten the time of getting a degree; however, a problem is something that is a source
of distress such that the enduring cases of poverty, famine, gender inequality, crimes and low caliber of education. Moreover, a problem
has adverse effects to a group of people within the society.
To further deconstruct these two concepts, it has been proposed to scrutinize the following dimensions in understanding the
existence of a problem or an issue in the society.
Dimensions
Duration (Length of time)

Perception (View of the public)

Issue
Short-ranged to medium-ranged of time in
terms of sustaining the interests of the
general public
Sample Case:
-Does the Jejemon Culture degrade the
intellectual capacity of the youth in
language and formal communication?
Issues are viewed in two adversarial
positons.
( Yes/No Argument)
Sample Case:
-The beauty pageants such as Miss
Universe commodify the feminine identity.
*Some say YES- (Feminist thinkers)
*Some say NO- (The Liberal thinkers who
perceived that the pageants can reinforce
strong feminine identity)

Problem
Medium-ranged to long-ranged of time in
terms of sustaining the interests of the
general public
Sample Case:
-The commercialization of our culture
gradually weakens the genuine Filipino
identity.
Problems are problematized in relation with
solutions
(How-do-we-solve-it Argument)
Sample Case:
-Rape is one of the most committed crime
against women.
(Not debating whether or not RAPE is
REALLY ONE OF THE MOST COMMITTED
CRIME but the debate is focusing on the
solutions)
Person 1: Therefore, we must TEACH
WOMEN how to defend themselves against
the ill-mannered people.
Person 2: Or we can educate both men and
women about gender-roles as this will be
integrated to their values education in school
to promote respect and mutual
interdependence.

Integration (Relevance to others)

Low to medium integration

Issues when remain unsolved could
fecundate another issues that will serve as
a trend in the society without necessarily
discussing the previous unsolved issues.
Sample Case:

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Medium to high integration

Problems when remain unsolved could result
to other severe problems or instability and
disintegration of the society.
Sample Case:

-The issue on the morality of prostitution if

remained unsolved could also advance the
issue as to whether or not SEX WORKERS
must be given LICENSE to enjoy
government privileges such as medical
assistance and insurances
OR
Issues when remain unsolved could also
lead to problem.

-The local government could not ensure

stable employment among women in the
community therefore, the women migrated to
other places to seek employment. Later on,
the community has been reported to have
negative growth rate due to ineffective
reproduction.

Sample Case:
-The issue as to whether or not teenageromantic relationship must be prohibited is
not effectively addressed in the community;
therefore, the community is experiencing a
significant increase in the population
caused by teenage pregnancies.
Institutional Impacts

Low to moderate
Issues have low to moderate (when
amplified by the media) institutional
impacts which means that addressing them
will not alter the status quo in general (at
least creating minimal changes)
The impact may appeal to be a moral or
socio-cultural matter.

Moderate to High
Problems have moderate to high institutional
impacts that are perceivable by the public
and gradual movements may be observed
The impact may appeal to be a socio-cultural
or socio-political/socio-economic in nature.

Sample Case:
Sample Case:
-The destruction of marine life
-The distribution of condom among high
school students to reinforce the essence of
People living in the coastal areas
reproductive health education
initiated demonstrations against their
The religious institution is
government for not sanctioning frivolous
condemning this act; however, whether, individuals related to the incident. Later
the Church became victorious or not in on, the local government conducted naval
ceasing the movement of the
investigation and funded livelihood
government, this will not alter the
projects to aid the residents in the area.
population education curriculum offered
in high school levels.
*In deciphering whether a condition is an issue or a problem, it has been proposed that such condition must be evaluated and studied
in line with the formulated criteria to construct a sound reasoning on the matter.
EXERCISE: The following are three articles that may provide you an overview to the current Philippine condition. Determine what is a
problem and what is merely an issue.
CASE 1: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-VAT (Retrieved from: www.evat.atenista.blogspot.com- A blogspot forum for ATENEO DE MANILA
UNIVERSITY students)
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had signed into law on May 24, 2005 Republic Act No. 9337, also known as the Expanded Value-Added
Tax Act of 2005, which will take effect starting July 1, 2005. The said law was enacted to streamline and restructure the present VAT system and to
provide additional revenue for the government through the increased tax rates, lifting of exemptions, and subjecting to tax transactions not previously
covered by tax, in order to balance the governments budget and to curb the existing fiscal deficit. Some of the salient features of R.A. 9337 are as
follows: (1) increase in corporate income tax from the current rate of 32% to 35%, provided that effective January 1, 2009, the said rate will be
reduced to 30%; (2) the new rate of limitation for the deductibility of interest expense from 38% to 42%; (3) the stand-by power of the President

