social change Flashcards
(5 cards)
AO1
Social change is the way in which society develops through big shifts in people’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. There are many key processes involved in social change.
Initially, minorities draw attention to their viewpoint through campaigns and protests. They will demonstrate consistency over time by presenting the same message over and over again. This will mean the majority will begin to think more deeply about the issue.
If the minority also show commitment to their message, by making personal sacrifices, then the majority will see that their message is valid.
Over time, the minority will convert others to their viewpoint, and so their group slowly gains more authority and grows in number - becoming the majority. This is called the snowball effect.
If the minority’s viewpoint becomes seen as the ‘norm’, then people will begin to conform to it in order to fit in, or they may become convinced by the majority to change their private views.
Additionally, governments may implement policies which reflect the changes in attitude towards a particular viewpoint, which would create social change through obedience - people obey the law.
When social change has occurred, people usually have no memory about how it came about, this is social cryptomnesia.
AO3 - overemphasis on minority influence
There is an overemphasis on minority influence in explaining how social change occurs. Social change does not always occur through minority influence as it often requires wider political, social and economic changes. For example, the Civil Rights movement achieved legal change through a combination of social influence and legislation. Minorities will not always achieve new legislation, therefore a lot of times will be unsuccessful.
AO3 - leads to permanent change
The processes of social influence in social change often lead to a long-lasting and permanent change in opinion. This is because informational social influence takes place through the snowball effect, where a minority gathers enough support to become the majority.
AO3 - indirect
Social influence processes are only indirectly effective in bringing about social change. A researcher suggested that the effect of minority influence is indirect and delayed in shifting the majority viewpoint to the minority. For example, it took decades for attitudes against drink-driving and smoking to shift. Therefore, these processes are only effective in the long-term, not short-term.
AO3 - minorities considered deviant
Minority groups are often considered by the majority to be deviant. Therefore, the majority may avoid agreeing with or accepting the minority’s views in order to prevent being perceived as deviant. The message of the minority might therefore be less influential due to the majority focusing on the source of the message rather than the actual message itself.
