social change
alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, cultural, or social institution over time.
Collective Behavior
actively involving a large number of people, often spontaneous, and sometimes controversial.
collective behavior is difficult to study
1. wide-ranging 2. complex 3. transitory
wide-ranging
hard to find common traits/ results (collective behavior)
complex
identity is missing/ don't know each other (collective behavior)
transitory
continuous part of society (collective behavior)
crowds
a temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and who influence one another
Herbert Blumer
identified four categories of crowds, based of level of intensity (interactional theorist)
Casual crowds
relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time. (least emotional, not planned and don't stay together for longer period of time)
conventional crowds
made up of people who come together for a scheduled event and thus share common focus.
expressive crowds
provide opportunities for the expression of some strong emotion (such as joy, excitement, or grief)
acting crowds
collectives so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior.
protest crowds
blummer and activities intended to achieve specific political goals.
mob
a highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are to engage in, violence against a specific target. - a person, a category of people or physical property.
riot
violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated emotions but not directed at one specific target.
contagion theory
Gustan LeBon (1985) suggested, because of anonymity, the crowd transforms individuals from rational beings into a single organism with collective mind - a kind of collective hypnosis which releases the destructive instincts that society has so carefully r
Emergent-norm theory
emphasizes when an extraordinary event occurs and existing norms do not cover the new situation, people develop new norms to deal with the problem.
panic
localized collective behavior by which people react to a threat or other stimulus with irrational frantic and often self-destructive behavior
mass hysteria
dispersed collective behavior by which people react to a real or imagined event with irrational, frantic, and often self-destructive behavior.
Rumor
unsubstantiated information spread informally, often by word of mouth.
3 essential rumors
a climate of ambiguity, unstable, and difficult to stop
fashion
social pattern favored by a large number of people
pre-industrial societies
clothing and personal appearance indicates social and occupational positions
fads
uncontroversial social patterns that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically
types of fads
object (toys), personality (known person dies) and pets (breeds of dogs)
urban legends
stories with an ironic twist that sound realistic but are false. (strong appeal, seems believable and teach a moral lesson about life)
public opinion
widespread attitudes about controversial issues
propaganda
information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering own cause or damaging an opposing one.
social movements
organized activities and encourage or discourage social change.
characteristics of collective behavior
1. higher degree of internal organization 2. longer duration 3. Deliberate attempt to reorganize society
structural-strain or Value added theory
Neil Smelser (1963) based on the assumption that certain conditions are necessary for development of a social movement.
Resource-mobilization theory
ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause.
Alternate social movements
seek only to alter some particular behavior of people.
Redemptive social movements
aim for total change of the individual
reformative social movements
reform some specific aspect of society
revolutionary or transformative social movements
transform their social order itself and to replace it with a new version of the good society.