Transcript Unit 2: Social Change

Unit 2: Social Change
What is Social Change?
Changes in the way society is organized
Changes in the beliefs/practices of the
people
Expect enormous political, economic, and
social changes to take place in society
during your lifetime
Sample Questions about
Social Changes
Will the influence of organized religions grow
or diminish?
Will acceptance of alternative lifestyles such
as common-law marriages increase or
decline?
Will we have the same civil rights in the near
future? More? Less?
The Study of Social Change
Most social changes occur naturally, as a
result of the multitude of factors operating
within society
The Anthropological Approach
Focus:
Change in Cultures
Occurs gradually; cultures normally do not change
suddenly unless destroyed by another culture.
Focus on enculturation: process by which members
of a culture learn shared ideas, values and beliefs.
Anthropological Questions
What explanations can we use to describe
what causes cultures to change?
Are the findings for one period valid for
another?
Anthropologists –
Factors Causing Cultural Change
1. Change in the society’s leadership
2. Shift in the social values and norms
1. Technological changes
2. Environmental changes
Anthropology –
Sources of Cultural Change
Invention: New products, ideas and social patterns
that affect the way people live.
i.e. portable stereo in the 1980s
Discovery: Finding something previously unknown
to a culture
i.e. Discovering life on another planet may change
the way we think about ourselves
Diffusion: Spreading of ideas, methods and tools
from one culture to another
i.e. acupuncture from Asia to Canada
The Psychological Approach
Focus:
Why & How individuals change their
attitudes (what they think) & behaviours
(what they do)
Question of persuasion: i.e. being
convinced/influenced by a friend vs. a stranger
Psychological Questions
What factors make behaviour modification
programs successful?
Do most people need help changing
behaviour, or can they be self-changers?
The Sociological Approach
Focus:
Massive shifts in the behaviours and
attitudes of groups and whole societies.
See change as an inevitable process
Major issue: Whether social change is
patterned and predictable, or arbitrary and
irregular.
Sociological Questions
How does social change come about?
Reductionist/Determinist: Believe that a single
factor will determine the nature of the social
change that takes place
i.e. Karl Marx – the struggle for economic power
between competing social groups
i.e. Feminist sociologists – patriarchy – men
with power; women trying to capture it.
- How can society be structured to serve the
needs of women as well?
Sociology – Analyzing Patterns
of Human Behaviour
Human behaviour is generally patterned &
therefore, predictable.
People tend to behave according to social
norms (customs, acceptable behaviours,
etc.)
Sociologists look at the following
aspects of social change:
1. Direction of change: Positive? Negative?
2. Rate of Change: Slow? Moderate? Fast?
Radical? Gradual?
3. Sources: Factors/variables causing change?
- Exogenous influences (coming from
another society)
- Endogenous (coming from within the
society itself)
4. Controllability: Degree to which social
change can be controlled
Group Activity
In groups of 4, choose a social phenomenon
1. How would a sociologist, psychologist and
anthropologist approach the social change?
2. What questions would each ask?
3. What factor(s)/source(s) would each
predict to be the cause(s) of the change?
4. What conclusions would each draw about
the social change?