Sociology 101Sociology 101

Chapter 16

Collective Behavior and Social Movements

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Collective BehaviorCollective Behavior

Collective behaviorCollective behavior is voluntary, often is voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically a large number of people and typically violates dominant-group norms and violates dominant-group norms and values. values.

Collective behavior can take various forms, Collective behavior can take various forms, including crowds, mobs, riots, panics, fads, including crowds, mobs, riots, panics, fads, fashions, and public opinion.fashions, and public opinion.

What forms of collective behavior have What forms of collective behavior have you taken part in?you taken part in?

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Types of Crowd BehaviorTypes of Crowd Behavior

Casual and conventional crowdsCasual and conventional crowds - - people who happen to be in the same place people who happen to be in the same place at the same time or for a scheduled eventat the same time or for a scheduled event

Expressive and acting crowdsExpressive and acting crowds – join to – join to express some strong emotion, may erupt express some strong emotion, may erupt into violent or destructive behaviorsinto violent or destructive behaviors

Protest crowdsProtest crowds - crowds that engage in - crowds that engage in activities intended to achieve political goals.activities intended to achieve political goals.

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Explanations of Crowd Explanations of Crowd BehaviorBehavior

Contagion TheoryContagion Theory – – – People are more likely to engage People are more likely to engage

in antisocial behavior in a crowd in antisocial behavior in a crowd because they are anonymous and because they are anonymous and feel invulnerable.feel invulnerable.

– Le Bon asserted that emotions Le Bon asserted that emotions such as fear and hate are such as fear and hate are contagious in crowds because contagious in crowds because people experience a decline in people experience a decline in personal responsibility; they will personal responsibility; they will do things as a collectivity that they do things as a collectivity that they would never do when acting alone.would never do when acting alone. Gustave Le Gustave Le

BonBon

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Social unrest and Social unrest and circular reactioncircular reaction – Sociologist Robert E. Sociologist Robert E.

Park was the first U.S. Park was the first U.S. sociologist to investigate sociologist to investigate crowd behavior.crowd behavior.

– the discontent of one the discontent of one person is communicated person is communicated to another who reflects it to another who reflects it back to the first person.back to the first person.

Robert ParkRobert Park

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Convergence theoryConvergence theory – focuses on the shared focuses on the shared

emotions, goals, and emotions, goals, and beliefs people bring to beliefs people bring to crowd behavior (Turner crowd behavior (Turner and Killian,1993).and Killian,1993).

– people with similar people with similar attributes find a attributes find a collectivity of like-collectivity of like-minded persons with minded persons with whom they can express whom they can express their underlying their underlying personal tendencies.personal tendencies. Ralph TurnerRalph Turner

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Emergent norm Emergent norm theorytheory– crowds develop crowds develop

their own their own definition of the definition of the situation and situation and establish norms establish norms for behavior that for behavior that fits the occasion fits the occasion (Turner and (Turner and Killian,1993).Killian,1993).

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Social MovementsSocial Movements

A A social movement social movement is an organized group is an organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action (Goldberg, change through collective action (Goldberg, 1991).1991).

Because social movements have not become Because social movements have not become institutionalized and are outside the political institutionalized and are outside the political mainstream, they offer outsiders an mainstream, they offer outsiders an opportunity to have their voices heard.opportunity to have their voices heard.

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Types of Social MovementsTypes of Social Movements

ReformReform movements seek to improve society movements seek to improve society by changing an aspect of the social structure.by changing an aspect of the social structure.

RevolutionaryRevolutionary movements seek to bring movements seek to bring about a total change in society. about a total change in society.

ReligiousReligious movements seek to produce radical movements seek to produce radical change in individuals and typically are based change in individuals and typically are based on spiritual or supernatural belief systems.on spiritual or supernatural belief systems.

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Types of Social MovementsTypes of Social Movements

AlternativeAlternative movements seek movements seek limited change in some aspect of limited change in some aspect of people's behavior.people's behavior.

ResistanceResistance movements seek to movements seek to prevent or undo change that has prevent or undo change that has already occurred.already occurred.

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Stages in Social Stages in Social MovementsMovements

Preliminary stagePreliminary stage - people begin to - people begin to become aware of a threatening problem. become aware of a threatening problem.

Coalescence stageCoalescence stage - people begin to - people begin to organize and start making the threat organize and start making the threat known to the public.known to the public.

Institutionalization stageInstitutionalization stage - -

organizational structure develops.organizational structure develops.

