Social Change Flashcards
Define social change
Change in social behaviour or social relations of a society or community
Why does social change occur
Occurs when a minority view challenges the majority view and is eventually accepted as the majority
Example of social change
Womens right to view
- 1918 limits right to vote
- 1928 extended to the level of men
Factors that suffragettes may have to resist majority and reject social norms
- internal loc = power to affect events and win the right to vote
- strong social support
Role of minority influence in social change
- consistency, commitment and flexibility
- the snowball affect
- social cryptoamnesia
Consistency, commitment and flexibility role on social change
- group more likely accept minority view if constant
- difference of option in mount member of a minority can result in other individuals rejecting the view
Snowball effect role in social change
- not privately agree but publicly change behaviour to fit in with majority this is caused by social change
Social cryptoamnesia
- after being successfully persuaded by minority and forget origin views
- often occurs when the person has negative views of minority whose views they have adopted
- instead of identifying with minority individual dissociate the minority views from the ppl who promoted them
Evaluation of the role of minority influence on social change - weakness
Gradual change
- majority is powerful and it’s difficult for minority to have enough influence over majority
- minority may stimulate majority to consider social change but influence of minority is less direct
- it create a potential for change but actual social change occurs much later
Evaluation of the role of minority influence on social change
Because minorities advocate a new way of thinking, their views, even when they are wrong, stimulate the majority to think in even more creative ways about an issue. This may increase the likelihood of social change, even if it isn’t exactly the one desired by the minority.
• However, it is very difficult for minorities to bring about social change quickly. Majority influence is such a powerful force, that it is extremely difficult for a minority to have enough influence over the majority to make them do more than think about the issue in the short-term. Minorities create the potential for change, but actual social change may not happen until much later, if at all.
What is the role of conformity and obedience in causing social change
After minority initiate social change the majority will support the change
Role of conformity in social change
- even if people don’t privately agree they will publicly to fit in
- normative social influence
Role of obedience in social change
- once social change sufficiently accepted and is supported by law
- ordered to follow new norm
Evaluation of conformity in social change
Nolan et al
- hung messages on front doors of houses in San Diego every week for a month
- key message: most residents were trying to reduce their energy
- control: asked to save energy but didn’t refer to ppl behaviour
- found significant decease with 1st group this show conformity can lead to social change through the operation of NSI
- suggest conformity plays a role
-A practical application of theories about social change is the development of social norms interventions. They are used where people within a target population have a misperception of the social norm relating to a specific risky behaviour and help to change it into something less risky.
HOWEVER
Not all social norm interventions led to social change
Evaluation of obedience in social change
Obedience becomes a factor once the social change has become sufficiently accepted to be supported by law. Employers order employees to follow the new norm. In some cases the police and the courts also issue direct orders to comply with new behavioural norms.
• A recent example of this has followed the banning of smoking in public places in England in July 2007. According to the Department of Health, during the first month 97% of pubs and clubs complied.
