DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

Week 9: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION, GOALS, PRINCIPLES AND ELEMENTS

Learning Competencies:
 Identify the goals and scope of communication (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ih-28)
 Explain the principles of communication (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ih-29)
 Describe the elements and levels of the communication process (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ih-31)

Background

The discipline of communication deals with how humans use verbal and non-verbal messages to create
meaning in various contexts. This can be from one person to another, from person to groups, in
government, private, civil society, school and community sector setting to mass audiences across cultures
using variety of channels and media. This discipline is also interested in the impact that communication
has on human behavior.

Communication is the transmission of ideas and emotions between or among persons with the use
of verbal and nonverbal cues. The word communication comes from the Latin word communis, which
means “common”. To be common means to come together or to share something in common together.
Communication helps people to adapt to or survive in the place they live in.

In addition, communication involves: people; trying to understand how people relate to each other;
shared meaning which suggests that for people to communicate they must agree on definitions of terms or
symbols they are using; involves symbols, gestures, sound, letters, numbers, and words that can only
represent or approximate the ideas they are means to communication

 Verbal Communication- also called “spoken communication”, is the process or act of conveying
one’s thoughts or ideas using speech. Sounds and language are used for relaying the message that
one needs others to know.
 Nonverbal Communication – refers to the use of wordless cues to convey a message. These cues
include facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, and the tone, pitch, and volume of voice.
Even when one is using words, there is also nonverbal communication involved.

Barriers to Communication
 Language barriers – no language in common; inability to understand unfamiliar accents; use of
unfamiliar words or expressions, jargon (words or phrases that are used by members of a particular
group or trade, and may not be well understood by outsiders), and idioms (phrases or expressions
that convey meaning other than their literal meaning)
 Cultural barriers - discomfort or hesitation in communicating due to differences in ways of thinking,
behavior, views, and beliefs; insensitivity to the culture of others.
 Physical barriers - disruptive physical setting (or environment where communication takes place)
such as noise, poor lighting, and distance (e.g., participants are seated too far from each other).
 Prejudging - jumping to the conclusion that one already understands the message before it is
completely expressed, deciding prematurely that the message has little or no value.
 Information overload - giving too much information at a time.
 Lack of interest and attention - tuning out information that one finds uninteresting; not giving
necessary attention to the speaker or the message.

Scope of Communication
Personal life State affairs Business
International affairs Religion Social life

Communication is evident in our social life , business and management

Goals of Communication
To motivate, educate, raise awareness and influencing decision making to achieve target goals

 Understand and connect with each other

 Change behavior and way of thinking
 Create social and political change
 Expressing one’s needs and wants
 Transferring or conveying information
 Establishing social closeness or sustaining relationship with others
 Facilitating social etiquette that is, to conform to the social conventions of politeness.
 Build, create relationships

Principles of Communication
 Conciseness – stick to the point and brief
 Courtesy – being aware not only of the perspective of others, but also their feelings, be sincere,
omit expression that hurt, irritate, or insult
 Correctness - proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling, using right level of language, accuracy of
facts, words.
 Clarity - getting the meaning from your head to the head of your reader/listener, choose short,
familiar, and conversational words.
 Completeness - provide all necessary information, it contains all facts the reader or listener needs
for the reaction you desire.
 Consideration - preparing every message with the message receivers in mind; try to put yourself in
their place, do not lose your temper.
 Concreteness - specific, definite, and vivid rather that vague and general.

Elements of Communication Process

SENDER-RECEIVER-sender initiate the process by
having a thought or an idea that he/she wishes to
transmit to the receiver.

MESSAGE-ideas, and feelings that the sender/receiver

want to share. It could be verbal or non-verbal.

CHANNELS- refer to the ways in which the message

travels to the receiver. It also denotes the means or tools
through which information is transmitted-

FEEDBACK-is a response of the receiver to the sender

and vice versa.

NOISE- anything that interferes with the delivery of the

message.

SETTING-is essentially the context where communication

occurs.

Levels of Communication Process

 Intrapersonal - refers to communication that occurs within us. This involves feelings, thoughts, and
the way we look at ourselves.
 Interpersonal - the communication that occurs on one-to-one basis usually in an informal,
unstructured setting.
 Intercultural - communication occurs between or among members of different cultures or people
who are encultured differently.
 Interviewing - makes use of a series of questions and answers usually involving two people or
groups. Its purpose is to obtain information on a particular subject.
  Small group - communication occurs when a small group or people meets to solve a problem.
There is cooperative thinking; specific purpose.
 Mass Communication - the sender-receiver(speaker) sends a message (speech) to an audience in
a highly structured manner.

