L12 - Social Influence Processes in Social Change

Question 1

what is social change and when does it occur?

Answer 1

SOCIAL CHANGE refers to the CHANGE THAT OCCURS IN A SOCIETY AND NOT AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL (e.g equal rights for homosexual couples and women gaining the vote)

social change occurs WHEN THE MINORITY CHALLENGES THE MAJORITY VIEW and is EVENTUALLY ACCEPTED BY THE MAJORITY

Question 2

how do minority groups bring about social change?

Answer 2

by being COMMITTED, CONSISTENT and FLEXIBLE

Question 3

how does being committed make a minority more persuasive?

Answer 3

COMMITMENT is shown when members of the minority DEMONSTRATE THEIR DEDICATION TO THEIR BELIEF, perhaps by MAKING SACRIFICES (augmentation principle) or BEING INCONVENIENCED IN SOME WAY

this shows that the MINORITY IS NOT ACTING OUT OF SELF INTEREST

Question 4

how does being consistent make a minority more persuasive?

Answer 4

CONSISTENCY occurs when a MINORITY REPEATEDLY GIVES THE SAME MESSAGE, this MAKES A MAJORITY REASSESS THEIR BELIEF and CONSIDER THE ISSUE MORE CAREFULLY

Question 5

how does being flexible make a minority more persuasive?

Answer 5

FLEXIBILITY/BEING NON DOGMATIC is when a MINORITY SHOWS THEY ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO OTHER VIEWPOINTS.

The MAJORITY WILL THEN LISTEN TO MINORITY POINT OF VIEW AND TAKE THEIR ARGUMENT MORE SERIOUSLY

Question 6

snowball effect

Answer 6

MINORITY INFLUENCE initially has a SMALL EFFECT but this then SPREADS AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE CONSIDER THE ISSUE BEING RAISED, until it reaches a TIPPING POINT where the MINORITY BECOMES THE MAJORITY - this is known as the SNOWBALL EFFECT

Question 7

social crypto-amnesia

Answer 7

MINORITY INFLUENCE is a SLOW PROCESS and MAY EVEN BE UNCONSCIOUS, SOMETIMES PEOPLE FORGET WHERE THE NEW IDEA ORIGINATED FROM, this is called SOCIAL CRYPTO-AMNESIA

Question 8

conformity and minority influence

Answer 8

ONCE THE MAJORITY HAS ACCEPTED THE MINORITY VIEWPOINT, PEOPLE MAY CONFORM TO THIS VIEWPOINT due to NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE (compliance) and/or INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE (internalisation)

Question 9

how does the law affect social change?

Answer 9

GOVERNMENTS have the POWER TO BRING ABOUT SOCIAL CHANGE by ENFORCING LAWS and MAKING PEOPLE OBEY THESE LAWS. E.g changing the law to ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE could mean that PEOPLE MAY BE MORE ACCEPTING OF HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS because CHANGES IN THE LAW make a behaviour a SOCIAL NORM WHICH OTHERS THEN ADOPT

DICTATORS CAN ALSO BRING ABOUT SOCIAL CHANGE through OBEDIENCE - this LEADS TO GROUPS OF PEOPLE CHANGING THEIR BEHAVIOUR because of the FEAR OF PUNISHMENT/CONSEQUENCES of NOT OBEYING