Social Change

Definition: may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution or paradigmatic change or social revolution or social movements.  Sociocultural evolution: The idea that society moves forward by looking from different perspectives and arguing a certain point of view.  Paradigmatic: When society shifts from one point of view or way of thinking to another (eg. Feudalism to capitalism).  Social revolution: In order to change the foundation of a society, a large uprising must occur.  Social movement: When the “people” within a society begin to advocate change.

Anthropology According to an anthropologist, social change happens because of…  Invention: new innovations that change the way cultures function  Discovery: finding information that changes a culture that was previously unknown  Diffusion: distribution of ideas and information between cultures  Acculturation: blending of certain beliefs and customs between 2 cultures after close interaction over time Acculturation can occur in 3 ways: Incorporation Directed change Cultural evolution

Acculturation terms Incorporation: It can be freely borrowed Directed change: It can be unavoidable; when one culture overtakes another and suppresses its people Cultural evolution: View that cultures develop due to common patterns in ways that are predictable

Psychology Questions a psychologists might ask about social change…  What can people do to effectively change their behavior?  Can an individual change their behavior themselves or do they need outside influences?  Are friends a positive or negative factor in helping a person change? Strangers?  Does the media mould a person?  How can the behavior of a person who is mentally ill be changed?

Psychology terms Cognitive consistency: the want to avoid conflict and confrontation Cognitive dissonance: when one person has two conflicting ideas or beliefs at the same time Operant conditioning: consequences or rewards to enforce a desired behavior  Video link: Classic conditioning: two stimuli are repeated until the idea of one is linked to the other  Video link:

Sociology Questions a sociologist might ask about social change…  How does social change occur?  How can society be reformed to cater to the needs of all people?  Can all people in society work together to bring about social change or is it necessary that it be enforced by a specific group?  How much change can a society endure?

Sociology terms 4 aspects of social change:  Direction of change: whether the change is positive or negative for society (eg. Right vs. left wing)  Rate of change: whether the change is gradual or rapid (eg. Social revolution vs. social movement)  Source of change: whether the change is exogenous (outside influence) or endogenous (inside influence).  Controllability: how much of an effect the change has on people in society.

Sociology terms Tension (Adaptation theory): When a part of society diverges from the rest and causes a disturbance. Accumulation: Humans gathering increasing amounts of knowledge and technology – this leads to change Diffusion of innovation: an innovation is developped and becomes mainstream (integrated into society)