The Five Levels of Communication

1. Verbal Level of Communication - This level includes our selection of words based on an understanding
of meaning between the speaker and the listener. Different words evoke different images, memories, and
meaning for different people. The logic and reasoning of a statement or argument (Aristotle’s logos)
influence the effectiveness of the receiving message. To communicate effectively on the verbal level, select
the “right” words and usage for the context of the conversation (including moral, religious, ethnic and
religious differences). Be clear and concise. When possible, formulate your thoughts to avoid rambling.
This is an art in itself.

2. Physical Level of Communication - Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) brought the importance of visual
cues in how we communicate many people’s attention. Visual cues like eye contact, gestures, movements,
stances, breathing, posture, and facial expressions influence how we feel and communicate. When used
with integrity, techniques like “matching and mirroring” people’s posture and gestures (and certain words
too) can increase their receptivity of your message. To communicate effectively on the physical level, it’s
helpful to physically align with others, connecting with them in form and movement. It also helps to be
mindful of your posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures.

3. Auditory Level of Communication - The sound of our voice, including the tone, range, volume, and speed
affects how our messages are received and interpreted by others. For example, fast talkers will find it
beneficial to slow their speech when speaking to a thoughtful, introverted person or risk being unheard.
Also, how we enunciate, inflect, and place emphasis on certain words affects how others interpret the
meaning of what we say. To communicate effectively on the auditory level, become aware of various
auditory cues, speaking to others in a manner more akin to their own ways (another form of “matching and
mirroring”).

4. Emotional Level of Communication - Few people appreciate how our emotional states affect what we
communicate and how the message is interpreted by the recipient. Are you more receptive to someone
who is positive and life-affirming or one who is negative and critical? Enthusiastic or boring? The speaker’s
emotions put the recipient in a particular state of mind and influence how the listener interprets what is said.
To communicate effectively on the emotional level, become aware of your emotional state, learning to
pause and release negative emotions before attempting to connect with others. Words delivered with pride,
anger or fear are rarely well-received.

5. Energetic Level of Communication - Also called the psychic level, this level of communication
encompasses a vast range of unseen factors including a person’s level of consciousness, the frequency or
harmonics of the message, and other subtle energies. To communicate more effectively, hold the highest
intention for the other person’s wellbeing. This requires a unique level of mindfulness generally cultivated
through compassion practices. When we are centered in a state of mastery, we’re more likely to access this
psychic dimension that holds great treasures of insights into others, helping us communicate with greater
ease.
 DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
Week 10: PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS OF COMMUNICATION

Learning Competencies
 Explain the roles and functions of communicators and journalists (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ij-32)
 Identify specific work areas in which communicators and journalists work (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ij-33)
 Explain the rights, responsibilities and accountabilities of communicators and journalists
(HUMSS_DIASS-Ij-35)
 Distinguish between ethical and unethical behaviors among practitioners (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ij-36

Background

Various professions in communication have emerged as a result of the functions and roles which the
media play in society, in particular in politics, economy, and culture. Most prominent of these are those in
the fields of journalism, public relations, and advertising.

PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS IN COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST
Also known as “Public Relations Specialists”- they establish positive associations with the public and mass
media in behalf of their client. Employed by businesses of all sizes, they are typically jack of all trades who
is particularly good at communicating in the written form. Communication Specialists send draft and send
press releases that contain important updates about their clients. They organize events at which their
clients can meet with the public to increase product awareness or knowledge of their services or recent
developments. Journalism, writing and marketing degrees can potentially be helpful to people who want to
go into this field. The specialist may be contracted on a part-time or full-time basis as well as hired to
work from home or in the office.

Journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current information to the public.
Communicators are persons who are able to convey or exchange information, news or ideas, especially
one who is eloquent or skilled.

Roles of Communicators and Journalists

1. To make available information and evidence to inform the public about issues that matter to them in the
most neutral way possible;
2. To provide facts for the public to form judgement and decisions; and
3. To facilitate accurate processing and analysis of such facts in a professional and ethical way

Functions of Communicators and Journalists

1. To collect and document information, facts and opinions, and present them for public analysis and
deepening to the root of reality;
2. To deliver truths and facts; and
3. To present where the news is happening and having the ability to record what is happening accurately
with the new technology.

