Chapter23 Collective Behavior & Social Movements

8/9/2019 Chapter23 Collective Behavior & Social Movements

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Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis

Collective Behavior &Social Movements


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Stdying Collective

#ehavior

• Collective behavior$"ctivity involving a

large n%ber of people that isnplanned, often controversial, andso%eti%es dangeros

– E&a%ples' Mobs, riots, panic, %ass hysteria,

and social %ove%ents


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Stdying Collective

#ehavior• Collective behavior is diverse

– " (ide range of h%an action

•Collective behavior is variable– )hy do so%e r%ors catch on, bt others don*t+

• Mch collective behavior is transitory– isasters, r%ors, and fads co%e and go -ic.ly!


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Collectivity

•

/ocalied collectivity$People physicallyclose to one another

• ispersed collectivity or %assbehavior$People (ho in3ence one

another despite being spread over alarge area

" large n%ber of people (hose %ini%alinteraction occrs in the absence of (ell4de5ned

and conventional nor%s


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Ho( Collectives i6erfro% Social 7rops

• Collectives are based on li%ited socialinteraction!

– nteraction in %obs is li%ited and te%porary!

• Collectives have no clear social bondaries!– /ittle sense of nity co%pared to social grops

(hose %e%bers often share a co%%on identity

•

Collectives generate (ea. andnconventional nor%s!

– Mobs often destroy and act spontaneosly!


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Cro(ds

#l%%er identi5ed 9 types, (e add a :th'

• " casal cro(d' people on a beach

• " conventional cro(d' a college classroo%

• "n e&pressive cro(d' a chrch service

• "n acting cro(d' people 3eeing fro% a 5re

• " protest cro(d' a college stdent sit4in

" te%porary gathering of people (ho share a

co%%on focs of attention and (ho in3ence oneanother


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Mobs and ;iots

• Mob$" highly e%otional cro(d thatprses a violent or destrctive goal

– " lynch %ob• ;iot$" social erption that is highly

e%otional, violent, and ndirected

– Sports riots, race riots, riots related to social

in



E&plaining Cro(d #ehavior

• /e #on*s contagion theory

– Cro(ds e&ert hypnotic in3ence over their%e%bers! People srrender to a =collective%ind> as its %e%bers rid the%selves ofinhibitions and act ot, and the cro(dass%es a life of its o(n!

• Critical revie(

–Cro(d actions reslt fro% the intentions anddecisions of speci5c individals!

– ?ot necessarily irrational




• Convergence theory' @he cro(d doesn*tgenerate the action, bt rather the%e%bers the%selves sti%late the actionof the cro(d!

– E&a%ple' ?eighborhood grops concernedabot cri%e and (ant to do so%ething abot it

• Critical evalation

– So%e people do things in a cro(d that they

(old not have the corage to do alone!– Cro(ds can intensify a senti%ent si%ply by

creating a critical %ass of li.e4%inded people!


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• @rner A Billian*s e%ergent4nor% theory

– People in cro(ds have %i&ed interests!

– n less stable cro(ds e&pressive, acting,

and protest, nor%s %ight be vage orchanging!

• Critical evalation

– Cro(d behavior re3ects the desires of

participants, bt is also gided by nor%sthat e%erge as the sitation nfolds!


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Mass #ehaviorCollective behavior a%ong people dispersed

over a (ide geographical area

• ;%or and gossip

• Pblic opinion

• Propaganda

• ashions and fads

• Panic and %ass hysteria


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;%or and 7ossip

• ;%or$Dncon5r%ed infor%ation peoplespread infor%ally, often by (ord of %oth– @hrives in a cli%ate of a%bigity

– s nstable

– s diclt to stop

• 7ossip$;%or abot people*s personal a6airs– ;%ors spread (idely, bt gossip is %ore

localied!

– " %eans of social control

– @oo %ch gossip is discoraged!


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Pblic Fpinion A Propaganda

• Pblic opinion$)idespread attitdesabot controversial isses

– So%e people have no opinion at all!

– Even on so%e i%portant isses, a %a


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ashions and ads

• ashion$" social pattern favored by a largen%ber of people

– @raditional style gives (ay to changing fashion in

indstrial societies!– Geblen' Conspicos cons%ption$people bying

e&pensive prodcts to sho( o6 their (ealth

• ads$"n nconventional social pattern that

people e%brace brie3y bt enthsiastically– So%eti%es called craes


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Panic A Mass Hysteria

• Panic$" for% of collective behavior in(hich people in one place react to athreat or other sti%ls (ith irrational,frantic, and often self4destrctivebehavior

• Mass hysteria$" for% of dispersedcollective behavior by (hich people

respond to a real or i%agined eventoften (ith irrational and even franticfear


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isasters

• ?atral disaster

– lood, hrricane, tornado, earth-a.e, etc!

