SOCIAL CHANGE Social Change Alterations in various aspects

SOCIAL CHANGE

Social Change Alterations in various aspects of a society over time � Values, norms, traditions, religion, etc Functionalist Perspective • Change occurs to maintain order and stability Conflict Perspective • Change occurs due to conflict within a Cyclical Theory Evolutionary Theory Social Change Equilibrium Theory Conflict Theory

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

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

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. Disrupted Stability Other Parts of Society Adjust Equilibrium Restored Social Change! Critics – always assumes equilibrium can be met again, some societies constantly have disruptions without social change

Conflict Theory CONFLICT Social change results from conflicts between groups with opposing interests. � � � Violent and Nonviolent � � Mostly conflicts over power and wealth Conflict is natural change is inevitable Societies are in a state of constant change 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 Birth Rate Shifts in Populati on Migratio n Rate Death Rate

Population Shifts Migration rate – annual difference between inmigration 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 Gapminder The Wealth and Health of Nations Video Website

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 URBANIZATIO N MODERNIZATI ON

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. Casual Crowd • Least interaction, least organized, most temporary • Ex: people in line for movie tickets, people observing the aftermath of an accident Conventiona l 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 Expressive Crowd Acting Crowd • Forms around emotionally charged activities, behaviors would be considered inappropriate in other times • Ex: rock concert, New Years Eve in Times Square • Violent, emotions are more intense (hostile, destructive), particular target, violates established norms • Ex: violence that breaks out at sporting events towards officials, riots, mobs

Fashion Enthusiastic attachments among large numbers of people for particular styles of appearance or behavior Present in industrialized societies � Change is valued and desired � Social mobility is valued Get the newest and improved fashion! Can be demonstrated by having fashionable clothes, car, home, etc. Fashion can represent

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 Opinion Technique 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 Anti-Obama Ad – name calling 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

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 Antifeminism

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 20 th Century Temperance Movement Anti Same-Sex Marriage Groups Christian Right Movement, began in 1940 s

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 Movement Above: Pro Same-Sex Marriage Right: Women’s Suffrage Movement

Revolutionary Movement MAIN GOAL: a total and radical change of the existing social structure and government American Revolution Arab Spring