Competencies of Communicators and Journalists

Listening - it is the ability to receive and interpret messages in the communication process.
Speaking - the action of conveying information or expressing one’s thoughts and feelings in spoken
language.
Writing - the activity or skill of making coherent words on paper and composing text
Reading - the act or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.
Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Communicators and Journalists

Rights of Communicators and Journalists

1. Freedom of the Press
2. Freedom of speech
3. Access to information, people, spaces
4. Access to gateways and distribution
5. Journalism “privilege”

Responsibilities of Communicators and Journalists

1. Observe ethical codes
2. Respect rights of others
3. Serve a watchdog role
4. Provide information for the public
5. Journalism ethics

Accountabilities of communicators and journalists

1. Provide guarantees against censorship and protection of freedom of expression
2. Safeguarding the confidentiality of journalistic sources
3. Ensuring that information held by the government can be timely and easily
accessed by the public.

Code of Ethics of Communicators and Journalists

1. At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and
the right of the public to be informed.
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate, and fair
3. Does his/her utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion
5. Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief, or distress unless justified by overriding
consideration of the public interest
6. Protect the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the course
of his/her work
7. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination in the grounds of a person’s age, gender,
race, color, creed, legal status, disability, marital status , or sexual orientation
8. Shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child for a
story about his/her welfare
9. Avoids plagiarism

Areas of specialization in which communicators and journalists:

• Advertising - corporate and instructional media (producing visual, audio, media, written, and multimedia
materials for training and instruction, internal and external communications, sales, and public relations)
• Electronic media - Journalism (magazines, newspapers, print, electronic, television, radio, 6
broadcast)
• Production Management
• Public relations
• Telecommunications (news or production)
• Visual communications (graphic design, production design, photography, video
Journalism
A good journalist will collect facts, research and investigate the subject matter based on a unique
style, and formulate language that tells a story. This story will grab the reader to such extent that both the
unique style as well as the story are remembered and recommended. Journalism refers to the gathering,
reporting, and disseminating of news through mass media. It is the system which arose to provide for
society’s need for news and it arises from the citizens’ right to have access to the fact and opinion about
matters of public interest, which are of importance to the welfare, rights and duties as citizens.

BROADCAST JOURNALISM – This includes the famous TV news anchors. It has many different facets,
both in front and behind the camera. They are the local news anchor jobs, traffic and weather reporters,
and production crew.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM - Finding, reporting, and presenting news which other people try to hide. It
is very similar to standard news reporting, except that the people at the center of the story will usually not
help you and may even try to stop you from doing their job.
PHOTOJOURNALISM – This is telling stories with photographs. The stories created must follow the rules
of journalism. They must be true stories and the journalist must try to tell the story in the most fair, balanced
and unbiased way possible.
SPORTS JOURNALISM – This job vary across media, roles and content. Some sports journalists
stick with one employer, and does one form of media, while others freelance covering various sports and
writing and reporting for print, broadcast and/or online settings.

Advertising
Advertising is “a paid, mediated form of communication from an identifiable source, designed to
persuade the reader (listener or viewer) to take some action, now or in the future” (Jef Curran). Advertising
serves as a marketing tool, a transmitter of information, an economic stimulant and purveyor of values for
business and society

Public Relations
Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships
between organizations and their publics. As management function, public relations may include
anticipating, analyzing, and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact their
candidate or person of interest.
 DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
Week 11: CLIENTELE AND AUDIENCES IN COMMUNICATION

Learning Competencies
 Describe the clientele and audience of communication (HUMSS_DIASS 12-IIa-37)
 Distinguish the needs of individuals, groups and organizations, and communities (HUMSS_DIASS
12-IIa-38)

Background

This lesson discusses the concept of “clientele and the audience” in the disciplines of communication and
how are these terms being defined. Here, you will learn about the varied needs of the different audiences
such as the individuals, groups or maybe organizations.

The discipline of communication is also called as communicology. In the process of communication, one
has to convince or persuade the people who are listening or giving attention which, we called as audience.
When you watch TV shows, read newspapers, or watch a film or watch a vlog you become an audience.
Can you recall the last time you watch a TV show and you are convinced with what they are saying, or you
are already influenced by them?

Audiences are also called receivers. They are formed by two factors which are:

•Social context- people of the same background with shared culture, understanding information needs.
•Response to media content- audiences from news show, variety show, soap opera and others.

To know the audience one who is talking to, one has to assess the fundamental background of like the
awareness and knowledge of the audience of the idea to be presented. For example, if the speaker knows
already that the audience has already several knowledge about the topic then he/she has to provide more
explanations, facts, and examples to support his/her points for the audience to be convinced and
persuaded.