• @echnological disaster

– Fil spills, indstrial accidents

• ntentional disaster

– )ar, terrorist attac.s, genocide

"n event, generally ne&pected, that casese&tensive har% to people and da%age toproperty


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Eri.son*s ;esearch

• @hree conclsions abot theconse-ences of disasters'

– isasters are social events!

– Social da%age is %ore serios (hen anevent involves a to&ic sbstance!

–

Social da%age is %ost serios (hen thedisaster is cased by others!


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@ypes of Social Move%ents

• Social %ove%ent$"n organied activity thatencorages or discorages social change

• "lternative' /east threatening, li%itedchange for a li%ited n%ber of %e%bers

– E&a%ple' Planned parenthood

• ;ede%ptive' Selective focs, radical change

– E&a%ple' So%e religios organiations


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@ypes of Social Move%ents

• ;efor%ative' /i%ited social change,targets everyone

– E&a%ple' E-al rights a%end%ent

%ove%ent• ;evoltionary' @he %ost e&tre%e, see.s

basic transfor%ation of society

–E&a%ple' Dltra4conservative political%ove%ents


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Figure 23.1Four Types of Social MovementsThere are four types of social movements, reflecting who is changed and how great the change is.

Source: Based on Aberle !"##$


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Clai%s Ma.ing

• or a social %ove%ent to for%, so%e

isse has to be de5ned as a proble%that de%ands pblic attention!

• Dsally, clai%s %a.ing begins (ith a

s%all n%ber of people!• E&a%ple' "S

@he process of trying to convince the pblic and

pblic ocials of the i%portance of


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E&plaining Social Move%ents

• eprivation theory' Social %ove%entssee.ing change arise a%ong people(ho feel deprived

–;elative deprivation$" perceiveddisadvantage arising fro% so%e speci5cco%parison

– Critical evalation

• @heory s6ers fro% circlar reasoning

•ocses e&clsively on the case, tellings little abot %ove%ents the%selves


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• Bornhaser*s %ass4society theory' Social%ove%ents attract socially isolatedpeople (ho feel personally insigni5cant!– Move%ents are personal as (ell as political,

giving people (ith (ea. social ties a sense ofprpose and belonging!


•?o clear standard for %easring the e&tentto (hich (e live in a =%ass society>

•E&plaining social %ove%ents in ter%s ofpeople hngry to belong ignores the social4


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• S%elser*s Strctral4Strain @heory

1! Strctral condciveness

2! Strctral strain

! 7ro(th and spread of an e&planation

9! Precipitating factors

:! Mobiliation for action

I! /ac. of social control


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National Map 23.1%irtual March: &olitical Mobili'ation across the (nited States


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• ;esorce4%obiliation theory' ?o social%ove%ent is li.ely to scceed or even get o6the grond (ithot sbstantial resorces


•Po(erless can pro%ote change if they areorganied and have co%%itted %e%bers

•Fverstates the e&tent to (hich po(erfl people

are (illing to challenge the stats -o


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• Cltre theory' @he recognition that social%ove%ents depend not only on %aterialresorces and the strctre of political po(er

bt also on cltral sy%bols!– Critical evalation

•oes not address ho( and (hen po(erflcltral sy%bols trn people fro% spporting

the syste% to(ard protest


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E&plaining SocialMove%ents

• Political4econo%y theory' Social%ove%ents arise (ithin capitalistsocieties becase the capitalist econo%ic

syste% fails to %eet the needs of the%a


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• ?e( social %ove%ents theory' ;ecentsocial %ove%ents in the postindstrialsocieties of ?orth "%erica and )esternErope have a ne( focs!

– Most of today*s %ove%ents are international!– @ends to focs on cltral change and

i%proving social and physical srrondings

– ra(s spport fro% %iddle and pper classes

– Critical evalation• @ends to e&aggerate di6erences bet(een

past and present social %ove%ents


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7ender and SocialMove%ents

• 7ender 5gres pro%inently in theoperation of social %ove%ents!

• n .eeping (ith traditional ideas abotgender in the DS, %ore %en than(o%en tend to ta.e part in the pbliclifeinclding spearheading social

%ove%ents!

• =reedo% S%%er> in 1KI9


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Stages of Social Move%ents• Stage one' E%ergence

– Perception that so%ething is(rong

• Stage t(o' Coalescence– e5ning itself and =going pblic>

• Stage three' #reacratiation– Frganiing rationally to get


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Figure 23.2Stages in the )ives of Social MovementsSocial movements typically go through four stages. The last is decline, which may occur for any of five reasons.


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Social Move%ents'

/oo.ing "head• Scope of social %ove%ents is li.ely to

increase!

–Protest shold increase as grops gainpolitical voice!

– nfor%ation revoltion %eans anyone canbe (ell4infor%ed!

– @echnology niting people in social%ove%ents


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Summing UpTheories of Social Movements


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Sociology 12th Edition by John Macionis

Controversy and Debate&olitical *nvolvement of Students +ntering ollege in -#: A SurveyFirst/year college students are mostly younger people who e0press limited interest in politics.

Chapter23 Collective Behavior & Social Movements

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