Download Collective Behavior, Social Movements and Social

Collective Behavior, Social
Movements, and Social Change
Collective Behavior
 Voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is
engaged in by a large number of people and
typically violates dominant group norms and
values
• Types of collective behavior may be distinguished by
the dominant emotion expressed.
 In contrast, institutionalized behavior refers to
activity that is guided by firmly established
norms.
• Going to school, movies, working etc.
The Collective
Behavior
Continuum
Factors That Contribute to
Collective Behavior
1. Structural factors that increase the
chances of people responding in a
particular way
2. Timing
3. Breakdown in social control mechanisms
and corresponding feeling of
normlessness
Explaining Collective Behavior
Value-Added Theory (Neil Smelser)
Argued that 6 conditions must be present for collective
behavior to occur:
1. Society is structurally conducive to the occurrence of
collective behavior
2. Structural strain
3. Generalized belief of what is wrong and what could be
done
4. Precipitating incident sparks collective behavior
5. Mobilization of action
6. Agents of social control conducive to the collective
action
Value-Added Theory Example
The Los Angeles Riots (1992)
• The 1st amendment to the
constitution gave rioters the right
to assemble.
• There was a long time strain
between the LAPD and the local
African American population.
• A general feeling already existed
that the social ills faced by African
Americans were the product of
Racism, then came the acquittal of
the four officers charged with
beating Rodney King.
• Once a few started to act and
television gave coverage to them,
the activity started to spread.
• Early inaction by the police
prolonged events and allowed it to
grow.
Crowds v. Masses
Crowd – a relatively large number of
people who are in one another’s
immediate vicinity
Mass – a number of people who share an
interest in a specific idea or issue but who
are not in one another’s immediate vicinity
(for example, bloggers)
Types of Crowds
 Casual crowds - people who happen to be in
the same place at the same time, may share
momentary interest and a few emergent norms
(e.g., people in a subway car or at a shopping
mall)
 Conventional crowds - people who come
together for a scheduled event; share a
common focus and generally act in line with
institutionalized norms (e.g., people at a
concert, college lecture, or ceremony)
Types of Crowds (cont’d.)
 Expressive crowds - people releasing emotions
with others who experience similar emotions;
dominant expression is joy (e.g., Mardi Gras, New
Year’s)
 Acting crowds - collectivities so emotionally
focused that they may erupt into violent behavior;
hostility toward a singular target as in a mob, or a
range of shifting targets as in a riot
 Protest crowds - crowds that engage in activities
intended to achieve political goals, generally nonviolent and contain leadership (e.g., sit-ins)
Explanations of Crowd Behavior
 Contagion Theory - People are more likely to
engage in antisocial behavior in a crowd because
they are anonymous and feel invulnerable.
Crowd excitement is contagious and breaks
down the restraint of individuals. Collective
behavior is understood as irrational, people
will do things in a collectivity that they will not
do alone.
Explanations of Crowd Behavior
 Social unrest and circular reaction –
interactive communication. The discontent of
one person is communicated to another who
reflects it back to the first person.
Explanations of Crowd Behavior
 Convergence theory - focuses on the shared
emotions, goals, and beliefs people bring to
crowd behavior. People will similar attributes
find a collectivity of like-minded persons with
whom to express their personal tendencies.
Collective behavior is understood as rational.
Explanations of Crowd Behavior
 Emergent norm theory - tied to Symbolic
Interactionism. When expectations are vague,
crowds develop their own definition of the
situation and establish norms for behavior that
fits the occasion. Collective behavior is
understood as rational, and people are free to
leave if crowd behavior begins to offend them.
Deindividuation
 People are not identified personally and, thus,
some of the parameters that normally guide
behavior are not present. People less concerned
with social evaluation and feel less accountability
for their actions. Promoted by numbers and
uniformity.
• Halloween Trick-or-Treating study – kids who were
not asked their names only took one piece of candy
(Diener et al., 1976)
• Suicide baiting – more likely when crowd is larger,
distance between crowd and suicidal person is
greater, and when it is night (Mann, 1981)
Types of Mass Behavior
 Rumors and Gossip
• Unverified information
passed informally from
person to person
• Sociologists ask how
rumors serve to solve
problems and reduce
anxiety
• Thrive in times of
uncertainty
• Gossip - rumors about
personal affairs
• Urban Legend - rumors
recounting scary events,
often offer life lessons
 Mass Hysteria
• Intense, fearful, and
seemingly irrational
reaction to a perceived—
but often misunderstood or
imaginary—threat
 Fads and Fashions
• Periodic popularity of
styles
• Occurs most frequently in
modern societies where
change is appreciated
 Public Opinion
• Attitudes and beliefs
communicated by ordinary
citizens to decision makers
Mass Hysteria and Panic:
The War of the Worlds
 Halloween Eve, 1938
• Actor Orson Welles performed a radio dramatization of
H.G. Wells’s science-fiction classic The War of the Worlds.
