1. Collective Behavior & Social Movements
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

2. Studying Collective Behavior
Collective behavior–Activity involving a large number of people that is unplanned, often controversial, and sometimes dangerous
Examples: Mobs, riots, panic, mass hysteria, and social movements
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

3. Studying Collective Behavior
Collective behavior is diverse
A wide range of human action
Collective behavior is variable
Why do some rumors catch on, but others don’t?
Much collective behavior is transitory
Disasters, rumors, and fads come and go quickly.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

4. Collectivity
A large number of people whose minimal interaction occurs in the absence of well-defined and conventional norms
Localized collectivity–People physically close to one another
Dispersed collectivity (or mass behavior)–People who influence one another despite being spread over a large area
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

5. How Collectives Differ from Social Groups
Collectives are based on limited social interaction.
Interaction in mobs is limited and temporary.
Collectives have no clear social boundaries.
Little sense of unity compared to social groups whose members often share a common identity
Collectives generate weak and unconventional norms.
Mobs often destroy and act spontaneously.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

6. Crowds Blummer identified 4 types, we add a 5th:
A temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and who influence one another
Blummer identified 4 types, we add a 5th:
A casual crowd: people on a beach
A conventional crowd: a college classroom
An expressive crowd: a church service
An acting crowd: people fleeing from a fire
A protest crowd: a college student sit-in
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

7. Mobs and Riots
Mob–A highly emotional crowd that pursues a violent or destructive goal
A lynch mob
Riot–A social eruption that is highly emotional, violent, and undirected
Sports riots, race riots, riots related to social injustice
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

8. Explaining Crowd Behavior
Le Bon’s contagion theory
Crowds exert hypnotic influence over their members, people surrender to a “collective mind” its members rid themselves of inhibitions and act out and the crowd assumes a life of its own
Critical review
Crowd actions result from the intentions and decisions of specific individuals.
Not necessarily irrational
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

9. Explaining Crowd Behavior
Convergence theory: The crowd doesn’t generate the action, but rather the members themselves stimulate the action of the crowd.
Example: neighborhood groups concerned about crime and want to do something about it
Critical evaluation
Some people do things in a crowd that they would not have the courage to do alone.
Crows can intensify a sentiment simply by creating a critical mass of like-minded people.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

10. Explaining Crowd Behavior
Turner & Killian’s emergent-norm theory
People in crowds have mixed interests.
In less stable crowds (expressive, acting, and protest), norms might be vague or changing.
Critical evaluation
Crowd behavior reflects the desires of participants, but is also guided by norms that emerge as the situation unfolds.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

11. Mass Behavior Rumor and gossip Public opinion Propaganda
Collective behavior among people dispersed over a wide geographical area
Rumor and gossip
Public opinion
Propaganda
Fashions and fads
Panic and mass hysteria
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

12. Rumor and Gossip
Rumor–Unconfirmed information people spread informally, often by word of mouth
Thrives in a climate of ambiguity
Is unstable
Is difficult to stop
Gossip–Rumor about people’s personal affairs
Rumors spread widely, but gossip is more localized.
A means of social control
Too much gossip is discouraged.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

13. Public Opinion & Propaganda
Public opinion–Widespread attitudes about controversial issues
Some people have no opinion at all.
Even on some important issues, a majority of people have no clear opinion.
Propaganda–Information presented with the intention of shaping public opinion
Thin line between information and propaganda
Not all propaganda is false.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

14. Fashions and Fads
Fashion–A social pattern favored by a large number of people
Traditional style gives way to changing fashion in industrial societies.
Veblen: Conspicuous consumption–people buying expensive products to show off their wealth
Fads–An unconventional social pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically
Sometimes called crazes
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

15. Panic & Mass Hysteria
Panic–A form of collective behavior in which people in one place react to a threat or other stimulus with irrational, frantic, and often self-destructive behavior
Mass hysteria–A form of dispersed collective behavior by which people respond to a real or imagined event often with irrational and even frantic fear
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

