Interactions - A Sociology CD-ROM/Interactions - A Sociology CD-ROM (Wadsworth Thomson Learning)(2000).iso/mac/SG16.txt

Text File | 1999-09-02 | 28KB | 372 lines

CHAPTER 16
COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL CHANGE
<fig>25245.jpg



<glos>civil disobedience
collective behavior
crowd
environmental racism
mass
mass behavior
mob
panic
public opinion
riot
social change
social movement
terrorism


<np>I.   COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR
       A.   Social change is the alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions
              over time; such change usually is brought about by collective behavior -- relatively spontaneous, unstructured
              activity that typically violates established social norms.
<s>       B.   Conditions for Collective Behavior
<s>              1.   Collective behavior occurs as a result of some common influence or stimuli which produces a
                    response from a collectivity -- a relatively large number of people who mutually transcend,
                    bypass, or subvert established institutional patterns and structures.
<s>              2.   Major factors that contribute to the likelihood that collective behavior will occur are:
<s>                     a.   Structural factors that increase the chances of people responding in a particular way
<s>                     b.   Timing
<s>                     c.   A breakdown in social control mechanisms and a corresponding feeling of normlessness
<s>                     d.   A common stimulus.

<np>STOP: Define social changes and explain the impact of collective behavior upon social change.

<np>I.   COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR
       C.   Dynamics of Collective Behavior
              1.   People may engage in collective behavior when they find that their problems are not being
                    solved through official channels; as the problem appears to grow worse, organizational responses
                    become more defensive and obscure.
<s>              2.   People's attitudes are not always reflected in their political and social behavior; their actions
                    often do not demonstrate their attitudes.
<s>              3.   People act collectively in ways they would not act singly due to:
<s>                     a.   The noise and activity around them.
<s>                     b.   A belief that it is the only way to fight those with greater power and resources.
<s>       D.   Distinctions Regarding Collective Behavior
<s>              1.   People engaging in collective behavior may be a:
<s>                     a.   Crowd -- a relatively large number of people who are in one another's immediate face-to-face presence
<s>                     b.   Mass -- a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are
                           not in one another's immediate physical vicinity.
<np>              2.   Collective behavior also may be distinguished by the dominant emotion expressed (e.g., fear,
                    hostility, joy, grief, disgust, surprise, or shame).
<fig>23133<s>       E.   Types of Crowd Behavior
              1.   Herbert Blumer divided crowds into four categories:
<s>                     a.   Casual crowds -- relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place
                           at the same time; if they interact at all, it is only briefly.
<s>                     b.   Conventional crowds -- people who specifically come together for a scheduled event and thus
                           share a common focus.
<s>                     c.   Expressive crowds -- people releasing their pent-up emotions in conjunction with others
                           who experience similar emotions.
<s>                     d.   Acting crowds -- collectivities so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that
                           they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior.  Examples:
<s>                            (1).   A mob -- a highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in,
                                     violence against a specific target which may be a person, a category of people,
                                     or physical property.
<s>                            (2).   A riot -- violent crowd behavior fueled by deep-seated emotions but not directed at
                                     a specific target.
<s>                            (3).   A 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.
<np>              2.   To these four types of crowds, Clark McPhail and Ronald T. Wohlstein added protest crowds --
                    crowds that engage in activities intended to achieve specific political goals.
<s>                     a.   Protest crowds sometimes take the form of civil disobedience -- nonviolent action that seeks
                           to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it.
<s>                     b.   At the grassroots level, protests often are seen as the only way to call attention to
                           problems or demand social change.
<s>       F.   Explanations of Crowd Behavior
<s>              1.   According to contagion theory, people are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior in a
                    crowd because they are anonymous and feel invulnerable; Gustave Le Bon argued that feelings of
                    fear and hate are contagious in crowds because people experience a decline in personal responsibility.
<s>              2.   According to Robert Park, social unrest is transmitted by a process of circular reaction --
                    the interactive communication between persons in such a way that the discontent of one person
                    is communicated to another who, in turn, reflects the discontent back to the first person.
<s>              3.   Convergence theory focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs many people bring
                    to crowd behavior.
<s>                     a.   From this perspective, people with similar attributes find a collectivity of like-minded
                           persons with whom they can release their underlying personal tendencies.
<s>                     b.   Although people may reveal their "true selves" in crowds, their behavior is not irrational;
                           it is highly predictable to those who share similar emotions or beliefs.
<np>              4.   According to Ralph Turner's and Lewis Killian's emergent norm theory, crowds develop their
                     own definition of the situation and establish norms for behavior that fits the occasion.
<s>                     a.   Emergent norms occur when people define a new situation as highly unusual or see a
                           long-standing situation in a new light.
<s>                     b.   Emergent norm theory points out that crowds are not irrational; new norms are developed
                           in a rational way to fit the needs of the immediate situation.