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to increase the VAT rate from 10% to 12% upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Finance under certain conditions starting January 1, 2006;
(4) lifting of VAT exemptions on the sale of power and electricity, fuel and petroleum products, air and sea transport services, and on services
of doctors and lawyers, among others; (5) additional exemption from VAT for the sale, importation or lease of passenger or cargo vessels
and aircraft, including engine equipment and spareparts thereof for domestic or international transport operations as well as the importation
of fuel, goods and supplies by international shipping or air transport operators; (6) the new invoicing and accounting requirements for VATregistered persons, including (a) the clarifications of the kind of transactions when to issue VAT invoice or official receipts, (b) the necessary information
to be contained in the VAT invoice or official receipts (c) the separation of VAT from the gross value of goods or services on the face of the VAT invoice
or official receipts; (7) the option granted to VAT exempt taxpayer to register for VAT; (8) the limit on the application and carry-over of input tax
credits which shall not exceed 70% of the total output tax for the quarter; and (9) the removal of the option to claim for refund or credit against
other internal revenue taxes for the input tax attributable to the domestic purchase or importation of capital goods.
SHORT and LONG-RUN EFFECTS OF E-VAT:
a. Short-run
a.) Increase in prices
One of the immediate effects of the EVAT is the increase in prices of goods because the VAT rate was increased from 10%
to 12%. In addition, the other goods and services which were previously VAT exempt became subject to VAT.
b.) Measures to cushion the impacts
Seeing the immediate effect that the implementation of EVAT, some procedures have been formulated in order to lessen the
effect that it will have. One of which is to remove the franchise tax on power distribution utilities which serves to temper the effects of
imposing VAT on power. In addition, the manufacturers of products such as sardines, milk, noodles, cooking oil and sugar are also
allowed to credit against their output VAT a presumptive input VAT equivalent to 4% of the value of their purchases of primary agricultural
products which are used in the production of these goods. In terms of petroleum products, there will be a reduction of excise tax on
petroleum products such as kerosene, diesel and bunker fuel oil. The technicalities of the effect of the reduction of excise tax on
petroleum products is illustrated below
o DOE figures as of June 30, 2005
As a matter of fact, according to the research that was conducted, the poor will not really be heavily burdened with the
implementation of the EVAT because most of the goods which the lower income households consume are VAT exempt. Usually,
households with an income below Php60,000 spend only 0.02% of their expenses on taxes while those who spend more than
Php250,000 annually spends 4.10% of their expenditures on taxes at the minimum. Some of these goods are agricultural and marine
products in their original state such as vegetables, fish, meat, rice and the like which remain VAT exempt despite undergoing simple
preparation processes or preservation for the market. Educational services by both public and private schools are also VAT exempt, as
well as educational and informational materials such as books, newspapers and magazines. In terms of housing, the sales of low-cost
house and lots which do not exceed Php2.5 million and the monthly lease of houses which do not go beyond Php10,000 monthly are
also VAT exempt. Finally, sales of persons and establishments such as sari-sari stores, carinderias and the like which do not earn more
than Php1.5 million annually are also free from VAT.
Better tax collection would allow deeper fiscal adjustment and additional public services for growth and poverty reduction. This could lead to another
virtuous circle of tax collection and better government services. The rationalization and transparency of public expenditures as well as credible
measures against corruption will increase the trust of citizens in the state. Public support for adequate taxation will increase. World Bank
b. Long term effects
The rewards of an expanded value-added tax will be reaped in the long-run, long after its costs are experienced. The benefits
are experienced after a long time because the development of programs for which the funds are going to be used takes a long
time. Nevertheless, its effect on the fiscal condition of the country will take its toll when taxes are collected. With a larger pool of
funds, potential economic crises are avoided and market confidence is increased. Government borrowing costs are reduced and
savings in interest payments will increase. The gains in interest savings, according to Asian Development Bank, far outweigh the
pain of additional tax payment. In addition, with additional revenues for the government, the need to borrow will be lessened. Thus,
the phenomenon of crowding-out is eliminated because there will be no need for the government to compete with the private sector
for loans.