Media sociologist Denis Mc Quail (1997) noted some ways to define who are the audience namely:
1.By place- audience in the case of newspaper.
2.By people- as when media content appeals to a certain age group, gender, political belief, or income
category.
3.By particular type of medium or channel involved- the audience of radio may differ from the audience of
television.
4.By the content of the message of a medium- talk shows and a soap opera with many different audiences.
5. By time- as in daytime, primetime, or weekend audiences.

1. Individuals as Audience
Need: good communication skills to be able to establish good relationship.
 It is important that an individual understand what the other person is saying.
It also means that a person transmitting the information can clearly express their own needs and concerns

Every day you engage in a communication. As one cannot escape it along the different levels of
communication whether intrapersonal, interpersonal, or in mass media. We do this for different reasons.
People communicate to be informed and to inform, to gain guidance for one’s own opinion and to have an
identity or to be a member within a group.

Research says that among the benefits one gets from communication are the following:
• Information and education
• Guidance
• Socialization and relaxation
• Identify formation
• Security
• Build mutual relationship

2.Groups and Organizations as Audience

- Involves trust and cooperation.
Needs: can exchange ideas and gain more knowledge and understanding.
 It means that they can together arrive at a decision or course of action
Organizations communicate with others for a variety of reasons. Innet and Schewchuk in 1995 said that
there is communication of organizations. These are:

To inform- it is communicating to the audience like what you can do for them or what advice you
could
give them or vice versa.
To build understanding- it is encouraging the audience to improve their lives like stopping from
smoking which appeals to their feelings and thinking.
To resolve conflicts- empathy can prevent conflicts as misunderstanding really exist in an
organization.
To present an idea- in an organization presenting an idea is a need but one has to know also the
correct manner of presenting it.
To lower barrier between groups and individuals¬- prejudices and discrimination may exist if
communication process is not done in a correct manner thus one has to know the audience
well

3.Community as Audience
Needs: Must gain access to communication
• It means that a group of people living and interacting with one another in a particular
environment.
Community is the most organic place we do communication. When you go out from your house and
interact with your friends, your neighbor or to everyone in your place you do communication to them. But
you still have to know that in the discipline of communication when you consider the community as your
audience you need to remember the following needs:

•Right language- use simple and easy to understand words.

•Time- extend more efforts to let them be understood the topic.
• Information background- if you need to persuade or convince them with your idea you need to know their
level of awareness of the topic.
•Awareness of interests¬- you need to know what the community likes or have interest to.
•Education- people in the community acts as audience because of the reason that they need to know about
the topic.
 DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
Week 12: SETTINGS, PROCESSES, METHODS AND TOOLS IN THE DISCIPLINE OF
COMMUNICATION and COMMUNICATION MEDIA CHANNELS

Learning Competencies
 Illustrate the different processes and methods involved in undertaking communication
(HUMSS_DIASS_12 IIa-40)
 Distinguish the appropriate communication channel (s) to use in different settings and situations
(HUMSS_DIASS_12 IIa-41)

Background

In this lesson, we will be discussing four subtopics namely, settings in communication, the
communication process, the methods in communication and the different communication media channels.
As we go through the topics, I want you to examine carefully how are these process, tools and
communication media channels differ from one another.

Communication in Various Settings

The settings of communication may be defined as the physical surroundings of a communication event
which may be made up of the location where the communication occurs and environment conditions
(Alberts, Nalkayama & Martin, 2007). What is critical regarding the setting is to know the audience and
understand what they need to hear and how they need to receive information. The following are some of
the settings in which communication takes place.

1. Communication in Government - Communication in government can be defined as all activities

done by the public sector institutions that the government supervises for the purpose of presenting
and explaining government plans, decisions, and actions. It is also used to promote legal
processes, defending recognized values and to foster patriotism. Moreover, the government
engages communication professionals such as writers and broadcasters, and communication
agencies such as public relations and advertising agencies. Most governments have their own
public information agencies which communicate to the public through the print, broadcast, and other
media of mass communication. Through officials who may be called press speakers, press liaison
officers, the government is also in constant touch with journalist who carry its messages to the
citizens.
2. Communication in the Private Sector - The private sector refers to businesses and industries run
by individuals and companies rather than by the government. Most of them aim to make profit from
the services and goods they offer, but some are run for nonprofit purposes. Schools are part of the
economy’s private sector and these are usually non-profit insitutions. Among the essential
communication needs of the private sector are information, persuasion, and mobilization.
3. Communication in Civil Society - Communication done by non-government organizations (NGOs)
is an example this setting. Examples are Save the Children, Greenpeace, Animal rights,
environmental protection, etc. Like the private sectors, NGOs need to communicate to their various
audiences and stakeholders. They have to maintain their visibility and ensure their influence or
impact in the area of their advocacy.
4. Other Communication Settings: Communities and Schools
 Schools – Communicaion for instruction and socialization to inform stakeholders like parents,
faculty, and students.
 Communities are organized in varying degrees of structure and using different systems
 Other Communication- done in social networking sites like fb, twitter, instagram, etc.

