Collective Behavior, Social Movements, and Social Change

Question 1

the alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time

Answer 1

social change

Question 2

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

Answer 2

collective behavior

Question 3

a relatively large number of people who are in one another’s immediate vicinity

Answer 3

crowd

Question 4

a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another’s immediate vicinity

Answer 4

mass

Question 5

relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be at the same place at the same time

Answer 5

casual crowd

Question 6

made up of people who come together for a scheduled event and share a common focus

Answer 6

conventional crowd

Question 7

opportunities for the expression of a strong emotion

Answer 7

expressive crowd

Question 8

so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior

Answer 8

acting crowd

Question 9

a highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in violence, against a specific target

Answer 9

mob

Question 10

violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated emotions but not directed at one specific target

Answer 10

riot

Question 11

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

Answer 11

panic

Question 12

a nonviolent action that seeks to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it

Answer 12

civil disobedience

Question 13

people are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior in a crowd because they are anonymous and feel invulnerable

Answer 13

contagion theory

Question 14

transmitted by a process of circular reaction—the interactive communication between persons such that the discontent of one person is communicated to another, who, in turn, reflects the discontent back to the first person

Answer 14

social unrest

Question 15

focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs that many people may bring to crowd behavior

Answer 15

convergence theory

Question 16

crowds develop their own definition of a situation and establish norms for behavior that fit the occasion

Answer 16

emergent norm theory

Question 17

collective behavior that takes place when people respond to the same event in much the same way

Answer 17

mass behavior

Question 18

unsubstantiated reports on an issue or subject

Answer 18

rumors

Question 19

refers to rumors about the personal lives of individuals

Answer 19

gossip

Question 20

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

Answer 20

mass hysteria

Question 21

a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people

Answer 21

fad

Question 22

consists of the attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision makers

Answer 22

public opinion

Question 23

information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one

Answer 23

propaganda

Question 24

an organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action

Answer 24

social movements

Question 25

seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure
ie. women’s sufferage

Answer 25

reform movement

Question 26

seek to bring about a total change in society
ie. civil rights movement

Answer 26

revolutionary movements

Question 27

seek to produce radical change in individuals based on spiritual or supernatural beliefs
ie. great schism of 1054

Answer 27

religious movements

Question 28

seek limited change in some aspect of people’s behavior
ie. planned parenthood

Answer 28

alternative movements

Question 29

seek to prevent change or undo change that has already occurred
ie. the children’s crusade

Answer 29

resistance movement

Question 30

people who are satisfied with their present conditions are less likely to seek social change

Answer 30

relative deprivation theory

Question 31

refers to the discontent that people may feel when they compare their achievements with those of similarly situated persons and find that they have less than they think they deserve

Answer 31

relative deprivation

Question 32

based on the assumption that certain conditions are necessary for the development of a social movement

Answer 32

Smelser’s value-added theory

Question 33

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

Answer 33

resource mobilization theory

Question 34

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

Answer 34

social constructionist theory

Question 35

states that people will choose those options for collective action that are most readily available to them and those options that will produce the most favorable outcome for their cause

Answer 35

political opportunity theory

Question 36

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

Answer 36

new social movement theory

Question 37

based on the belief that patriarchy is a root cause of environmental problems

Answer 37

ecofeminism

Question 38

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 and populated primarily by people of color

Answer 38

environmental racism