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Case 2: THE MELTING OF GLACIERS (Excerpt from: Feverish Climate is melting glaciers, study confirms by Thomas
Sumner, Jan. 09, 2017)
Glaciers are melting. Thats nothing new. But confidence about the role of climate change in their retreat has grown substantially. A new study
concludes that the loss of glaciers is, in fact, categorical evidence of climate change.
For this study, researchers studied 37 glaciers from around the world. The team calculated how likely it was that each glacier was melting due to a
warming climate. Scientists call this kind of calculation a probability. Its essentially the chance that one thing is due to something else. For 36 of the
37 glaciers studied, there is at least a 90 percent probability that their melting or retreat was due to climate change. That means the melting's
link to Earths growing fever is now very likely.
Thats a bit more worrisome than previous estimates had indicated. Before, the link between global warming and glacier health was rated as only
likely. That meant there was at least a 66 percent probability that a warming climate was behind the glacial melting.
The ratings come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This group of scientists keeps tabs on all research related to climate. Its
new rating of very likely links glacier retreats much more directly to climate change.
Making that link hasnt been easy. A glaciers ice pack can change as a result of natural shifts in climate. Scientists call this natural variability. El Nio
is one driver of natural variability. Its a semi-regular shift in climate that occurs when the surface water around the equator in the eastern and central
Pacific Ocean warms for a long bit of time.
An El Nio can trigger heavy rains on the U.S. West Coast and in South America. Meanwhile, the same event can lead to drought and possibly
wildfires in Australia and Southeast Asia. Other factors also can affect a glaciers ice cover and depth. So natural variability and these other factors
make it hard for scientists to assess the role of any human influence on climate.
Gerard Roe is an Earth system scientist. He works at the University of Washington in Seattle. He and his colleagues have just calculated the natural
ups and downs of glacier health across the planet. They measured how the ice in each glacier has melted or accumulated over time. They also
noted how much the sizes of these glaciers have drifted from their natural range of variation. Finally, the team looked at what was happening in
regions close to the glaciers.
These analyses revealed something startling. All but one glacier earned the very likely label that it was retreating in size because of climate
change. The rating for 21 out of the 37 glaciers was even more alarming. For them, it is virtually certain that climate change caused them to melt,
the scientists conclude. They shared their findings December 12 in Nature Geoscience.
Glaciers hold about 75 percent of Earths freshwater. Their decline is troublesome because it serves as a canary in the coal mine for climate
change. When someone says something is a canary in a coal mine, it means it is an advanced warning of danger. Glacier melt, the scientists say, is
sending humanity such a message about climate change.
CASE 3: KILLING OF THE JEWS (The Holocaust; www.history.com)
The word Holocaust, from the Greek words holos (whole) and kaustos (burned), was historically used to describe a sacrificial offering
burned on an altar. Since 1945, the word has taken on a new and horrible meaning: the mass murder of some 6 million European Jews (as well as
members of some other persecuted groups, such as Gypsies and homosexuals) by the German Nazi regime during the Second World War. To the
anti-Semitic Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Jews were an inferior race, an alien threat to German racial purity and community. After years of Nazi rule in
Germany, during which Jews were consistently persecuted, Hitlers final solutionnow known as the Holocaustcame to fruition under the cover of
world war, with mass killing centers constructed in the concentration camps of occupied Poland.
The twin goals of racial purity and spatial expansion were the core of Hitlers worldview, and from 1933 onward they would combine to form
the driving force behind his foreign and domestic policy. At first, the Nazis reserved their harshest persecution for political opponents such as
Communists or Social Democrats. The first official concentration camp opened at Dachau (near Munich) in March 1933, and many of the first prisoners
sent there were Communists. Like the network of concentration camps that followed, becoming the killinggrounds of the Holocaust,Dachau was under
the control of Heinrich Himmler, head of the elite Nazi guard, the Schutzstaffel (SS), and later chief of the German police. By July 1933, German
concentration camps (Konzentrationslager in German, or KZ) held some 27,000 people in protective custody. Huge Nazi rallies and symbolic acts
such as the public burning of books by Jews, Communists, liberals and foreigners helped drive home the desired message of party strength.
In 1933, Jews in Germany numbered around 525,000, or only 1 percent of the total German population. During the next six years, Nazis
undertook an Aryanization of Germany, dismissing non-Aryans from civil service, liquidating Jewish-owned businesses and stripping Jewish lawyers
and doctors of their clients. Under the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, anyone with three or four Jewish grandparents was considered a Jew, while those
with two Jewish grandparents were designated Mischlinge (half-breeds). Under the Nuremberg Laws, Jews became routine targets for stigmatization
and persecution. This culminated in Kristallnacht, or the night of broken glass in November 1938, when German synagogues were burned and
windows in Jewish shops were smashed; some 100 Jews were killed and thousands more arrested. From 1933 to 1939, hundreds of thousands of

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Jews who were able to leave Germany did, while those who remained lived in a constant state of uncertainty and fear. Beginning in late 1941, the
Germans began mass transports from the ghettoes in Poland to the concentration camps, starting with those people viewed as the least useful: the
sick, old and weak and the very young. The first mass gassings began at the camp of Belzec, near Lublin, on March 17, 1942. Five more mass killing
centers were built at camps in occupied Poland, including Chelmno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek and the largest of all, Auschwitz-Birkenau. From
1942 to 1945, Jews were deported to the camps from all over Europe, including German-controlled territory as well as those countries allied with
Germany. The heaviest deportations took place during the summer and fall of 1942, when more than 300,000 people were deported from the Warsaw
ghetto alone.
Though the Nazis tried to keep operation of camps secret, the scale of the killing made this virtually impossible. Eyewitnesses brought reports of Nazi
atrocities in Poland to the Allied governments, who were harshly criticized after the war for their failure to respond, or to publicize news of the mass
slaughter. This lack of action was likely mostly due to the Allied focus on winning the war at hand, but was also a result of the general incomprehension
with which news of the Holocaust was met and the denial and disbelief that such atrocities could be occurring on such a scale. At Auschwitz alone,
more than 2 million people were murdered in a process resembling a large-scale industrial operation. A large population of Jewish and non-Jewish
inmates worked in the labor camp there; though only Jews were gassed, thousands of others died of starvation or disease. During the summer of
1944, even as the events of D-Day (June 6, 1944) and a Soviet offensive the same month spelled the beginning of the end for Germany in the war, a
large proportion of Hungarys Jewish population was deported to Auschwitz, and as many as 12,000 Jews were killed every day.
INSIGHTS AMONG THREE ISSUES:
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B.) WHAT IS A SOCIAL PROBLEM/ISSUE?