<np>STOP: Distinguish between crowds and masses and identify casual, conventional, expressive, acting, and protest crowds.

<np>I.   COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR
          G.    Mass behavior is collective behavior that takes place when people (who often are geographically
                   separated from one anther) respond to the same event in much the same way.  The most frequent
                   types of mass behavior are:
<s>              1.   Rumors -- unsubstantiated reports on an issue or subject -- and gossip -- rumors about the
                    personal lives of individuals.
<s>              2.   Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of
                    people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat;
                    many sociologists believe this behavior is best described as a panic with a dispersed audience.
<s>              3.   Fads and Fashions.
<s>                     a.   A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people.
<s>                     b.   Fashion is a currently valued style of behavior, thinking or appearance.  Fashion also applies
                           to art, music, drama, literature, architecture, interior design, and automobiles, among other things.
<s>              4.   Public opinion consists of the attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision
                    makers (as measured through polls and surveys based on interviews and questionnaires).
<s>                     a.   Even on a single topic, public opinion will vary widely based on characteristics such as race,
                           ethnicity, religion, region of the country, urban or rural residence, social class, education
                           level, gender, and age.
<s>                     b.   As the masses attempt to influence elites and visa versa, a two-way process occurs with the
                           dissemination of propaganda -- information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested
                           interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one.
<np>II.   SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
        A.   A social movement is an organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change
               through collective action.
<s>        B.   Types of Social Movements
<s>               1.   Reform movements seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure.
<s>               2.   Revoluntionary movements seek to bring about a total change in society. Terrorism is the
                     calculated unlawful use of physical force or threats of violence against persons or property
                     in order to intimidate or coerce a government, organization, or individual for the purpose of
                     gaining some political, religious, economic or social objective.
<w> A good starting point for the study of terrorism is the Terrorism Resource center at http://www.terrorism.com
<url>http://www.terrorism.com
<s>               3.   Religious movements seek to produce radical change in individuals and typically are based on
                     spiritual or supernatural belief systems.
<s>               4.   Alternative movements seek limited change in some aspect of people's behavior (e.g., a movement
                     that attempts to get people to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages).
<s>               5.   Resistance movements seek to prevent change or to undo change that already has occurred.
<np>        C.   Causes of Social Movements
<s>               1.   Relative deprivation theory asserts that people who suffer relative deprivation are likely to
                     feel that a change is necessary and to join a social movement in order to bring about that change.
<s>               2.   According to Neal Smelser's value-added theory, six conditions are necessary and sufficient to
                     produce social movements when they combine or interact in a particular situation:
<s>                     a.   Structural conduciveness
<s>                     b.   Structural strain
<s>                     c.   Spread of a generalized belief
<s>                     d.   Precipitating factors
<s>                     e.   Mobilization for action
<s>                     f.   Social control factors.
<s>               3.   Resource mobilization theory focuses on the ability of a social movement to acquire resources
                     (money, time and skills, access to the media, etc.) and mobilize people to advance the cause.
<np>               4.   Emerging Perspectives.
<s>                     a.   Emerging perspectives based on resource mobilization theory emphasize ideology and
                           legitimacy of movements as well as material resources.
<s>                     b.   Recent theories based on an interactionist perspective focus on the importance of
                           the symbolic presentation of a problem both to participants and the general public.
<s>                     c.   Alan Scott notes that, over the past two decades, "new social movements" have placed
                           more emphasis on quality of life issues than earlier movements that focused primarily
                           on economic issues.
<s>                     d.   Examples of already existing "new social movements" include ecofeminism and
                           environmental justice movements.
<s>                            (1).   According to ecofeminists, patriarchy is a root cause of environmental
                                    problems because it contributes to a belief that nature is to be possessed
                                    and dominated, rather than treated as a partner.
<s>                            (2).   Environmental justice movements focus on the issue of environmental
                                    racism -- the belief that a disproportionate number of hazardous facilities
                                    (including industries such as waste disposal/treatment and chemical plants)
                                    are placed in low-income areas populated primarily by people of color.
<w> This site offers a background on environmental racism. http://www.ncpa.org/pl/enviro/envpd/pdenv68.html
<url>http://www.ncpa.org/pl/enviro/envpd/pdenv68.html
<np>        D.   Stages in Social Movements
<s>               1.   In the preliminary stage, widespread unrest is present as people begin to become aware
                     of a threatening problem.  Leaders emerge to agitate others into taking action.
<s>               2.   In the coalescence stage, people begin to organize and start making the threat known to the public.
                     Some movements become formally organized at local and regional levels.
<w> Visit the UNICEF site for reports detailing various aspects of worldwide social change. http://www.unicef.org/
<url>http://www.unicef.org/
<s>               3.   In the institutionalization stage, an organizational structure develops, and a paid staff
                     (rather than volunteers) begins to lead the group.