Processes in Communication
In the previous lesson, we had learned that effective communication happens when the message
conveyed by the sender is understood by the receiver in exactly the same way as it was intended. In this
lesson, we will be having a deeper understanding of the communication process.

There are seven (7) major elements of communication process and these are as follows:
1. Sender – is the person who initiates the conversation and has conceptualized the idea that he
intends to convey it to others.
2. Encoding – is putting ideas or information into symbols (example: signs, body gestures, etc.)
3. Message – is the information source. The message can be written, oral, symbolic or non-verbal.
4. Channel – is the medium through which the sender wants to covey the message to the recipient
(example: oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture, etc.)
5. Receiver – is the one who receive the information.
6. Decoding – is transforming message back into thoughts.
7. Feedback – is the receiver’s reaction that is given back to the sender.
Noise – is the unplanned interference

Methods in Communication
Methods of communication vary, and you are almost certainly familiar with all of them. Let us look at
some of the most common and primary methods of communication.
1. Verbal Communication – is simply sending a message through a spoken language that is
understood by both the sender and receiver of the message (Example: face-to-face, listening to a
lecture, listening to a television program).
2. Written Communication – is sending a message by the use of symbols that are understood by
both the sender and receiver of the message. If you are reading this lesson, you are engaged in
written communication.
3. Non- Verbal Communication – communication by sending as well as receiving wordless
messages is part of nonverbal communication (Example: Body language, etc)
4. Visual Communication – takes place through the help of visual aids like colour, illustration,
graphics design, drawing, typography, signs and other electronic resources.

Tools in Communication
1. Print Materials – Newspapers, reports, books, posters, brochures, etc.
2. Non- Print materials – Videos, TV shows, radios, presentations
3. Technologies – cellphones, telephones, tablets, computers, and laptop
4. Online Tools – Social Media, electronic mails

Communication Media Channels

A media channels refers to the specific method used in transmitting messages or information to an
intended audience. Traditional channels include newspapers, magazines, billboards, radio and television
stations. Online media channels include such as websites, social media, email and search engines.

I. Mass Media – means technology that is intended to reach a mass or large audience. It is the
primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most
common platforms for mass media are newspapers for print media and radio and television for
broadcast media.

i. Print Media - includes newspaper and publication which tell about news stories, opinions,
businesses and advertisement.
 Newspaper – divided into two sections: editorial and business. The
editorial part is composed of editors, reporters, photojournalists,
and other journalist. The business section composed of the
advertising and circulation sales staff, generates revenue for the
business.
ii. Broadcast Media - comes in a form of radio and television where it is more influential and
dominant to transit news and information.
 Radio - dominant among the mass media. Radio programs are
broadcast from a centrally-located source called a station. Radio
stations may be commercial or government- owned stations.
 Television - Television program may be categorized into news, news
analysis, documentaries, informal and formal educational programs,
 sports, music, and entertainment. Most stations are commercial enterprises; but in
most countries there is government-run television.
iii. Other Mass Media: Film and Recorded Music - Film is a true mass media in the sense that it
reaches a large part of the population, even in rural areas. Recorded music is generally thought
of as entertainment.

II. New Media and Social Media

i. New Media - is a term which refers to all that is related to the use of internet and the interplay
between technology, images, and sound that help improve the process of communication
especially in the advent of the 21st century.
ii. Social Media - is a subset of new media which dominated
much of the world populace and seen most influential medium
of communication especially to new millennials and
generations Z. Internet is a must in this channel where it does
not only cover a portion in a certain place but it can reach
anyone in the globe as long as there is internet.
Examples:

 Social Networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram
 Wikipedia
 Youtube
 Tiktok
 Virtual Games (Modile Legends, DOTA, Minecraft, and the likes)
 Technologies (blogs, email, instant messaging, music- sharing)
iii. Telecommunication- refers to channel of communication where information and messages are
exchanged over long distances. Usually this channel use computer, cellphones, and telephone
where information is sent or received through a communication connection.
 DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
Week 13: IMPORTANCE OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