This section focuses on the nature of social problems since issues can be easily integrated when social problems are discussed
thoroughly.
According to Reab and Selznick (1961), a social problem/social pathology is a problem in human relationships which seriously
threatens the society and impedes the important aspirations of many people. This definition easily elucidate that a social problem, in its
objective sense, is a hindrance to societys goals and aspirations of its people. However, Kornblum and Julian (2012), focuses on the
subjective part of a social problem by defining it as a condition by which enough people in the society agree that a condition threatening
the quality of their lives exists. Therefore, a social problem has its both objective and subjective components.
General Characteristics of a Social Problem (McKee & Robertson, 1975 cited by Agpaoa & Sanchez, 1997)
1.) Social Problems involve the subjective perception of an objective condition.
*Objective component- refers to the negative consequences to the group of people
*Subjective component- refers to the perception as a problem (Social Constructivism)
In understanding this component, it is recommended to consider the essentials of SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION of C.
Wright Mills (1959). By practicing social imagination, you are achieving the most fruitful form of self-consciousness because it
enables you to grasp history and biography and the interaction between them.
a.) Trouble- is a private matter; it happens within the domain of an individual
b.) Issue- is a public matter
2.) Social Problems involve a gap between the ideals of the society and the experienced reality.

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3.) Social problems must be perceived as harmful condition by a significant number of people or by a number of significant
people.
4.) Social problems must be regarded as capable of solutions through collective action.
In a democratic society, pressure of public opinion is necessary to provide specific changes.

1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)

The Natural History of Social Problem (Political Sociology of Social Problem)

*Spector & Kituse, 2001
Emergence and Claims-making
Legitimacy and Political Actions
Renewed Claims-making
Development of Alternative Strategies
POSSIBLE WAYS OF SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEMS:
1.) Informal Controls: refers to actions done by the public (large group of people) such as value-system reorientation
2.) Formal Controls: refers to the institutional movements such implementing laws or policies that govern the possible solution
of a problem (governments, non-governmental institutions)
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES IN DECIPHERING SOCIAL PROBLEMS:

Additional Discussion:
Conceptual Framework (Back to the Proponents):
1.) Functionalism: Social problem weakens the stability of the society but does not reflect fundamental faults in how the
society is structured. Solution to social problem should take the form of gradual social reforms rather than sudden and farreaching range. Social problem is functional for a society to develop and to become more functional.
***APPROACH IN SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEM: Through socialization and social integration (Emile Durkheims
conceptualizations): Socialization helps us learn societys rules and the need to cooperate, as people end up generally agreeing on

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important norms and values, while social integration, or our ties to other people and to social institutions such as religion and the
family, helps socialize us and integrate us into society and reinforce our respect for its rules.

2.) Conflict: Social problems arise from fundamental faults in the structure of a society and both reflect and reinforce
inequalities based on social class, race, gender, and other dimensions. Successful solutions to social problems must involve
far-reaching change in the structure of society.
***APPROACHES IN SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEM: Through class consciousness and revolution. Drastic movements in
the society could eliminate all structures that perpetuating the social problems and could create a new societal order.
3.) Symbolic Interactionism (Herbert Blumer in 1969 at University of Chicago): Social problems arise from the interaction
of individuals. People who engage in socially problematic behaviors often learn these behaviors from other people.
Individuals also learn their perceptions of social problems from other people.
***APPROACHES IN SOLVING THE SOCIAL PROBLEM: Rationalization of social interactions that aims to eliminate negative
behaviors and value-system.
CASE-STUDY: How do you solve this problem using the three sociological perspectives?
Teenage Pregnancy in the Philippines ( Philippines only country in Asia where teen pregnancy rising; retrieved from:
www.usnews.com posted on July 07, 2016)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) The Philippines is the only Asia-Pacific country where the rate of teen pregnancies rose over the
last two decades and the slow decline of its overall fertility rate may deprive the country of the faster economic growth expected in places
that have more working-age people than younger and older dependents, the U.N. Population Fund said Thursday.
Girls aged 15 to 19 make up 10 percent of the country's population of 100 million and one out of 10 of them have already given
birth, UNFPA country representative Klaus Beck said. That fertility rate in that age group is 57 births for every 1,000 girls as of 2013
higher than rates found by surveys every five years from 1998. He emphasized the urgency of fully implementing a reproductive health
law, investing in quality education and health services for teenage girls, and increasing jobs for youth.
The cost of not finishing high school education over the lifetime of young people would be equivalent to about 1 percent of the country
gross domestic product, he added. The study supported by UNFPA found that "due to the slow reduction in the fertility rate the country
may not be able to benefit fully from the demographic dividend," or the balance of its population among children, working-age adults (age
15 to 65) and elderly. It said the window of time to reap economic benefits from the favorable demographics was closing fast.
The Philippines' total fertility rate was 3 births per woman as of 2013, falling at a slow pace of 1.6 percent per year from 7 births
per woman in 1960. But the poorest quintile of the population has a higher fertility rate of 5.2 births per woman as of 2013.
"With the right policies and investments in human capital, countries can empower young people to drive economic and social development
and boost per-capita incomes," Beck said.
Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the administration of new President Rodrigo Duterte will ensure quality education
for the youth and full implement of the reproductive health law that guarantees universal access to methods of contraception, sexual
education, and maternal care. The Supreme Court ruled the law was constitutional in 2013 but a year later it banned dispensing of
subdermal implants, a popular birth control method because it is long-term and safe for breastfeeding women.
Pernia said the government aims to reduce poverty by 1.25 percent to 1.5 percent each year, and a big push for that would be to
reduce the number of children among the poorest people, citing surveys that show those couples have more children than they wanted.