<np>STOP: Describe social movements and note when and where they are most likely to develop.

<np>III.   SOCIAL CHANGE: MOVING IN THE FUTURE
          A.   The Physical Environment and Change: Changes in the physical environment often produce
                 changes in the lives of people; in turn, people can make dramatic changes in the physical
                 environment, over which we have only limited control.
<vp>VIDEO: Social change often involves multiple aspects of a culture as this example of fighting pollution in modern-day India attests.
<v>V5
<s>          B.   Population and Change: Changes in population size, distribution, and composition affect the
                 culture and social structure of a society and change the relationships among nations.
<s>          C.   Technology and Change: Advances in communication, transportation, science, and medicine have
                 made significant changes in people's lives, especially in developed nations; however, these
                 changes also have created the potential for new disasters, ranging from global warfare to
                 localized technological disasters at toxic waste sites.
<s>          D.   Social Institutions and Change: In the future, many changes will occur in the family, religion,
                 education, the economy, and the political system.
<fig>31096<s>          E.   Changes in physical environment, population, technology, and social institutions operate
                 together in a complex relationship, sometimes producing consequences we must examine by using
                 our sociological imagination.

<np>STOP: Describe the effects of physical environment, population trends, technological development, and social institutions on social change.
<end>
<nq>20
<ques>All of the following are factors that contribute to the likelihood that collective behavior will occur, except:
<c1>the presence of deviant behavior.
<c2>structural factors that increase the chances of people responding in a particular way.
<c3>timing.
<c4>a breakdown in social control mechanisms and a corresponding feeling of normlessness.
<ans>a<expl>All of the following are factors that contribute to the likelihood that collective behavior will occur, except: the presence of deviant behavior.
<ques>A ______ is a number of people who share an interest in a specific issue but are not in close proximity to each other. (p. 461)
<c1>crowd
<c2>mass
<c3>riot
<c4>mob
<ans>b<expl>A mass is a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another's immediate vicinity. (p. 461)
<ques>Casual crowds are: (p. 461)
<c1>comprised of people who specifically come together for a scheduled event and thus share a common focus.
<c2>situations that provide an opportunity for the expression of some strong emotion.
<c3>comprised of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time.
<c4>comprised of people who are so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior.
<ans>c<expl>Casual crowds are comprised of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time. (p. 461)

<ques>Revelers assembled at Mardi Gras or on New Year's Eve at Times Square in New York are an example of: (p. 462)
<c1>protest crowds.
<c2>expressive crowds.
<c3>conventional crowds.
<c4>panics.
<ans>b<expl>Revelers assembled at Mardi Gras or on New Year's Eve at Times Square in New York are an example of expressive crowds. (p. 462)