Learning Competencies:
Explain each of the functions of applied social sciences (HUMSS_DIASS 12-IIb-d-42)
Identify situations that would require or necessitate the performance of the various functions in local/
Philippine setting (HUMSS_DIASS 12- IIb-d-43)

Background

Social sciences refer to the various disciplines that study society and how people interact and develop
their cultures. It is a broad field that includes history, political science, sociology, psychology, economics,
geography, demography, and anthropology, among others. Applied social sciences, on the other hand,
were developed in response to the fragmentation of social scientific knowledge that became commonplace
in the late 1990s and into the late 20th century. Researchers have argued that greater collaboration is
needed in the social sciences. This means that different social science disciplines need to work together to
solve problems effectively. This interdisciplinary approach to the study of different social problems is the
main objective of applied social science. Applied social scientists use or borrow various concepts,
theoretical models, and theories from the social science disciplines to help them understand society and
the various problems and issues it faces. Applied social sciences can also provide alternative solutions to
these social problems (Gouldner 1989).

Students who take courses in applied social sciences give ample training and background for careers
in counseling, social work and communication. These careers provide opportunities to help the
disadvantaged, marginalized and voiceless sectors, such as the poor and indigenous peoples, in order to
improve their living conditions and protect their rights. If you graduate with a social science related degree,
you could work in non-governmental organizations, historic sites and museums, as well as government
agencies. You could also find jobs in market research, public policy analysis, government research, public
relations and human resources.

Self- Development

Applied Social Scientists can use their training as personal development and self-help
counselors. As an applied social scientist, you will be able to solve a variety of serious
problems in people's lives. You could offer counseling and career guidance for individuals using
psychological methods such as case history data collection, personal interviews, and interest and aptitude
testing. You could assist people through self-development through counseling. Professionally, these can
be done by guidance counselors or life coaches, career counselors, hypnotherapists, and personal growth
counselors. There are different types of self-development or personal development counseling that an
applied social scientist can pursue. These include the following:

1. Life Coaches for Personal Development

Life coaching is a profession that deals with specific personal projects, business success, general
conditions and transitions in a person's personal life, relationships and professions. A life coach examines
the client's current condition, discovers the obstacles and challenges they are facing, and assist them in
choosing the right course to help them achieve the life they want.

2. Career Counseling for Personal Development

One of the most common types of self-help counseling is career counseling. It would be useful for
anyone who previously experienced working, looking for a career change, or wants to advance their current
career. As a career counselor, you will review the client's personal strengths and weaknesses in the job
market, as well as their goals and life options.

3. Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a form of complementary therapy that uses the power of positive suggestion to
bring about subconscious changes in a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. As a hypnotherapist, it
will be your job to help change a person's state of consciousness in order to relax certain parts of their
conscious mind. This heightened state of awareness can be reached using skilled relaxation techniques
which then allows the hypnotherapist to make appropriate suggestions.

4. Personal Growth Counseling for Personal Development

A personal development counselor focuses on evaluating different aspects of a client's life, goals
and your life. A good personal development counselor wants to help you look to the future and facilitate
your growth but takes the time to integrate the past and present into the future.
This form of counseling incorporates the techniques and approaches of life and career counseling into
the more exploratory work done in traditional personal counseling.

Persuasion

Persuasion is very important in media, advertising, business and other communications-

related careers. Persuading someone means being able to convince others to change their attitudes and
behaviors on an issue by conveying a message in an atmosphere of free choice. You can only persuade a
person if you have social scientific basis for doing so. Anyone who creates a message or advertisement that
wants to persuade a client must know the culture of the person whose message is being conveyed. A
strong foundation in the applied anthropology and sociology is important in persuading people.

Art and Entertainment

Applied social science is also used in the entertainment industry. Arts and entertainment are
reflections of a country's culture and society. In order to understand and analyze the
development and new trends in arts and entertainment, it is important to know the social and cultural
conditions of the population. Applied social sciences address these important aspects by studying the
anthropological and sociological conditions of society.

As new forms and systems of entertainment delivery proliferate, understanding the needs of your
audience is critical. In order to capture the attention of audiences, we need to adapt to the changing
demands of the society. The applied social sciences are important in this regard because this
interdisciplinary field emphasizes a strong foundation for the study of viewer behavior and habits.

News and Information

Applied social sciences is also important in the field of journalism. The news and current affairs
sector emphasize the need for a balanced, objective, and truthful rendering of the political and
other important events as they actually happened. Practitioners in the applied social sciences have enough
training in this regard because they have a good foundation in history and political science. Through the
application of these fields, applied social scientists have enough skills to be able to write and report news
accurately and objectively.