*CULTURE AND THE SOCIO-CULTURAL:

Etymology: cultus- civilization; cultura- care

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According to Edward Taylor: Culture refers to that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs
and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
According to Johnson: Culture is the sum of symbols, ideas, forms of expressions and material products associated in the social
system.
According to Robert Redfield: Culture is an organized body of conventional understandings manifest in art and artifacts which
persisting, through tradition, characterizes a human group.
According to Brinkerhoff and White: Culture provides a blue-print for living, a pattern to follow.
Components of Culture
1.) Norms (folkways, mores, laws, fashions & crazes): guides or models of behavior followed by people in a society
2.) Values: determine what is good and moral to a society
a.) Major Value Orientations Of Many Societies (Robin Williams)
a.1 Achievement and success
a.2 Activity and work
a.3 Moral Orientation
a.4 Humanitarianism
a.5 Efficiency and practicality
b.) Common Filipino Social Values ( Fr. Jaime Bulatao)
b.1 Emotional closeness and security in the family
b.2 The authority value
b.3 Economic and Social Betterment
b.4 Patience, suffering, and endurance
3.) Language: system of symbols utilized for communication in a society
*TAKE NOTE: Our identity as social beings is heavily attached to our cultural orientations (language, norms, etc.) Our
perceptions or sense of meaning is cultural because we relate our sense of personhood to others, vice versa.
Therefore can you do this:
Identifying someone not by the size and shape of the body, social class, gender, type of employment, sexuality, nationality,
age, religion, education, peer groups, lifestyle, interests and hobbies, accent or belief system
Characteristics of Culture
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)

Culture is learned and acquired

Culture is shared and transmitted.
Culture is social.
Culture is ideational.
Culture gratifies human needs.
Culture is adaptive.
Culture tends toward integration
Culture is cumulative.

Adaptations of Culture
1.) Parallelism-independent development of culture in two widely separated cultures.

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2.) Diffusion- process of patterns and traits passing back and forth from one culture to another
3.) Fission- culture arose when a long established society breaks up into two or more independent units.
4.) Convergence-the fusion of two or more cultures into a new one.
Faces of Global Culture (Peter Berger, 1997)
*Considering the status quo: Globalization as a fundamental force
1.) Davos Culture (Samuel Huntington): elitist culture as widely observed in the corporate world
2.) Faculty Club Culture:culture of Western intellectuals who aimed to propagate certain values in the academic world
3.) McWorld Culture: Culture of Instant instant food/fast food, etc.
4.) Evangelical Protestantism: religion as a cultural weapon in shaping new international order

C.) WHAT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM/ISSUE?

1.) Foundational Concepts:
-PERSONALITY: (Latin persona- face mask) It is defined as the configuration of characteristics and ways of behaving
which describe an individuals unique adjustment to his environment. In sociological perspective, personality may be a result of the
individuals socialization and may arise as he interplays with various factors around him.
Determinants of Personality Formation:
1.) Biological Inheritance (Nature): refers to the transmission from parents to offspring through the mechanisms of genes found
in the chromosomes comprising the biological structures, psychological process, reflexes, intelligence and urges.
2.) Socio-cultural Environment (Nurture): refers to learned ways of living from various groups and social interactions.
3.) Geographic environment: pertains to the places, climate or topography.
3.1: Hot climate: Aggressive behavior is linked to ambient temperature. Even our metaphors refer to body temperature: we
can be hot under the collar or simmering with rage, or tell someone else to cool down. As the temperature rises, studies show that
domestic and collective violence increase, and frustrated motorists honk horns. Graphically, the line fit between heat and aggression
follows an inverted U: as the temperature increases, so does aggression until it peaks. When it gets very hot, aggression levels out and
then declines, a trend suggesting that extreme heat saps our energy. The critical variable is the ambient temperature. Ellen Cohn and
James Rotton (1997) tracked an inverted U-curve when they related assault rates to temperature throughout each day for two years in
Minneapolis, 198788. Assaults were more frequent in the later evening. Most people in Minneapolis work in temperature-controlled
environments during the day; as a result, the effects of ambient temperature did not show up until people left work. Further analysis
revealed that it is temperature per se that accounts for the curvilinear trend, and not simply by time of day. There was also a link with
alcohol consumption. When people used alcohol in the evening to quench their thirst, it was a mediating variable leading to aggression.
3.2: Crowded Area: Crowding that leads to fighting has long been recognized in a variety of animal species, as the ecologist
John Calhoun (1962) observed. For humans, crowding is a subjective state and is generally characterized by feeling that ones personal
space has been encroached Although the concepts of personal space and population density are distinct, in practical terms they also
overlap. Urbanization puts a premium on living space and elevates stress. Wendy Regoeczi (2003) noted that Torontos population
density as a gross measure contributed to the overall level of crime. However, variables crucial to feeling crowded are more finely grained,
such as household density (persons per house) and neighborhood density (detached housing versus high-rise housing). Both measures
of density correlated positively with peoples feelings of aggression and of withdrawal from strangers. In a British study, Claire Lawrence
and Kathryn Andrews (2004) confirmed a consistent finding in prison contexts: feeling crowded made prisoners more likely to perceive
events as aggressive and protagonists as more hostile and malevolent.
3.3 Spring and Summer Climate: Researchers (Koskinen et al., 2002) found that outdoor workers were far more likely to
commit suicide in the spring months than during the winter months. For indoor workers studied, suicides peaked in the summertime. A
comprehensive meta-analysis performed in 2012 (Christodoulou et al.) on the seasonality of suicide found a universal truth: Studies
from both the Norther and Southern hemisphere report a seasonal pattern for suicides. Thus, it seems that seasonality is observed with

