Social change, Social movements, and Collective Behavior

countermovements

A countermovement in sociology means a social movement opposed to another social movement. Whenever one social movement starts up, another group establishes themselves to undermine the previous group. Many social movements start out as an effect of political activism towards issues that a group disagrees with.

fad

A fad or trend or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture or social group and which impulse is followed enthusiastically by a group of people for a period of time. Similar to habits or customs but less durable, fads often result from an activity or behavior being perceived as emotionally popular or exciting within a peer group or being deemed "cool" as often promoted by social networks[1] A fad is said to "catch on" when the number of people adopting it begins to increase to the point of being noteworthy. Fads often fade quickly when the perception of novelty is gone.[1]

disasters

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other geologic processes.

collective behavior

Collective behavior is a type of social behavior that occurs in crowds or masses. Riots, mobs, mass hysteria, fads, fashions, rumor, and public opinion are all examples of collective behavior. It is argued that people tend to surrender their individuality and moral judgment in crowds and give in to the hypnotic powers of leaders who shape crowd behavior as they like. These events do not conform to typical structures that other events are formed around, such as rules or laws, but are not necessarily deviant in nature either. Collective behavior can be characterized as being: -Short-lived in nature -Having no clear leaders or organization within the group -Having weak to little guidelines or procedures to follow Examples of collective behavior may include a crowd doing the wave at a football game, a group of people forming around a street preacher, or even widespread interest in a new fad or product, like silly bands. I will explain collective behavior in sociology through three main forms: the crowd, the mob, and the riot.

emergent norm theory

Emergent norm theory is a theory used to explain collective behavior. Turner and Killian argue that the norms that ultimately govern a situation may not be initially apparent to the participants. Instead, norms emerge through a process of social interaction in which people look to others for cues and signs indicating various possibilities of what they might expect.

resource mobilization theory

Resource mobilization theory is used in the study of social movements and argues that the success of social movements depends on resources (time, money, skills, etc.) and the ability to use them. When the theory first appeared, it was a breakthrough in the study of social movements because it focused on variables that are sociological rather than psychological. No longer were social movements viewed as irrational, emotion-driven, and disorganized.

social change

Social change, in sociology, the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure, characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behaviour, social organizations, or value systems.

social movement

Social movements are a type of group action. They are large, sometimes informal, groupings of individuals or organizations which focus on specific political or social issues. In other words, they carry out, resist, or undo a social change.

public opinion

The English term "public opinion" dates back to the seventeenth century work by John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, which contains an early consideration of the importance of public opinion in the ordering of politics. The term was derived from the French word l'opinion, which was first used in 1588 by Michel de Montaigne.[1] This concept came about through the process of urbanization and other political and social forces. For the first time, it became important what people thought, as forms of political contention changed. Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population.

crowd

a large number of people gathered together, typically in a disorganized or unruly way.

craze

an enthusiasm for a particular activity or object that typically appears suddenly and achieves widespread but short-lived popularity.

frame alignment

ways in which activists try to promote a social movement's frame to prospective members