<ques>When the residents of Love Canal burned both the governor and the health commission in effigy, they were engaging in a/an: (p. 462)
<c1>acting crowd.
<c2>casual crowd.
<c3>conventional crowd.
<c4>panic.
<ans>a<expl>When the residents of Love Canal burned both the governor and the health commission in effigy, they were engaging in an acting crowd. (p. 462)

<ques>Convergence theory focuses on: (p. 465)
<c1>the social-psychological aspects of collective behavior, including how moods, attitudes, and behavior are communicated.
<c2>how social unrest is transmitted by a process of circular reaction.
<c3>the importance of social norms in shaping crowd behavior.
<c4>the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs many people bring to crowd behavior.
<ans>d<expl>Convergence theory focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs many people bring to crowd behavior. (p. 465)

<ques>All of the following statements regarding the emergent norm theory are true, except:  (p. 465-466)
<c1>Emergent norm theory is based on the interactionist perspective.
<c2>Sociologists using the emergent norm approach seek to determine how individuals in a given collectivity develop an understanding of what is going on, how they construe these activities, and what types of norms are involved.
<c3>Emergent norm theory points out that crowds sometimes are irrational.
<c4>Emergent norm theory originated with sociologists Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian.
<ans>c<expl>All of the following statements regarding the emergent norm theory are true, except: emergent norm theory points out that crowds sometimes are irrational. (pp. 465-466)

<ques>Rumors, gossip, fashions, and fads are examples of______behavior.
<c1>mob
<c2>mass
<c3>irrational
<c4>casual
<ans>b<expl>Rumors, gossip, fashions, and fads are examples of mass behavior. (p. 466)

<ques>A form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat is known as: (p. 467)
<c1>mob behavior.
<c2>mass behavior.
<c3>mass hysteria.
<c4>contagious behavior.
<ans>c<expl>Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat. (p. 467)

<ques>"Streaking" -- students taking off their clothes and running naked in public -- in the 1970s is an example of a: (p. 467)
<c1>panic.
<c2>trend.
<c3>fashion.
<c4>fad.
<ans>d<expl>"Streaking" was a fad in the 1970s.  (p. 467)

<ques>According to the text,______is information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one. (p. 469)
<c1>propaganda
<c2>public opinion
<c3>political rhetoric
<c4>a press release
<ans>a<expl>According to the text, propaganda is information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one. (p. 469)

<ques>Which of the following statements regarding social movements is true?  (pp. 469-470)
<c1>Social movements are more likely to develop in preindustrial societies where there is an acceptance of traditional beliefs and practices.
<c2>Social movements have become institutionalized and are a part of the political mainstream.
<c3>Social movements make democracy less accessible to excluded groups.
<c4>Social movements offer "outsiders" an opportunity to have their voices heard.
<ans>d<expl>Which of the following statements regarding social movements is true?  Social movements offer "outsiders" an opportunity to have their voices heard. (pp. 469-470)

<ques>Grassroots environmental movements are an example of: (p. 470)
<c1>reform movements.
<c2>alternative movements.
<c3>dissident movements.
<c4>revolutionary movements.
<ans>a<expl>Grassroots environmental movements are an example of reform movements. (p. 470)

<ques>According to relative deprivation theory: (pp. 473-474)
<c1>people who are satisfied with their present condition are more likely to seek social change.
<c2>certain conditions are necessary for the development of a social movement.
<c3>people who feel that they have been deprived of their "fair share" are more likely to feel that change is necessary and to join a social movement.
<c4>some people bring more resources to a social movement than others.
<ans>c<expl>According to relative deprivation theory, people who feel that they have been deprived of their "fair share" are more likely to feel that change is necessary and to join a social movement. (pp. 473-474)

<ques>______ theory is based on the assumption that six conditions, including structural conduciveness and structural strain, must be present for the development of a social movement. (p. 474)
<c1>Value-added
<c2>Relative deprivation
<c3>Resource mobilization
<c4>Emergent norm
<ans>a<expl>Value-added theory is based on the assumption that six conditions, including structural conduciveness and structural strain, must be present for the development of a social movement. (p. 474)

