The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1 Chapter 16 Social Change: Looking Toward Tomorrow

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2 What is Social Change?  Sociologists define social change as the transformation of a culture over time. Some changes are deliberate or intended, while others are unplanned or unintentional. Some changes are more controversial than others.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 3 What is Social Change? (cont’d)  There are several ways that social change can occur. One way is through a major physical event (hurricanes, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions). Demographic factors can also lead to social change (for example, the aging of baby boomers).

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 4 What is Social Change? (cont’d)  Another source of social change lies in discoveries and innovations (fire or the wheel). The most important contributions to social change have been made through collective action (the civil rights movement).

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 5 Collective Behavior  Collective behavior refers to behavior that emerges from the formation of a group or crowd of people who together take action toward a shared goal. Collective behavior theories suggest that such occurrences are often organized and maintain a certain amount of order.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 6 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Contagion theory, one of the earliest theories of collective action, suggests that individuals who join a crowd or mob become “infected” by a mob mentality and lose the ability to reason.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 7 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Emergent norm theory assumes individual members of a crowd make their own decisions about behavior and that norms are created through others’ acceptance or rejection of these behaviors.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 8 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Collective behavior generally can take three different forms: crowd behavior, mass behavior, and social movements. A crowd is a temporary gathering of individuals, whether spontaneous or planned, who share a common focus. A riot is continuous disorderly behavior by a group of people that disturbs the peace and is directed toward other people and/or property.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 9 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Mass behavior occurs when large groups of people engage in similar behaviors without necessarily being in the same place. Fads are interests or practices followed enthusiastically for a relatively short period of time. Fashion refers to the widespread custom or style of behavior and appearance at a particular time or in a particular place.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 10 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  A social dilemma is caused when behavior that is rational for the individual can, when practiced by many people, lead to collective disaster.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 11 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  The two classes of social dilemmas are the tragedy of the commons (a situation in which many individuals’ over-exploitation of a public resource depletes or degrades that resource) and the public goods dilemma (a situation in which individuals must incur a cost to contribute to a collective resource, though they might not benefit from that resource).

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 12 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  A social movement refers to any social group with the leadership, organization, and an ideological commitment to promote or resist social change. Mass society theory assumes people join social movements to satisfy a psychological need to belong to something larger than themselves.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 13 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Relative deprivation theory is a theory of social movements that focuses on the actions of oppressed groups who seek rights or opportunities already enjoyed by others in the society. Resource mobilization theory focuses on the practical constraints that help or hinder social movements’ action.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 14 Collective Behavior (Cont’d)  Armand Mauss identified the four stages that social movements tend to go through. The first stage is the incipient stage—when the public takes notice of a situation and defines it as a problem. During the second stage, people begin to organize. The third stage is characterized by the movement becoming bureaucratized. Finally, the movement enters the fourth stage and eventually begins to decline.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 15 Emergent Social Movements: Promoting and Resisting Change  Because society is constantly changing, new social movements and different opportunities for activism (any activity intended to bring about social change) are constantly emerging.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 16 Emergent Social Movements: Promoting and Resisting Change (Cont’d)  Some emerging social movements are regressive (a term describing resistance to particular social changes, efforts to maintain the status quo, or attempts to re-establish an earlier form of social order), while others are more progressive (a term describing efforts to promote forward-thinking social change).

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 17 Technology and Social Change  Sociologists have developed a number of theories to explain the role of technology in social change. One common characteristic of these theories is an emphasis on technological determinism (the idea that technology plays a defining role in shaping society).

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 18 Technology and Social Change (cont’d)  Cultural lag refers to the time between changes in material culture or technology and the resulting changes in the broader culture’s relevant norms, values, meanings, and laws. Cultural diffusion refers to the spread of material and non-material culture to new cultural groups regardless of the movement of people.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 19 Technology and Social Change (con’t)  Cultural imperialism refers to cultural influence caused by adopting another culture’s products rather than by an imposing military force. Cultural leveling is the process by which societies lose their uniqueness and become increasingly similar.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 20 Implications for a Postmodern World  Technology will continue to play an increasingly important role in almost every aspect of people’s lives as society continues its transformation from a modern society to a postmodern society.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 21 Implications for a Postmodern World (Cont’d)  Modernity refers to the social conditions and attitudes characteristic of industrialized societies, including the decline of tradition, an increase in individualism, and a belief in progress, technology, and science.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 22 Implications for a Postmodern World (cont’d)  Postmodernity refers to the social conditions and attitudes characteristic of post- industrialized societies, including a focus on the production and management of information, and skepticism of science and technology.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 23 Concept Quiz 1.Large groups of people engaging in similar behavior without necessarily being in the same place is called: a. collective behavior. b. emergent behavior. c. mass behavior. d. progressive behavior.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 24 Concept Quiz 2.A type of social dilemma in which individuals must incur a cost to contribute to a collective resource is called the: a. tragedy of the commons. b. collective cost dilemma. c. public goods dilemma. d. social contribution dilemma.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 25 Concept Quiz 3.Which theory of social movements focuses on the actions of oppressed groups who seek rights and opportunities already enjoyed by others in society? a. Relative deprivation theory b. Emergent norm theory c. Mass society theory d. Contagion theory

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 26 Concept Quiz 4.The fact that MTV can now be seen in about 166 countries is an example of: a. cultural determinism. b. cultural leveling. c. cultural diffusion. d. cultural lag.

The Real World Copyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 27 Concept Quiz 5.According to the text, which of the following is NOT a characteristic of postmodernity? a. Skepticism of new technology b. Focus on the production of information c. Focus on ideas and cultural debates d. A strong belief in science