16. Disasters Natural disaster Technological disaster Intentional disaster
An event, generally unexpected, that causes extensive harm to people and damage to property
Natural disaster
Flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, etc.
Technological disaster
Oil spills, industrial accidents
Intentional disaster
War, terrorist attacks, genocide
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

17. Erikson’s Research
Three conclusions about the consequences of disasters:
Disasters are social events.
Social damage is more serious when an event involves a toxic substance.
Social damage is most serious when the disaster is caused by others.
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

18. Types of Social Movements
Social movement–An organized activity that encourages or discourages social change
Alternative: Least threatening, limited change for a limited number of members
Example: Planned parenthood
Redemptive: Selective focus, radical change
Example: Some religious organizations
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

19. Types of Social Movements
Reformative: Limited social change, targets everyone
Example: Equal rights amendment movement
Revolutionary: The most extreme, seeks basic transformation of society
Example: Ultra-conservative political movements
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

20. Claims Making
The process of trying to convince the public and public officials of the importance of joining a social movement to address a particular issue
For a social movement to form, some issue has to be defined as a problem that demands public attention.
Usually, claims making begins with a small number of people.
Example: AIDS
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

21. Explaining Social Movements
Deprivation theory: Social movements seeking change arise among people who feel deprived
Relative deprivation–A perceived disadvantage arising from some specific comparison
Critical evaluation
Theory suffers from circular reasoning
Focuses exclusively on the cause, telling us little about movements themselves
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

22. Explaining Social Movements
Kornhauser’s mass-society theory: Social movements attract socially isolated people who feel personally insignificant.
Movements are personal as well as political, giving people with weak social ties a sense of purpose and belonging.
Critical evaluation
No clear standard for measuring the extent to which we live in a “mass society”
Explaining social movements in terms of people hungry to belong ignores the social-justice issues that movements address
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

23. Explaining Social Movements
Smelser’s Structural-Strain Theory
Structural conduciveness
Structural strain
Growth and spread of an explanation
Precipitating factors
Mobilization for action
Lack of social control
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

24. Explaining Social Movements
Resource-mobilization theory: No social movement is likely to succeed or even get off the ground without substantial resources
Critical evaluation
Powerless can promote change if they are organized an have committed members
Overstates the extent to which powerful people are willing to challenge the status quo
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

25. Explaining Social Movements
Culture theory: The recognition that social movements depend not only on material resources and the structure of political power but also on cultural symbols.
Critical evaluation
Does not address how and when powerful cultural symbols turn people from supporting the system toward protest
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

26. Explaining Social Movements
Political-economy theory: Social movements arise within capitalist societies because the capitalist economic system fails to meet the needs of the majority of people.
Critical review
Doesn’t explain the recent rise of social movements concerned with non-economic issues such as obesity, animal rights, or the state of the natural environment
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

27. Explaining Social Movements
New social movements theory: Recent social movements in the postindustrial societies of North America and Western Europe have a new focus.
Most of today’s movements are international.
Tends to focus on cultural change and improving social and physical surroundings
Draws support from middle and upper classes
Critical evaluation
Tends to exaggerate differences between past and present social movements
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

28. Gender and Social Movements
Gender figures prominently in the operation of social movements.
In keeping with traditional ideas about gender in the US, more men than women tend to take part in the public life—including spearheading social movements.
“Freedom Summer” in 1964
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

29. Stages of Social Movements
Stage one: Emergence
Perception that something is wrong
Stage two: Coalescence
Defining itself and “going public”
Stage three: Bureaucratization
Organizing rationally to get job done
Stage four: Decline
Success
Organization failures
Leaders “sell out”
Crushed by repression
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

30. Social Movements: Looking Ahead
Scope of social movements is likely to increase.
Protest should increase as groups gain political voice.
Information revolution means anyone can be well-informed.
Technology uniting people in social movements
Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis
Copyright  2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.