PSY 270 COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY Week 12 Day 1
Outline Reasons for social change Types of social change Why social change efforts fail How to be a successful radical
Reasons for social change Diverse populations Declining resources Knowledge-based and technological change Community conflict Dissatisfaction with traditional services/practices Desire for diversity of solutions
Types of social change Spontaneous or unplanned change Natural disastersNatural disasters Shifts in populationShifts in population Stressful due to unpredictabilityStressful due to unpredictability Planned or induced change (deliberate action) Limited in scopeLimited in scope Enhancing quality of lifeEnhancing quality of life Provides a role for those affectedProvides a role for those affected Often guided by a change agentOften guided by a change agent
Issues related to planned change Collaboration is the most effective? Community psychology valueCommunity psychology value Participatory decision making or collaborative problem solvingParticipatory decision making or collaborative problem solving Heavy investment, time consuming Multi-pronged continuous approach Contextual issues important Research & systematic reflection Holistic and realist
Why social changes plans fail In-group/out-group resistance Human nature Cognitive misers-path of least effort in decision making and thinking.Cognitive misers-path of least effort in decision making and thinking. Dogmatic-close minded; conserve old waysDogmatic-close minded; conserve old ways Appeal to a large or significant of number Lack of organization Lack of research orientation; ongoing evaluation of impact
How to be a successful radical Use whatever you’ve got to get attention Don’t go outside the experience of your people But whenever possible, go outside the experiences of the enemy Make the enemy live up to its own rules Ridicule is a potent weapon, and it makes the opposition react to your advantage A good tactic is one that your people enjoy—if they don’t enjoy it, there is something wrong A tactic that drags on too long is a drag The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself Power is what you have and what the enemy thinks you have Keep the pressure on Saul Alinsky, 1971