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an increase in suicides for spring and early summer and an analogous decrease during autumn and winter months, that is a constant, if
not a universal behavior that affects both the Norther and Southern hemisphere.
A Swedish study (Makris et al., 2013) that examined all suicides in the country from 1992 to 2003 found a similar spring-summer
seasonal pattern peak for suicides as well especially those treated with an SSRI antidepressant.
-PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM: In discussing psychological problems and issues, it is justifiable to adhere with the concepts of
abnormal psychology since this discipline deals with the abnormal behavior of an individual.
The psychological problem tends to be a behavioral condition of an individual whose behavior is moving away from the societys
expectation. (ABNORMAL Behavior that is deviating and creating harm for others IS A PSYCHO-SOCIAL PROBLEM). *Abnormal
behavior is defined as behavior that is inconsistent with the individuals developmental, cultural, and societal norms, creates significant
emotional distress, or interferes with daily functioning. Behavior must always be considered in context. Context includes culture as defined
by both individual and social spheres of influence as well as cultural traditions. It also includes consideration of developmental age,
physical and emotional maturity, and socioeconomic status.
INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL: The 3 criteria governing the existence of a psychological disorder are DISTRESS, IMPAIRMENT IN DAILY LIFE
AND RISK OF HARM (Rosenberg & Kosslyn, 2011). If the psychological disorder greatly affect the process within the society; then,
PSYCHO-SOCIAL problems may be greatly perceived (Drastic Behavior + Cultural Context (Perception of the group as a problem) ) .
MODELS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS:
A.) The biological model of abnormal behavior assumes that abnormal behavior is rooted in a persons biology. The
basis may be a genetic abnormality, abnormal brain structures, or abnormal brain functioning.
B.) Within the psychological model are several distinctive approaches, including modern psychoanalytic, behavioral, and
cognitive models. Rather than looking to biology as the basis for psychological disorders, these models assume that
environmental events and the way we interpret and react to them play a causal role in the onset of abnormal
behavior.
C.) Sociocultural models are based on a broader perspective, proposing that broad social and cultural forces (not individual
or unique environmental events) contribute to the onset of psychological disorders.
D.) The biopsychosocial perspective incorporates a diathesis-stress model, in which biology is thought to lay the
foundation for the onset of the disorder through the presence of biological abnormalities. However, biology alone
is insufficient; environmental, social, and cultural factors are always part of the equation that leads to the onset of
psychological disorders.

D.) BRIDGING THE TWO EPISTEMOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONS: THE SOCIAL AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL
Social

Psychological
*The relationship must be seen as "interdependent"
(one influencing the other, vice versa) . Therefore, the
individual behavior may affect the social behavior and
unparallel relationship between these two can cause a
problem.

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Macro-level
Group Behavior
Micro-level
Individual Behavior

List of Common Socio-cultural Problems/Issues:

1.) Unplanned Number of Family members
2.) Terrorism, Racism and Gender Inequality
3.) Biopiracy
4.) Crimes Against Person (Murder, Torture, Hazing, Rape)
5.) Sexting
6.) Patronage Politics and Governance
List of Common Psychological Problems/Issues:
1.) Alcoholism
2.) Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction
3.) Teenage Romantic Relationship and Teenage Pregnancies
4.) Bullying