In business organizations and public relations organizations, applied social scientists are important
because they serve as information researchers. Called in the business as market researchers, applied
social scientists can use their skills and training to coordinate and administer the research projects of the
organizations. They conduct surveys, collect and analyze data to allow their clients to further understand
their market, and make informed decisions about future policies and initiatives.

Applied social sciences is important in market research because of the excellent grounding of the
practitioners on the social sciences, especially, anthropology, demography, and sociology. These fields are
important to be able to understand and analyze target customers, competitors, and the market. Through
market researchers, companies are given sufficient information about current and potential customers.
Essentially market researches help companies to produce better business decisions about the
development and marketing of their new products and services.

Organizing, Advocacy and Mobilization

Advocacy groups are organized to inform and educate on public issues, and influence people
on the development of policies. Advocacy groups also play important roles in the development
of political and social systems.

Applied social sciences is a good background for advocacy organizing and mobilization because this
multidisciplinary field studies politics, governance, social and political dynamics. These areas are very
important background for advocacy work.

Advocacy works have different activities. All these activities require knowledge of the applied social
sciences. It includes the following:

1. Community organizing and mobilization Helping to mobilize constituents and build power with their
communities.
2. Information Dissemination - Providing communities and people the right information on important
political, social, and economic issues affecting them.
3. Research -Conducting studies that reflect the needs of the communities
4. Training -Training sessions that will teach successful strategies and skills for personal and community
development.

Education and Socialization

The applied social sciences educates the public about the realities of life and the problems that
the country faces. Through mass media, the applied social sciences educates people about the
different events and phenomena that is happening. People are updated with the recent developments in the
sciences, technology, and other relevant fields of knowledge.

Social work is another professional function of an applied social scientist. Having been trained to
interact and understand social realities, applied social sciences provide good theoretical and conceptual
foundations for social work practice. A social worker helps individuals, families, groups, and communities to
improve their individual and collective well-being. Through social work, people enhance their skills and their
ability to use their own resources and those of the community to resolve problems.

Social work does not only deal with individual and personal problems but it also addresses social
issues such as poverty, unemployment, and domestic violence. Human rights and social justice are also
part of the social work practice. Social workers are employed in a variety of settings, namely, family
services agencies, children's aid agencies, general and psychiatric hospitals, school boards, correctional
institutions, welfare administration agencies, federal and provincial departments. An increasing number of
social workers also work in private companies and organizations.

There are different areas where social workers are needed. These include the following:

1. Child welfare (public and private agencies)

2. School social worker
3. General and psychiatric hospital
4. Health and community services centers
5. Correctional field
6. Policy analysis, development, and planning
7. Academe and research
.
 DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
Week 14: THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES PROCESS
Learning Competencies
 Analyze the effects of applied social sciences processes on individuals, groups, and society
(HUMSS_DIASS 12-IIe-f-44)
 Evaluate the effects of certain program or projects on knowledge, attitude, and behavior of
individuals, groups, and society (HUMSS_DIASS 12-IIe-i-45)
 Synthesize the learning from the course and its applications to the learner (HUMSS_DIASS12-IIj-
46)
Background
Applied social sciences offers a wide range of practitioners in their field of expertise in different
areas such as advocacy, counseling and case management to be able to work with the clienteles of social
work to improve their well-being and social functioning. They can also fit well in all other sectors requiring
the application of psychological knowledge, including the human resource offices, market research,
community services, health and social welfare.

With the applied social sciences processes, standards in social service delivery are observed. A set
of core values is considered in the delivery of human and social services. Services are given with quality.
Social justice is pursued. Every person is considered to have dignity and worth. The importance of human
relationships is a factor in social service delivery. Integrity and competence are expected of all
professionals in the practice of social service. People in need are helped by social workers to address
social problems. Social injustice is challenged.

Effects of Applied Social Science

1. Awareness and Knowledge.

Through the applied social sciences, people have developed ways to understand
one’s self and the other people around.

 Counseling allows us to understand one’s personality including various problems and

issues that may affect an individual
 Social work provides awareness and understanding of community issues because social workers
provide knowledge on community organization and mobilization.
 Communication helped people to become more discerning about the problems of country through
the medium of television, radio, newspaper and even in social media.

