Minority Influence/ Social Change Flashcards
Outline social change through minority influence. (6 marks)
An instance of social change would have originated from a minority who recognised an issue whilst it was normal behaviour in society. They would have had to show synchronic consistency throughout the group by declaring their beliefs and partaking in them. They may have used the augmentation principle, by persevering through opposition or danger, in order to draw attention to their cause, as seen in other instances of social change, such as the Civil Rights Movement. These behaviours that get hold of the public’s attention and spread a consistent message would have caused the snowball effect, meaning more and more people joined the cause with increasing momentum. Eventually, social cryptomnesia would take place due to the minority influence turning into a majority, normalised belief where people cannot remember the origin of the change.