II.) BIOPIRACY: A DETRIMENTAL FORCE TO THE INDIGENOUS CULTURE

Biopiracy has emerged as a term to describe the ways that corporations from the developed world claim ownership of, or
otherwise take unfair advantage of, the genetic resources and traditional knowledge and technologies of developing countries (theft of
traditional knowledge). (Graham Dutfield). Biopiracy is a compound word consisting of bio, which is short for biological, and piracy.
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, piracy means the following:
1. the practice or an act of robbery of ships at sea
2. a similar practice or act in other forms, esp. hijacking
3. the infringement of copyright
Apart from the use of piracy for rhetorical effect, the word does not seem to be applicable to the kinds of act referred to as biopiracy.
But let us now turn to the verb to pirate. The two definitions given are
1. to appropriate or reproduce (the work or ideas etc. of another) without permission for ones own benefit
2. to plunder
These definitions seem to be more appropriate since inherent to the biopiracy rhetoric are the notions of unauthorized appropriation
and theft. In essence, biopirates are those individuals and companies accused of one or both of the following acts: (i) the theft,
misappropriation of, or unfair free-riding on, genetic resources and/or traditional knowledge through the patent system; and (ii) the
unauthorized and uncompensated collection for commercial ends of genetic resources and/or traditional knowledge.
For biopiracy to mean anything at all, however, it cannot be considered merely as a matter of law but as also one of morality and of
fairness. Accordingly, we need to acknowledge that where lines should be drawn between acts of biopiracy and legitimate practices is
very hard to establish. The difficulty in drawing the line is compounded by the (deliberate) vagueness in the way the term is applied. To
illustrate this point, it may be useful to explain and distinguish the terms theft, unfair free-riding and misappropriation by pointing out
that they can encompass a broad continuum of activities from criminal acts causing serious harm, to legal but unfair activities, and even
to legal, fair and socially-welfare enhancing uses of other peoples property. For example, free-riding does not require there to be a victim,
whether we speak of the person whose knowledge or goods have been freely ridden upon or of society as a whole. Indeed, some acts
of free-riding may be of benefit to society and should therefore be allowed. Consequently, there is likely to be considerable disagreement
about how to distinguish between uses of somebody elses property that are legal, fair and social welfare enhancing, and other uses that
are unfair or illegal and/or socially perverse in its effects. Behind much of the debate about biopiracy is disagreement on whether and to
what extent such terms as theft, misappropriation and unfair free-riding should apply.
On the other hand, bioprospecting refers to the appropriation of traditional knowledge for profit through commercialization of new
drugs, medicines and chemicals.
TWO PREVAILING TYPES OF BIOPIRACY
Traditional Knowledge Biopiracy
Collection and use:
The unauthorized use of common TK
The unauthorized use of TK only found among one indigenous group

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 The unauthorized use of TK acquired by deception or failure to fully disclosure the

commercial motive behind the acquisition
The unauthorized use of TK acquired on the basis of a transaction deemed to be exploitative
The unauthorized use of TK acquired on the basis of a conviction that all such transactions are inherently exploitative (all
bioprospecting is biopiracy)
The commercial use of TK on the basis of a literature search
Patenting:
The patent claims TK in the form in which it was acquired
The patent covers a refinement of the TK
Patent covers an invention based on TK and other modern/traditional knowledge
Genetic Resource Biopiracy
Collection and use:
The unauthorized extraction and use of widespread resources
The unauthorized extraction and use of resources that can be found in one location
The unauthorized extraction and export of resources in breach of ABS (Access-Benefit Sharing) regulations of the relevant country
The unauthorized extraction and export of resources in countries lacking ABS regulations
The authorized extraction of resources on the basis of a transaction deemed to be
exploitative
The authorized extraction of resources on the basis of a conviction that all such transactions are inherently exploitative
Patenting:
The patent claims the resource itself
The patent claims a purified version of the resource
The patent covers a derivative of the resource and/or is based on more than one resource
In perspective, biopiracy is a socio-cultural problem because there is a great tendency of commercialization of indigenous culture
such as in the case of Philippines. As a result, indigenous communities will be aggravated since large-scale companies will now
monopolize the natural resources and the knowledge governing it for economic gain rather than for communal gain.
Indigenous peoples are alarmed that knowledge concerning the nutritional use of indigenous resources is being extensively
documented. They are concerned that such information is often given to researchers and others without indigenous people realizing how
this information might be exploited. The food industry increasingly recognizes the value of indigenous knowledge concerning the
nutritional benefits of particular plants and animals. As biopiracy has spread, indigenous peoples saw that the quest for plant and animal
species necessitates access to their lands. This has led governments to exercise rights over the land, and to the denial of the rights of
indigenous people to their traditional lands. The process places indigenous people in positions where they cannot manage and develop
their inherited medicinal and agricultural knowledge. Government conservation authorities and multinational companies are collecting
specimens from indigenous lands as part of their programs to create inventories. The collected species are made available for research
without reference to the owners from whom the specimens were collected.
Another issue is the exploitation of indigenous peoples genes and tissues through the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP).
Indigenous peoples genes are used for research without their control or ownership, and oftenwithout their knowledge or consent as a
group. Under the existing framework of intellectual property rights, indigenous peoples cannot control the use of the genetic material
taken from them. This report begins with a section on the definition of indigenous peoples intellectual and cultural property rights. A
variety of struggles of indigenous peoples are described, followed by an examination of the steps indigenous peoples have taken to
assert their intellectual and cultural property rights, through the Mataatua Declaration (1993) and the Charter of the Indigenous-Tribal
Peoples of the Tropical Forests (1992). UN efforts to protect indigenous peoples intellectual and cultural property rights are set out in
the next section, together with some discussion of their limitations. This is followed by an examination of governments efforts to protect
intellectual and cultural property rights on biodiversity, through law-making; the creation of databases documenting traditional knowledge;
and formal research. A description of the relations between intellectual property regimes and biodiversity, and the effects of the
Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement (TRIPS) is followed by a look at the phenomenon of biopiracy, and
indigenous peoples resistance to it, on a country-by-country basis.

