CHAPTER 16 COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL

CHAPTER 16 COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, AND SOCIAL CHANGE Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials, Kendall, 10 e

Collective Behavior Social change is the alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time.

Collective behavior is a voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant-group norms and values. 1. 2. 3. Structural factors that increase the changes of people responding in a particular way Timing A breakdown in social control mechanisms and a corresponding feeling of normlessness

Consider This… Figure 16. 1 The Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York, has been the site of protests and other forms of collective behavior because of hazardous environmental pollution. Original protests in the 1970 s, demanding a cleanup of the site, were followed in the 1990 s by protests, this time over the proposed resettlement of the area.

A crowd is a relatively large number of people who are in one another’s immediate vicinity. A mass is a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another’s immediate vicinity.

Polling Question What are some examples of crowds and masses you have been part of?

Casual crowds are relatively large gathering of people who happen to be at the same place at the same time. Conventional crowds are made up of people who come together for a scheduled event and share a common focus.

Expressive crowds provide opportunities for the expression of a strong emotion. Acting crowds are so focused on a specific purpose that they may erupt into violence or destructive behavior.

A mob is a highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in, violence against a specific target. A riot is violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated emotions but not directed at one specific target. A panic is a form of crowd behavior that occurs when a large number of people react to a real or perceived threat with strong emotions and selfdestructive behavior.

Consider This… Figure 16. 2 Crowds of people come together for a variety of reasons. The people pictured here are gathering in Times Square in New York City for a New Year’s Eve celebration. How does a crowd such as this differ from other types of crowds?

Protest crowds engage in activities intended to achieve specific political goals. Civil disobedience is nonviolent action that seeks to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it.

Consider This… Figure 16. 3 Protest crowds are often confronted by law enforcement officials who are responsible for maintaining order and safety in the community. Standoffs such the one shown here are not an unusual sight on a global basis as people seek to make their concerns known to others even as officials attempt to fulfill their

Contagion theory: people are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior in a crowd because they are anonymous and feel invulnerable. Social unrest is transmitted by a process of circular reaction (the interactive communication between persons such that the discontent of one person is communicated to another, who then reflects the discontent back to the first person).

Convergence theory: some people have a predisposition to participate in certain types of activities. Emergent norm theory: crowds develop their own definition of a situation and establish norms for behavior that fit the occasion.

Mass behavior is collective behavior that takes place when people respond to the same event in much the same way. Rumors are unsubstantiated reports on an issue or subject. Gossip refers to rumors about the personal lives of individuals.

Polling Question Is there any positive consequence of rumors and gossip?

Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and selfdestructive behavior to a real or perceived threat.

Consider This… Figure 16. 4 Although a spokesperson for CBS Radio stated to listeners that they were hearing a dramatization of a novel, the 1938 presentation of H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, as presented by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre, terrified untold numbers of people. Here Welles talks to interviewers the day after the event caused a nationwide panic.

A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people. Fashion is defined as a currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance.

Consider This… Figure 16. 5 Georg Simmel suggested a “trickle-down” theory such as this one in Paris to describe the process by which the lower classes emulate the fashions of the upper class. Do runway shows provide evidence for such a theory?

Public opinion consists of the attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision makers. Propaganda is information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one.

Table 16. 1 Top 10 Policy Priorities: 2014

Social Movements A social movement is an organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action.

Polling Question Have you ever been part of a social movement?

Consider This… Figure 16. 6 Martin Luther King Jr. , a leader of the civil rights movement in the 1950 s and 1960 s, advocated nonviolent protests that sometimes took the form of civil disobedience. Here he marches alongside his wife, Coretta Scott King, who for many years took over Dr. King’s activities after he was assassinated.

Reform movements: seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure. Revolutionary movements: aim to remake the system by replacing existing institutions with new ones. Religious movements: seek to produce radical change based on spiritual or supernatural beliefs. Alternative movements: seek limited change in a specific aspect of people’s behavior. Resistance movements: seek to prevent change or to undo change.

Consider This… Figure 16. 7 Revolutionary movements have taken place in Egypt and other Arab nations in recent years because of a strong belief that leaders are oppressive and governments are not benefiting the people.

Figure 16. 8 Stages in Social Movements

Social Movement Theories Relative deprivation theory: people who are satisfied with their present conditions are less likely to seek social change.

Smelser’s value-added theory: assumes that certain conditions are necessary for the development of a social movement. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Structural conduciveness Structural strain Spread of a generalized belief Precipitating factors Mobilization for action Social control factors

Resource mobilization theory: focuses on the ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause.

Consider This… Figure 16. 9 How is the issue of immigration framed in these photos? Research based on frame analysis often investigates how social issues are framed and what names they are given.

Social constructionist theory: a social movement is an interactive, symbolically defined, and negotiated process that involves participants, opponents, and bystanders.

Goffman’s frame analysis: our interpretation of the particulars of events and activities is dependent on the framework from which we perceive them. 1. 2. 3. Diagnostic framing Prognostic framing Motivational framing

Frame alignment processes 1. 2. 3. 4. Frame bridging Frame amplification Frame extension Frame transformation

Political opportunity theory: social protests are directly related to the political opportunities that potential protesters and movement organizers believe exist within the political system.

New social movement theory: considers a diverse array of collective actions and the manner in which those actions are based on politics, ideology, and culture. � Ecofeminism: patriarchy is a root cause of environmental problems. � Environmental justice: the belief that a disproportionate number of hazardous facilities are placed in low-income areas populated primarily by people of color.

Polling Question Which theory do you find most compelling?

Consider This… Figure 16. 10 Referred to as “Cancer Alley, ” this area of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is home to a predominantly African American population and also to many refineries that heavily pollute the region. Sociologists suggest that environmental racism is a significant problem in the United States and other nations.

Concept Quick Review

Social Change in the Future Changes in the physical environment Changes in population Changes in technology Changes in social institutions

Consider This… Figure 16. 11 Changes in the physical environment often produce changes in the lives of people, a factor that can contribute to social change. What changes may hurricanes such as Hurricane Sandy bring about?

Consider This… Figure 16. 12 How might advances in medicine – such as the ability of postmenopausal women to bear children – create social change?

Consider This… Figure 16. 13 Pollution of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water has an adverse effect on food supplies, air quality, and the entire environment. What influence does a “business as usual” approach have on environmental quality in your area?

Quick Quiz 1. A relatively large number of people who are in one another's immediate vicinity is a: A. mass. B. crowd. C. collective. D. social group.

Quick Quiz Answer: B. A relatively large number of people who are in one another's immediate vicinity is a crowd.

Quick Quiz 2. Relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time are a(n): A. acting crowd. B. expressive crowd. C. casual crowd. D. contagion crowd.

Quick Quiz Answer: C. Relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time are a casual crowd.

Quick Quiz 3. Movements that seek to prevent change or to undo change that has already occurred are: A. revolutionary movements. B. alternative movements. C. religious movements. D. resistance movements.

Quick Quiz Answer: D. Movements that seek to prevent change or to undo change that has already occurred are resistance movements.

Quick Quiz 4. Movements that seek limited change in some aspect of people's behavior are: A. alternative movements. B. revolutionary movements. C. religious movements. D. resistance movements.

Quick Quiz Answer: A. Movements that seek limited change in some aspect of people's behavior are alternative movements.

Quick Quiz 5. _____ is based on the assumption that participants in social movements are rational people. A. Relative deprivation theory B. Social constructionist theory C. Value added theory D. Resource mobilization theory

Quick Quiz Answer: D. Resource mobilization theory is based on the assumption that participants in social movements are rational people.