Social awareness, self-awareness, and self-knowledge are very essential for quality participation
and functioning in society for they incorporate one’s appreciation of both the inner-ecology and the social
ecology.
  Social awareness is important for managing own response to change and it forms an essential part
of interpersonal intelligence.
 Self-awareness is an important step toward self-understanding and self- mastery and it forms an
essential part of intrapersonal and emotional intelligence. It means having the capacity to
understand your personality, behaviors, habits, and emotions. It includes being conscious of what
you are good at (strengths) as well as of what you are not good at (weakness).
EXAMPLE:
Social Media: Positive Impact
- you can communicate to your friends fast over the internet
- you can search nearly anything online
- you can purchase products online which makes it easier, can save time, money and
effort.
Negative Impact
- creates a generation barrier where different generations can rarely communicate
- makes people vulnerable to hackers, viruses and identity thefts
2. Attitude and value change
The applied social sciences allow us to understand various social phenomena and because of this,
people can make significant changes in their attitudes and values to prevent the occurrence of various
natural and social problems. example, risks of disasters can be prevented and mitigated using the applied
social sciences because it can provide us information on what to do when disasters happen in the
community.

EXAMPLE:

Disaster Risk Reduction - People’s perceptions of natural, spiritual, and social phenomena are socially
constructed. Disaster risk reduction is not a completely individual effort as it can also be fostered by
social networks.

The Bahala na Habit - It’s a habit of Filipinos to say it especially when they don’t have a choice left to
gain that boosts their ego to do something that you need, and most of the times it is effective.

Positiveness of “Bahala Na” Negativeness of “Bahala Na”

- highlighting one’s courage to willingly face - For some, it may just be a lame excuse to do
difficulty and possible failure nothing
- it leads to hope, optimism, self-efficacy, - a sign of laziness for some students who
refuse
and courage to prepare for upcoming prepare for
- willing to accept responsibilities in situations upcoming exams out of fear or laziness.
which he cannot control
- unstructured situations where the person has to
have a strong sense of pakiramdam as well

The “bahala na” mentality has two meaning among Filipinos. For hardworking Filipino, this mentality
reflects an optimistic attitude that good things will come since they have done their best. If not, they will not
worry so much about the result. The attitude revolves around a healthy dose of faith in God and a realistic
acceptance that life is not perfect.

Applied social scientists can communicate to the people impact of these social environmental phenomena
through their understanding of the interaction of society, culture, and environment.

Social workers can provide affected people with disaster training like how we can become vulnerable to
hazards on what they should do before, during, after a disaster. These trainings and programs that were
done and implemented by applied social sciences practitioners changed the people’s attitudes, values, and
ideas towards disasters. Through the help of social workers, people affected by disasters become more
resilient and prepared in times of disasters..
3. Behavioral change
Behavior is acquired or developed slowly and it’s part of our life, Making a permanent change in
behavior is never a simple process, and it requires substantial commitment of time, effort and emotion.
Generally, behavioral change is highly transactional. If changed is perceived to bring status quo, the
behavioral change process tends to be sustainable.
The stage of Change Model or The Transtheoretical Model was developed by researchers James
Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente which demonstrates that change is not easy and requires a gradual
progression of small steps toward a large goal. Based on this model, there are three most important
elements in changing a behavior:

 Readiness to change
 Barriers to change
 Expect relapse

4. Structural change
Refers to the radical shift in the way reality is organized and does not necessarily include the
substantive change. The applied social sciences can help us comprehend the different social problems and
its dynamics, and in the proves the applied social sciences provided us with the necessary tools and skills
to propose alternative solutions. Some of these problems that the applied social sciences can address
include various social and family-related problems like gender issues, overseas migration of overseas
Filipino workers, domestic violence, single parenting, criminality, and substance abuse.

Concrete example of structural change:

 In many countries, women were not allowed to hold public office and they were made to look
incompetent using a social structure that prevented them to go further in education or have exposure
to public service. To change this, there are global efforts from public policy to social awareness
campaign and education where organizations and companies are required to have women
representation in workplace and public affairs.
 Family Structure did not just describe the biological and martial relationship that bonded people
together, but it included the aspects of living together under the same roof or very close proximity.
Today, the concept of family remains to be the basic unit in human relation but does not necessarily
imply living together.
 The institution of marriage was confined to opposite sex partners but today, there is a growing
acceptance of same-sex unions and marriages across the globe.

Synthesis of the Effects of the Applied Social Science

Social sciences provide a huge theoretical resource to explain much of the social phenomena that
affect individuals, families, groups and communities. Applied social sciences are rooted in the principles of
human rights, social justice, and inclusion as well as empowering individuals, groups and communities to
develop their full potential and well-being. When these are not realized, denied, or violated, then applied
social sciences set in with appropriate measures to transform humanity.