Social change

Question 1

what is social change

Answer 1

social change is the alteration of the social order of a society that may involve the change of social institutions, social behaviours or social relations

Question 2

when does social change occur

Answer 2

social change occurs when a society as a whole (rather than just individuals) adopt new attitudes, beliefs and behaviours.

Question 3

what is the main driving force for social change

Answer 3

minority influence

Question 4

how does social change via minority influence occur

Answer 4

1. drawing attention to an issue - e.g marching, campaigning
2. consistency and flexibility - keeping the same message over time but being willing to compromise
3. deeper processing of the issue - people begin to think about the minority opinion more clearly
4. augmentation principle - the minority demonstrates commitment through sacrificing something eg. freedom, reputation, which elevates the importance of the issue
5. snowball effect - more and more people become persuaded by the message
6. social cryptoamnesia - people have a memory that social change occurred but not how it happened. People conformed to the new majority position or the new law if one was put in place

Question 5

research influence for normative influences

Answer 5

Nolan et al investigated whether social influence processes led to a reduction in energy consumption in a community.