Module 14:
Functions of Social
Sciences and
their Application
A. Explain each of the functions of Applied
Social Science HUMSS_DIASS 12-llb-d-
42.
B. Define the different functions of
Applied Social Sciences.
1. Self- development
a. Counselling offers guidance to
individuals in varying situations of
conflict, confusion, crisis and provides
the tools for the individual to address
issues of self- development.
b. Social work offers a wide range of
services, particularly in aid of
emancipating the marginalized
individuals and facilitating participation
in the public goods and services that
are needed for self- development.
c. Communication empowers
the individual with listening
and speaking skills in order
for them to be effective.
d. Self-development had to
do with taking on active role
in one’s own development
2. Persuasion
• the ability to understand well
one’s audience and its difficulty
• In this kind of communication,
the communicator deals with
people’s basic attitudes, values
and beliefs on issues and how to
tailor the message to the
audience in order to convince
them to adopt a particular point-of-
view through appropriate channels
—TV, radio, internet, magazines
• persuasion energized itself
to move the audience to a
desired action
3. Art and
Entertainment
One would be able to
appreciate anything about
life- the depression
experienced by an
individual, the
marginalization of the poor,
or the beauty of writing, to
name a few.
Art includes theater and
drama it could brighten the
life of an applied social
science practitioner as well
as their clientele and
audience.
viewing would become more
a part of one’s life rather
than just art
Through a diversionary
and entertainment, we
activity
could see life differently.
4. News and information
emergence of various news
outlets, channels and
information dissemination
platforms increased the
participation of both
practitioners and audience in
the news making and
consumption.
new media and social media
provide the possibility of driving
the democratization of
information .
The society is informed just by
simply reading, listening or
watching.
Applied social science in this
context can provide
encouragement and
empowerment to underserved
5. Organizing advocacy
become a contributory factor to
social cohesion where individuals
and groups find themselves having
parallel interests, convene to raise
their issues to political platforms
and try to find public solutions
through policies
6. Education
Education as a process is a well-recognized
global framework and as a means of
socialization and enculturation.
It is the process which improves
knowledge and skills and it brings about
hope to make the world a better place to
live in, where respect is a common place,
to ensure that the youth are guided
towards a productive existence and for
them to situate themselves in the proper
perspectives.
Education has played a big role in the
reduction of poverty, social exclusion,
ignorance, oppression, and war, And, the
best defense for every individual, group
and community is to at least have a good
education for their empowerment and
protection from any threat to their
humanity.
a good education that can
empower every individual,
group and community –this way
they have ability to defend
themselves when their rights ar
e threatened and to take an
active role in claiming what is
due them
In 1972 report, UNESCO
essentially gave birth to the
four pillars education that
continue to inform and shape
global education curricular :
Learning to know
Learning to live
Learning to live together
Learning to be
THE FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION
Learning to know
This type of learning is radically different from ‘rote
learning’. It implies’ the mastery of the instruments of
knowledge themselves and acquiring knowledge in a
never-ending process and openness to be constantly
enriched by all forms of experience. It encompasses the
development of the faculties of memory. Imagination ,
reasoning , problem solving and the ability to think in a
coherent and critical way.
Learning to Do
This pillar of learning implies the application of what
learners have learned or known into practices. It means
putting to use one’s education , knowledge , skills and
attitudes as the case in technical-vocational education and
work skills training.
Learning to Live Together
This type of learning is critical in the increasingly
globalizing world. It implies that education has to take two
complementary paths :On one level, discovery of others
and on another experience of shared purposes
throughout life.
Learning to Be
This type of learning echoes the possibility of becoming
dehumanized as a result of technical change and therefore
puts on scaffolds. It fosters principle that ‘the aim of
development is the complete fulfilment of humankind in all
the richness of his or her personality , the complexity of his
or her forms of expression and of his or her various
commitments as individual ,member of a family and of a
community
7. Socialization and Enculturation
• Socialization is the process by which
society turns an individual from being a
child into a full-fledged responsible
adult or from being an outsider to
becoming an insider.
