Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon1 Sociology Sixth Edition Chapter Twenty One Collective Behavior and Social Movements This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network: preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon2 Chapter Overview §Collective Behavior l Early Explanations: The Transformation of the Individual l The Contemporary View: The Rationality of the Crowd l Forms of Collective Behavior §Social Movements l Types and tactics of Social Movements l Why People Join Social Movements l On the Success and Failure of Social Movements

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon3 Collective Behavior §Collective Behavior - actions by a group of people who bypass the usual norms governing their behavior and do something unusual. §It includes violent acts, panics, rumors, fads, and fashions.

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5 Early Explanations: The Transformation of the Individual §When people cannot figure something out, they often resort to “madness” as the explanation. §People feel anonymous in crowds and less accountable for what they do. §A Collective Mind - when people are swept away by almost any suggestion. §Contagion takes over and destructive instincts are released.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon6 Herbert Blumer and the Acting Crowd §Five stages precede an acting crowd - an excited group that moves towards a goal. l 1. Tension or unrest. l 2. Exciting event. l 3. Milling. l 4. A common object of attention. l 5. Common impulses.

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8 The Contemporary View: The Rationality of the Crowd §Beneath the surface, crowds are often quite rational. §Crowds take deliberate steps to reach their goals. §Minimax strategy - the fewer costs and more rewards we anticipate from something, the more likely we are to do it.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon9 Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian: Emergent Norms §Emergent Norms - when people develop new norms to deal with new situations. §Even new definitions of right and wrong may be developed under new circumstances. §Not everyone in a crowd shares the same point of view.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon10 Forms of Collective Behavior §Riots - violent crowd behavior aimed against people and property. §Panics - when people become so fearful that they cannot function normally. §Moral panics - when large numbers of people become concerned, even fearful, about some behavior that they feel threatens morality. §Fads and Fashion - novel behaviors that catch people’s attention.

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Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon12 Social Movements §Social movements - large numbers of people who organize to promote or resist social change. §At the heart of social movements lies a sense of injustice. l A proactive social movement - when the goal is to promote social change. l A reactive social movement - when there is organization to resist change.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon13 Types and Tactics of Social Movements §Alternative Social Movements - seek only to alter some specific behavior. §Redemptive Social Movements - the aim is for total change. §Reformative Social Movements - seek to reform some specific aspect of society. §Transformative Social Movements - seek to transform the social order itself.

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Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon15 Propaganda and the Mass Media §The leaders of social movements try to manipulate the mass media in order to influence public opinion. §Propaganda - the presentation of information in the attempt to influence people. §Propaganda attempts to influence public opinion.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon16 Why People Join Social Movements §Mass Society Theory - an impersonal society makes people feel isolated. §Social movements fill this void by offering a sense of belonging. §Deprivation Theory - people who feel deprived join social movements with the hope of redressing their grievances. §They key is what people think they should have relative to what others have.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon17 On the Success and Failure of Social Movements §Large industrial societies give rise to the discontent that spawns social movements. §Social movements have brought us extensive change. §Most social movements are not successful.

Copyright © 2003 Allyn & Bacon18 The Stages of Social Movements §(1) Initial unrest and agitation. §(2) Mobilization §(3) Organization §(4) Institutionalization §(5) Organizational decline and possible resurgence

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