<ques>______ theory focuses on the ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause. (p. 475)
<c1>Value-added
<c2>Relative deprivation
<c3>Resource mobilization
<c4>Emergent norm
<ans>c<expl>Resource mobilization theory focuses on the ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause. (p. 475)

<ques>______ is a social movement based on the belief that patriarchy is a root cause of environmental problems. (p. 477)
<c1>Ecology Today
<c2>Conflict Ecologists
<c3>Environmental Justice
<c4>Ecofeminism
<ans>d<expl>Ecofeminism is based on the belief that patriarchy is a root cause of environmental problems. (p. 477)

<ques>In the______stage of a social movement, people begin to organize and to publicize the problem. (p. 477)
<c1>preliminary
<c2>coalescence
<c3>institutionalization
<c4>deinstitutionalization
<ans>b<expl>In the coalescence stage of a social movement, people begin to organize and to publicize the problem. (p. 477)

<ques>The belief that a disproportionate number of hazardous facilities are placed in low-income areas populated by people of color is known as: (p. 477)
<c1>environmental racism.
<c2>environmental justice.
<c3>reverse environmentalism.
<c4>racial pollution.
<ans>a<expl>The belief that a disproportionate number of hazardous facilities is placed in low-income areas populated by people of color is known as environmental racism. (p. 477)

<ques>All of the following statements regarding natural disasters are true, except: (p. 480)
<c1>Major natural disasters can dramatically change the lives of people.
<c2>Trauma that people experience from disasters may outweigh the actual loss of physical property.
<c3>Natural disasters are not affected by human decisions.
<c4>Disasters may become divisive elements that tear communities apart.
<ans>c<expl>All of the following statements regarding natural disasters are true, except: natural disasters are not affected by human decisions. (p. 480)

<tf>15
<ques>Collective behavior lacks an official division of labor, hierarchy of authority, and established rules and procedures. (p.459)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 459)
<ques>People are more likely to act as a collectivity when they believe it is the only way to fight those with greater power and resources. (p. 461)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 646)
<ques>People gathered for religious services and graduation ceremonies are examples of casual crowds. (p. 462)
<ans>F<expl>People gathered for religious services and graduation ceremonies are examples of conventional crowds. (p. 462)
<ques>Panics often arise when people believe that they are in control of a situation. (p. 463)
<ans>F<expl>Panics may arise in response to events theat people believe are beyond their control. (p. 463)
<ques>Protest crowds engage in activities intended to achieve specific political goals.  (p. 463)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 463)
<ques>Sociologist Robert E. Park was the first U.S. sociologist to investigate crowd behavior. (p. 464)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 464)
<ques>According to Clayman, people like to "boo" a speech independently. (p. 465)
<ans>F<expl>According to Clayman, people wait to coordinate their booing with other people; they do not wish to "boo" alone. (p. 466)
<ques>For mass behavior to occur, people must be in close proximity geographically.  (p. 466)
<ans>F<expl>Mass behavior often takes place when people who are geographically separated from one another respond to the same event in much the same way (for example, rumor, fashion, or fad). (p. 466)
<ques>Public opinion does not always translate into action by decision makers in government and industry or by individuals. (pp. 468-469)
<ans>T<expl>None(pp. 468-469)
<ques>Mothers Against Drunk Driving is an example of a reform movement. (p. 471)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 471)
<ques>The 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City was the worst incident of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. (p. 471)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 471)
<ques>Revolutionary movements also are referred to as expressive movements. (p. 472)
<ans>F<expl>Religious movements also are referred to as expressive movements. (p. 472)
<ques>Movements based on relative deprivation are most likely to occur when people have unfulfilled rising expectations. (p. 473)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 473)
<ques>Gains made by social movements may not be long lasting. (p. 477)
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 477)
<ques>One purpose of this text is to expose the readers to different viewpoints.
<ans>T<expl>None(p. 483)
<qend>