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But how do we explain the But how do we explain the emergence of social movements emergence of social movements and why some people join them?and why some people join them?

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The Relative Deprivation The Relative Deprivation ModelModel

Until the 1960s several social-psychological models Until the 1960s several social-psychological models prevailedprevailed– These models suggested that people suffer some type of These models suggested that people suffer some type of

deprivation that motivated them to join a social deprivation that motivated them to join a social movement or NRMmovement or NRM

Deprivation could be economic, social, or psychologicalDeprivation could be economic, social, or psychological

– Members were assumed to be recruited from marginal Members were assumed to be recruited from marginal segments of societysegments of society

– Members were often assumed to have some sort of Members were often assumed to have some sort of pathologypathology

Yet members of social movements in the 1960s Yet members of social movements in the 1960s were well adjusted, came from middle and upper were well adjusted, came from middle and upper class families, were highly educated, etc.class families, were highly educated, etc.

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Relative Deprivation Relative Deprivation TheoryTheory

Thus, Charles Glock Thus, Charles Glock argued that argued that perhaps deprivation perhaps deprivation was was relative rather rather than absolutethan absolute– Members only had to Members only had to

*believe* that they *believe* that they were deprived were deprived

– Argues that relative Argues that relative deprivation in some deprivation in some form is a necessary form is a necessary condition for the rise condition for the rise of an NRMof an NRM

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Value-Added TheoryValue-Added Theory Neil Smelser Neil Smelser

asserted, six asserted, six conditions are conditions are necessary and necessary and sufficient to sufficient to produce social produce social movements when movements when they combine or they combine or interact in a interact in a particular particular situation:situation:

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Value Added TheoryValue Added Theory

– Structural conducivenessStructural conduciveness– Structural strainStructural strain– Spread of a generalized beliefSpread of a generalized belief– Precipitating factorsPrecipitating factors– Mobilization for actionMobilization for action– Social control factorsSocial control factors

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Social Movement Theories: Social Movement Theories: Resource Mobilization Resource Mobilization

TheoryTheory

Focuses on the ability Focuses on the ability of members of a social of members of a social movement to acquire movement to acquire resources and mobilize resources and mobilize people in order to people in order to advance their causeadvance their cause

Mayer Mayer ZaldZald

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Resource MobilizationResource Mobilization

Resources include Resources include money, people’s money, people’s time and skills, time and skills, access to the media, access to the media, and material goods, and material goods, such as property and such as property and equipment.equipment.

Assistance from Assistance from outsiders is essential outsiders is essential for social for social movements.movements. John D. McCarthyJohn D. McCarthy

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Social Constructionist Social Constructionist Theory: Frame AnalysisTheory: Frame Analysis

Based on the assumption Based on the assumption that a social movement is that a social movement is an interactive, symbolically an interactive, symbolically defined, and negotiated defined, and negotiated process that involves process that involves participants, opponents participants, opponents and bystanders and bystanders

Our interpretation of the Our interpretation of the particulars of events and particulars of events and activities is dependent on activities is dependent on the framework from which the framework from which we perceive them.we perceive them.

Erving GoffmanErving Goffman

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Frame AnalysisFrame Analysis Frames help to Frames help to

render events or render events or occurrences occurrences meaningful and meaningful and thereby function to thereby function to organize organize experience and experience and guide actionguide action

– Simplifies and Simplifies and condenses the condenses the “world out there” “world out there” thus providing focusthus providing focus

David David SnowSnow

Robert BenfordRobert Benford

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Political Opportunity Political Opportunity TheoryTheory

Social protests are directly Social protests are directly related to the political related to the political opportunities that potential opportunities that potential protesters and movement protesters and movement organizers believe exist within the organizers believe exist within the political system at any given political system at any given point in time.point in time.

Based on the assumption that Based on the assumption that social protests that take place social protests that take place outside of mainstream political outside of mainstream political institutions institutions are deeply intertwined are deeply intertwined with more conventional political with more conventional political activities that take place activities that take place inside inside these institutions.these institutions.

Doug Doug McAdaMcAdamm

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New Social Movement New Social Movement TheoryTheory

Looks at a diverse array of Looks at a diverse array of collective actions and the collective actions and the manner in which those manner in which those actions are based on politics, actions are based on politics, ideology, and culture.ideology, and culture.

Examples of “new social Examples of “new social movements” include movements” include ecofeminism and ecofeminism and environmental justice environmental justice

movementsmovements..Stephen Stephen

BuechlerBuechler