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Social Change
Questions and Theories
Psychologists:
• Investigate social problems as they affect the
individual.
• Focus on peoples’ behaviours and attitudes,
and work to change both.
Psychologists ask…
• What must people DO to change their behaviours?
• What does a successful behaviour modification program
look like? (i.e. what kinds of reinforcements, how often, working in teams
or alone?)
• Do people need help or can they change on their own?
• Research says: Peoples’ attitudes are linked to
their behaviours. This is often the key to
change: change the attitude, change the
behaviours!
Aesop’s fable… a Case Study:
The fox and the grapes…
A fox sees some highhanging grapes and wishes
to eat them. When the fox
is unable to think of a way
to reach them, he surmises
that the grapes are
probably not worth eating,
as they must not be ripe or
that they are sour.
Cognitive Dissonance
• The fox is reducing the conflict between his
thoughts and his actions, a.k.a. COGNITIVE
DISSONANCE.
• He wants the grapes but can’t have them.
• So to feel better, he changes his mind about how
good the grapes are.
• He then leaves them alone.
Festinger and Carlsmith (1959)
• Had subjects complete a mundane task for an
hour. All subjects were expected to find it
boring.
•
•
•
•
Reserchers paid subjects in this way:
Some got $0
Some got $1
Some got $20
Results:
• Who reported the most enjoyment?
WHY: COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
• Those who were paid more (high dissonance)
:_______________________________________________
• Those who were paid less (low dissonance)
:_______________________________________________
• Those paid nothing (no dissonance):
:_______________________________________________
Cognitive Dissonance is a pressure to change our attitudes or actions.
Sociologists:
Social change is defined as: “Any observable
difference or modification in social organization or
patterns of behaviour over time”.
They look at 4 aspects of Social Change:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Direction of Change
Rate of Change
Sources
Controllability
4 Aspects of Social Change…
1. Direction of change:
Is it a positive or negative change & who says so?
2. Rate of change:
Is the degree of change slow, moderate, or fast?
4 Aspects of Social Change…
3. Sources:
What factors are behind the influences of change in a
society? Are they exogenous (coming from another
society) or endogenous (coming from within society
itself) influences?
4. Controllability:
Many sociologists are interested in the degree to
which social change can be controlled or engineered.
Anthropologists
Anthropologists regard cultures as
constantly changing organisms and see
cultural change as being influenced by a
limited number of factors.
These factors are generally broad and
affect all members of a culture.
Anthropologists ASK:
They ask:
1. Was a cultural change caused by a change in society’s
leadership?
2. Was it caused by a shift in the values and norms of the
culture’s members?
3. Is technological change a factor in an observed cultural
change?
4. Have changes to the environment resulted in changes to
the culture?
3 processes:
1. Invention:
Ex.
2. discovery:
Ex.
3. diffusion:
Ex.
Invention, discovery, or diffusion?
Conditions Necessary for Social
Change
Change within society is a natural process
that must take place.
Some conditions that would justify the need
for social change are: hunger, famine,
inequality, war and political ideologies, and
even the depletion of the environment.
Along with there being conditions which make
change necessary, there are also forces that
inhibit change.
Forces that impact Social Change
Charismatic leader that promises change
A populace ready for change
Role of the elites (when there isn’t ONE
leader to take charge, there can be a group of
‘modernizing elites’)
Technological advancements
Society suffers a major catastrophe or
triumph
There is a clash of traditions and values
Human Rights Codes are violated
Roots of Violence…
1. What are the conditions for social change in
this article?
2. Identify the factors that impede social change
in this article.
Forces that Impede Social Change
Traditional cultural views
A distorted world view within society
Lack of education & illiteracy
Lack of technology
A tyrannical ruler or a strong, charismatic leader
that imposes their own world view on society
A powerful small elite group with established
political and economic power
Resistance from the people that do not want
change to occur
Activity
•A) Discuss one social change you would
welcome. How could this social change be
engineered?
• B) Discuss one possible social change that
frightens/bothers you.
• C) Comment on how this change can be
stopped and identify its root causes.