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TASK: To substantiate the discussion about BIOPIRACY, it is highly recommended to watch the NEWS VIDEO of Balitanghali (GMA
News TV) discussing the biopiracy in the Philippines.
INSIGHTS ABOUT THE TOPIC:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some Famous Bio-piracy Cases in the World:

A.)
B.)
C.)
D.)

Rosy Periwinkle (from Madagascar)

The Neem Tree (from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar used for Ayurveda therapy)
Mayocoba Bean/ Enola (as patented under Larry Proctor but overturned in May 2008)
Willow Tree (Aspirin substance by Bayer AG)

LEGAL FRAMEWORK GOVERNING BIOPIRACY:

Global biodiversity is protected by the international Convention on Biological Diversity (the CBD) to which the EU and its Member
States are parties. The CBD recognizes that countries have sovereign rights over genetic resources on their territory and encourages
them to ease access to these resources "for environmentally sound uses". But it also believes that any benefits arising from the use of
genetic resources should be shared with the country providing these resources. This is the concept of "access and benefit sharing", or
ABS. The protocol on "Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization",
known as the Nagoya Protocol, was adopted in 2010 and signed by 92 countries. It aims to establish a clear, legally-binding framework
determining how researchers and companies can obtain access to the genetic resources of a country and to the traditional knowledge
associated with these resources. It also explains how the benefits arising from the use of these genetic resources and associated
traditional knowledge will be shared.
In Europe, the regulation brings EU law into line with these international obligations. The European Parliament and the Council adopted
the new Regulation ((EU) No 511/2014) on 16 April 2014. It entered into force on 9 June 2014 and all of its provisions will apply from
12 October 2015.
The ABS rules apply when genetic resources, and the traditional knowledge associated with them, are used in research and development
for their genetic properties and/or biochemical composition, including through the application of biotechnology. Genetic resources can be
used in research and development for many different purposes.
Here are some examples:

In medical research: A Danish company has developed a topical gel against a precursor to skin cancer, using as its main active ingredient
the Euphorbia peplus plant found in Australia.

In environmental innovation: Researchers have been studying several fungi of the Ecuadorian rainforest, such as Pestalotiopsis
microspore. They found that these fungi can break down the widely used plastic, polyurethane. In other words, they can digest plastic.
The discovery suggests that there may be a wide range of effective waste-consuming microbes in existence.

Bibliography
Books and Journals:
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Agpaoa, F. & Sanchez, C. (1997). Contemporary Social Problems and Issues. 3rd edition. National Bookstore. Mandaluyong City
Beidel, D. et. al (2012). Abnormal Psychology. Pearson Publishing
Bengwayan, M. (2003). Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Asia. Minority rights group
International
Berger, P. (1997). Four Face of Global Culture. Gale Group
Christodoulou, C.; Douzenis, A.; Papadopoulos, F. C.; Papadopoulou, A.; Bouras, G.; Gournellis, R.; Lykouras, L. (2012). Suicide and
seasonality. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 125, 127-146.
Dutfield, G. (n.d). What Is Biopiracy. PDF File
Hogg, M. & Vaughan, G. (2010). Essentials of Social Psychology. Pearson Publishing.
Javier, J. et al. (2005). Introductory Sociology and Anthropology: A Pedagogy. Rex Bookstore Inc., Manila
Kornblum, W. & Julian, J. (2012). Social Problems. 14th edition. Pearson Publishing.
Koskinen O1, Pukkila K, Hakko H, Tiihonen J, Visnen E, Srkioja T, Rsnen P. (2002). Is occupation relevant in suicide? J Affect
Disord. 2002 Jul;70(2):197-203.
Kosslyn, S. & Rosenberg, R. (2011). Abnormal Psychology. Worth Publishers
Makris, G. D.; Reutfors, J.; sby, U.; Isacsson, G.; Frangakis, C.; Ekbom, A.; Papadopoulos, F. C. (2013). Suicide seasonality and
antidepressants: A registerbased study in Sweden. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 127, 117-125.
Open Stax College, Social Problems: Continuity and Change. PDF file
Palispis, E. (2013). Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology. Rex Bookstore Inc.
Panopio, I., et al (1994). General Psychology: Focus on the Philippines. 3rd edition. Ken Inc., Manila
Spector, M., & Kitsuse, J. I. (2001). Constructing social problems. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
Tria, G. et al. (2012). General Psychology. 6th edition. Ken Inc., Quezon City, Philippines.
Website:
www.ec-europa.eu
www.merriam-webster.com
www.evat.blogspot.com
www.sciencenewsforstudents.org
www.usnews.com

Submitted to:
Prof. P. Endrano
Faculty-in-charge; Social Studies 511
5:30-9:30 Sat; N8002

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