Explanations of Social Change

Focus on people’s behaviour and attitudes

Look at Drinking and Driving for example:

(sociology) send this population to prison to protect public during their sentence.

But what about after prison: Can society successfully design programs to change (psychology) problem behaviour.

Psychologist would ask questions like:

What must people do to successfully change their behaviour?

What factors make behaviour-modification programs successful?

Do most people need help changing behaviour, or can they be self-changers?

Much of their research involves strong links between people’s attitudes (what they think) and their behaviours (what they do).

Is it necessary to change individuals attitudes before their behaviour can be changed.

Social psychologist have discovered that most individuals desire cognitive consistency in their beliefs.

(avoid attitudes that conflict with each other)

The most favoured theory of attitude change

What you are doing conflicts with what you are think.

While look at why & how individuals change their behaviour...

Sociologist focus on the massive shifts in behaviour and attitudes of groups and whole societies

Want to determine if Social change can be patterned and predictable or arbitrary and irregular

Early sociologist offered 3 explanations 1. From decay- change was

caused by decline or degeneration.

All societies began in a pure ideal state but as societies become more materialist and less spiritual they decline.

Early sociologist offered 3 explanations 2. From cycles of growth and

decay

Variation of decay- some sociologist believed that not all societies inevitably are headed for destruction

Early sociologist offered 3 explanations 3. Progress

social change is a result of the phenomenon of continuous progress

Each new society builds upon the experience of past generations

The 3 theories were losing popularity

New debate emerged asking-

Is social change a product of a single factor or were many factors.

Social scientists who believe this theories are know as:

reductionist or determinist

Believed the struggle for economic power was the cause of social change

Argued those with power would fight to keep it

Instead of just economic power feminist argued males had all social power

Feminist call society a patriarchy- place historical designed for the convenience of men structured accordingly with rules that make males comfortable

Sociologist believe that human behaviour is generally patterned and therefore potentially predictable

Ex people live with in acceptable “norms”

Not only are the behaviours predictable but the extent society will accept social change can be as well

1. Direction of Change-

Is the change positive or negative?

And who says so?

2. Rate of Change

Is the change slow, too fast just right?

Will the change happen over a short period of time or will it take a decades?

Is the rate of change slowing or picking up speed?

What factors are influencing the change?

3. Sources – What factors are behind the influence of change within society?

Are the exogenous? coming from another society

3. Sources – What factors are behind the influence of change within society?

Or endogenous? Coming from within

4. Controllability

To what degree is the social change controlled or engineered

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4. Controllability

To what degree is the social change controlled or engineered