Chapter 15 Social Change

Collective Behavior,
Social Movements, and

Social Change
1/C ALFEREZ, JOHN CEDRIC A

1/C ESPIRITU, RODEL
Collective Behavior
 Collective behavior is voluntary, often
spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a
large number of people and typically violates
dominant-group norms and values.
 Collective behavior can take various forms,
including crowds, mobs, riots, panics, fads,
fashions, and public opinion.
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.
Crowd and Mass
Crowd is a relatively large number of people who
are in one another’s immediate vicinity.
Tend to share an interest
Mass is a number of people who share an interest
in a specific idea or issue but are not in one
another’s immediate vicinity.
Politicians
Types of Crowd Behavior
 Expressive crowds - people releasing emotions
with others who experience similar emotions.
 Funerals, religious services
 Acting crowds - crowds so intensely focused that
they may erupt into violent behavior.
 All crowds can become acting crowds
Types of Crowd Behavior
 Casual crowds - people who happen to be in the
same place at the same time.
 Mall, subway
 Conventional crowds - people who come together
for a scheduled event and share a common focus.
 Sporting events, concerts
 Protest crowds - crowds that engage in activities
intended to achieve political goals.
 Civil disobedience or acting crowd
Acting Crowds
 MOB…a highly emotional crowd whose members engage
in, or are ready to engage in, violence against a specific
target.
 Person, category of people, or property.
 RIOT…violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-
seated emotions but is not directed at a specific target.
 Not always a result of anger
 PANIC…a form of crowd behavior that occurs when a
large number of people react to a real or perceived threat
with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior.
 People trying to escape from danger
Explanations of Crowd
Behavior…Why do people
act collectively?
 Contagion Theory - People are more likely to
engage in antisocial behavior in a crowd because
they are anonymous and feel invulnerable.
 Social unrest and circular reaction - 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.
 Emergent norm theory - crowds develop their
own definition of the situation and establish norms
for behavior that fits the occasion.
Mass Behavior
 Mass behavior is behavior that occurs when
people (may not be in same area) act in the same
way.
 Results from having common information
 Rumors
 Gossip
Mass Behavior
 Mass hysteria…a dispersed panic.
 Behavior is that of panic but not everyone
is in the same location.
 A “widespread panic.”
Public Opinion and
Propaganda
 Public Opinion…attitudes and beliefs
communicated by ordinary citizens and decision
makers.
 Measured through polls and surveys
 Propaganda…information provided by groups or
individuals that have an interest in furthering their
own cause or damaging an opposing one.
Social Movements
 Social movement is an organized group that acts
consciously to promote or resist change through
collective action.
 Start at “grassroots” levels
 Diversity contributes
Success of Social Movements
 Diversity
 Mobilizing resources
 Frame alignment…recruiting of members
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
(Structural discontent and join social movements to get
Functional) their “fair share”.
Resource People participate in social movements
Mobilization when the movement has access to key
(Conflict) resources.
Political Process Social movements develop when political
Theory (Symbolic opportunities are available and when
Interaction) individuals have developed a sense that
change is both needed and possible
Social Change in the Future
 The world continues to change …environmentally,
politically, and economically.
 As a result, the world will experience changes in
population, technology, and social institutions.
 It is important to be aware of social elements and
how we need to react and adapt in the future to
benefit society.
THANK YOU 
By:
DON RODEL ESPIRITU

AND
JOHN CEDRIC ALFEREZ

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Collective Behavior,

Social Movements, and

1/C ALFEREZ, JOHN CEDRIC A

DON RODEL ESPIRITU

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