• enculturation where the
transformation of the individual or the
group or the communities presupposes
the acquisition of a corresponding
culture.
To be enculturated means that one
can understand the cultural symbols,
the language, the values, the norms
and is capable to negotiate the thin
line of meanings called ideal-real or
worldview ethos
•Acculturation, is a concept that refers
to the process of acquisition of a second
culture.
Identify situations which
necessitate the performance of the
functions of applied social sciences
HUMSS_DIASS 12-llb-d-43.
Apply their knowledge about the
functions of applied social sciences
to a counselling situation.
Self-development
nurture the innate characteristics
Ex. one who is impassioned towards helping
other people, particularly the poor people to
cultivate more such attachment --self-
development would be actualized.
example is extending counselling service to
other people as in peer counselling where a
friend or a classmate who could be having
difficulty with her studies or one who could be
experiencing love relationship issues may be
enlightened when given a piece of advice.
Self-development
help provide shelter to the street children who
could be given the opportunity to be housed in
the Bahay Kalinga or in any DSWD center
help protect the abused women and be set free
from their perpetrators.
help the viewers or listeners or readers
understand fully and correctly any news item or
any news article through biasfree, accurate and
real-time news items or articles.
Organizing Advocacy
the individual needs to emphasize a
certain belief or philosophy and needs
the support of identified individuals of
groups or even the community for that
matter
It comes in thinking out loud whatever thought
is running in your mind and you reduce that
thought into a line that would have an imprint
in the minds of the people around you, maybe
a statement that would elicit the support of
Organizing Advocacy
For example, with the health
crisis we are in now, the World
Health Organization organized
the advocacy “Stay home, save
lives” ([Link]) so as to
prevent the fast spread of the
dreaded covid 19 and to save the
medical frontliners from being
infected.
Socialization and Enculturation
transformed to become a full-fledged
significant adult member.
The transformation, however, could not be as
abrupt but must follow a process which would
involve significant others with whom he/she
mingles with as well as influenced by the
culture which obtains in his circle.
Socialization and Enculturation
Example: transforming a nonchalant
kid to a responsive and responsible
teenager to a matured young adult.
The child of 5 cannot be five years old all
throughout but must grow physically,
socially and psychologically to allow
him/her to mingle with other people in a
more significant manner.
Socialization and Enculturation
socialization takes place in the transformation shall
involve primarily the family members and then
goes out to the friends, neighbors and others. The
practices and even the behavior which that kid
would be witnessing would somehow affect his own
perception and eventually affect his growth.
Same is true with how the kid would be influenced
by the new media and other social media platforms
the kind of transformation the kid will undergo
would be a manifestation of how much he has
socialized and the depth of his enculturation
Education
In whatever field of the applied social
sciences, education is always a basic
principle.
For instance, under counselling, one learns
about the principles and clientele of
counselling, processes and methods involved
in actual counselling, the ethical standards
which govern the counselors and their rights
responsibilities and accountabilities and
others.
Education
Social Work aside from the principles,
processes and methods clientele, ethical
standards, rights responsibilities and
accountabilities, one gets to know about the
core values of social work.
under communication, one obtains information
about the goals and scope and principles of
communication and the elements and levels of
the communication process and one learns to
distinguish the appropriate communication
media channel(s) to be used in different settings
Persuasion
Persuasion could not just be associated
with communication as it could also
hold true when it comes to counselling and
in the actualization of the core values of
social work. Obviously, in terms of
communication, the journalist or
broadcaster
or the artist, as the case may be, needs to
be convincing enough to persuade
his/her listeners or viewers or readers to
In Counseling, a counselor is duty-bound to
make a client or a counselee to submit
herself/himself to the counseling process,
therefore, the former must talk with all honesty
and accuracy and has to manifest an excellent
listening skill. In this manner, we can say that
the counselee would more likely undergo the
counselling process. Lastly, a social worker
needs to possess an excellent social skill to be
able to win the trust and confidence of his/her
clientele