Social Change
Alterations in various aspects of a society over time Values, norms, traditions, religion, etc
Cyclical Theory
Evolutionary Theory
EquilibriumTheory
ConflictTheory
Social Change
Functionalist Perspective•Change occurs to maintain order and stability
Conflict Perspective•Change occurs due to conflict within a society
Cyclical Theory
FUNCTIONALIST Historical view of social
change in which societies are seen as rising and then falling or as continuously moving back and forth between stages of development.
Like a human life - childhood, youth, adulthood, old age gives way for new societies
Critics – doesn’t explain WHY societies change
Evolutionary Theory
FUCTIONALIST Views change as a process
that moves in one direction – tending toward increasing complexity Change = additive process Attempts to explain WHY
societies change because of changing economic base and technological advances
Critics – not all societies change for future progress
Equilibrium Theory
FUNCTIONALIST Society is like a living organism in which
change in one part of the social system produces change in all other parts as the system attempts to regain balance, or equilibrium.
Critics – always assumes equilibrium can be met again, some societies constantly have disruptions without social change
Disrupted Stability
Other Parts of Society Adjust
Equilibrium
Restored
Social Change!
Conflict Theory
CONFLICT Social change results from conflicts
between groups with opposing interests. Mostly conflicts over power and wealth Conflict is natural change is inevitable Societies are in a state of constant change
Violent and Nonviolent Class conflicts – French Revolution, Occupy
Movement Racial conflicts – Civil Rights Movement Gender conflicts – Women’s Liberation
Movement Political – Rise of the Tea Party
Critics – too narrow, conflict doesn’t always cause social change (ex: technological change)
But What CAUSES Social Change? We have our theories… but what
contributes to the shifts, conflicts, and cycles that cause social change to occur? Population shifts Urbanization and modernization Collective behavior Social movements
Population Shifts
Demography – the scientific study of human populations
Shifts in Populati
on
Birth Rate
Death Rate
Migration Rate
Population Shifts
Migration rate – annual difference between in-migration and out-migration in a society City, town State Country
Push and pull factors Pushed out – loss of job, religious
persecution Pulled in – opportunity for job, religious
freedom
Population Shifts
Birth rate = (# live births/total population) X 1000 For every 1000 people, how many live births
occurred in a year? Death rate = (# deaths/total population) X
1000 For every 1000 people, how many died in a year?
Infant Mortality Rate – indicates the overall health of a society = (# infant deaths/total live births) X 1000 For every 1000 live births, how many infants died
in a year?
Population Shifts
Countries with a… Low birth rate Low death rate Low infant mortality rate
… have generally a higher life expectancy average # of years a
person in a particular society can expect to live
How are population shifts related to social change?
Gapminder The Wealth and Health of Nations
VideoWebsite
Urbanization and Modernization Urbanization – the concentration of
population in cities Modernization – process by which a
society becomes increasingly complex as the society moves towards industrialization
URBANIZATION
MODERNIZATION
US Urbanization
Periods of growth in US cities… Colonial settlements –
1565-1800 Urban expansion –
1800-1860 Metropolitan era –
1860-1950 Metropolis – large city
that politically, economically, and socially controls an urban area
Urban decentralization – 1950-present
Modernization
Urbanization leads to modernization
How are urbanization and modernization connected to social change?
Collective Behavior
Collectivity - a gathering of people who do not normally interact and who do not share clearly defined norms. exhibit collective behavior Collective behavior - The relatively
spontaneous social behavior that occurs when people respond to similar stimuli. Crowds Fashion Public opinion
Crowds Temporary gathering of people who are
in close enough proximity to interact.• Least interaction, least organized, most temporary• Ex: people in line for movie tickets, people observing
the aftermath of an accident
Casual Crowd
• Little interaction, but highly structured, rules for behavior, usually gathered for a common purpose
• Ex: funeral, watching a film in a theater, baseball game
Conventional Crowd
• Forms around emotionally charged activities, behaviors would be considered inappropriate in other times
• Ex: rock concert, New Years Eve in Times Square
Expressive Crowd
• Violent, emotions are more intense (hostile, destructive), particular target, violates established norms
• Ex: violence that breaks out at sporting events towards officials, riots, mobs
Acting Crowd
Fashion
Enthusiastic attachments among large numbers of people for particular styles of appearance or behavior
Present in industrialized societies Change is valued and
desired Get the newest and
improved fashion! Social mobility is valued
Can be demonstrated by having fashionable clothes, car, home, etc.
Fashion can represent desired social change.
Public Opinion
Public – a group of geographically scattered people who are concerned with or engaged in a particular issue. A different publics for different issues – changes
depending on who gains/loses interest in an issue Public opinion - Refers to the collection of
differing attitudes that members of a public have about a particular issue Important because the public has a great deal of
“sway” in a society – politics, laws, businesses, advertising, etc
Propaganda to Sway Public OpinionTechnique Description
Testimonials Endorsements by famous people to transfer the public’s admiration for the celebrity to the social movement
Transfer Attempt to associate the social movement with something the public already approves of or respects
Bandwagon Appeals to the public’s desire to conform by promoting the social movement as already popular with the public
Testimonial - Gun Violence and
Control Celebrity PSA
Transfer – Dodge Challenger “Freedom” Commercial
Propaganda to Sway Public Opinion
Name Calling Uses negative labels or images in order to make opponents of the social movement appear unfavorable
Plain-Folks Appeal
Attempts to sway public opinion by appealing to the “average citizen” with whom everyone can identity
Glittering Generalities
Uses words that sound positive but have little real meaning – portrays social movement in positive light but provides little actual information
Card-Stacking Presents facts in a way that puts the social movement in a favorable light – presents stats or survey results in a particular way
Anti-Obama Ad – name calling
Collective Behavior
How can crowds cause social change? How can fashion cause social change? How can public opinion cause social
change?
BECAUSE COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR CREATES SOCIAL MOVEMENTS!!!
Social Movements
A long-term deliberate effort to promote or prevent social change. Long-lasting Highly structured with formally recognized
leaders Deliberate attempt to block or institute
societal change
How many famous social movements can you identify?
Reactionary Movements
MAIN GOAL: to reverse current social trends Suspicious of and hostile to social change Return society to some version of the past
that is seen as “ideal” or “better”
Neo-Nazism
Anti-feminism
Conservative Movements
MAIN GOAL: to protect what they see as society’s prevailing values from change that they consider to be a threat to those values.
Early 20th Century Temperance Movement
Christian Right Movement,
began in 1940sAnti Same-Sex Marriage Groups
Revisionary Movements
MAIN GOAL: to improve, or revise, some part of society through social change. Usually seek legal means Typically focuses on a certain issue
Left: Civil Rights MovementAbove: Pro Same-Sex MarriageRight: Women’s Suffrage Movement