• CBS radio dance music program suddenly interrupted by a
news bulletin informing the audience that Martians had
landed in New Jersey and were conquering Earth.
• Although listeners informed before, during, and after the
broadcast that this was fictitious dramatization, many
became fearful. An estimated 1 million of the 10 million
listeners believed that these events had actually occurred.
 Halloween Eve, 1988
• A Portuguese radio station rebroadcast the original
program on the 50th anniversary, and again panic ensued.
Social Movement
 An organized group
that acts consciously
to promote or resist
change through
collective action
(using at least some
unconventional or
uninstitutionalized
methods)
Propaganda
Information provided by individuals or
groups that have a vested interest in
furthering their own cause or damaging an
opposing one.
Types of Social Movements
 Reform movements seek to improve society by
changing an aspect of the social structure.
 Revolutionary movements seek to bring about
a total change in society.
 Religious movements seek to produce radical
change in individuals and typically are based on
spiritual or supernatural belief systems.
Types of Social Movements
Alternative movements seek limited
change in some aspect of people's
behavior.
Resistance movements seek to prevent
or undo change that has already occurred.
Stages in Social Movements
Preliminary stage - people begin to
become aware of a threatening problem.
Coalescence stage - people begin to
organize and start making the threat
known to the public.
Institutionalization stage organizational structure develops.
Social Movement Theories
Relative
Deprivation
People compare achievements, become
discontent and join social movements to
get their “fair share”.
Resource
Mobilization
People participate in social movements
when the movement has access to key
resources.
New Social
Movement
Focus on sources of social movements,
including politics, ideology, and culture.
Social Construction Used to determine how people assign
Theory:
meaning to activities and processes in
Frame Analysis
social movements.
What Types of People Join Social
Movements?
 Individuals that are deeply committed to a set of
goals
 Those that support the goals of the movement
 Those who enjoy being a part of the social
movement (insecure)
 Those that are curious about social movement
activities
 Those that use the social movement’s activities
for their own personal interests
How are age
and education
related to
support for
social
movement
activity?
What type of
social
movement
activities would
you support?
What is Social Change?
Alterations that occur over time and
involve elements of the society’s social
structure, culture and patterns of behavior
Continual and universal
Sometimes social change is planned, but in
many instances it is not
Factors affecting whether or not
social change will be welcomed
 What is the source of social change?
 Is there a strong sense of need for social change?
 Does the change involve aspects of the material
or nonmaterial culture?
• Material ideas are welcomed more
 Does the source of social change conform to the
values of the society?
• More divergent forms will likely face resistance
Sources of Social Change
 New Ideas
• Changes in thought can have significant impacts on
different aspects of society
• Examples:
• The Enlightenment
• The Protestant Reformation and its development of a
unique work ethic has been argued to be the spur of
capitalism
 New Technology
• An especially important engine of social change
• As seen with the industrial revolution, emerging
technologies can cause populations to increase
rapidly and to overwhelming size
Sources of Social Change
 Natural Environment
• Humans constantly must adapt to changes in the
physical environment
• Some changes are gradual (Global Warming) and some
changes are dramatic (Earthquake or Tornado)
 Demographic Change
• Growth of population was a major source of change
throughout the world the last century
• Not only change in size of population, but change in its
composition has major consequences
• What are the upcoming consequences of growth in
the aged population for the United States?
Sources of Social Change
 Government
• The emergence of strong centralized governments has
given opportunities to considerable social change
• Support of calls for change (Civil Rights Movement)
• Development of various social programs (Social Security
Administration)
 Competition and War
• In an increasing global economy countries frequently
compete with one another to get an advantage
• War and preparation for it has led to the development
of new technologies, shifts in populations, and a
rethinking of cultural values
• What impact did WWII have on the U.S economy or on
gender norms?
Social Change in the Developing
World
 Much development in non-developed nations is dependent
on aid from other nations
 Note that the U.S. is the largest giver of aid, but that it gives
the least in comparison to its overall Gross Domestic
Product (GDP - $ value of all that is produced within).
Past and Future Giving by the
U.S.
What is U.S. Aid going toward?