social change Flashcards
define social change
Organization of society
Beliefs or values of a society
Practices or behaviors of a society
3 major soucres of cultural change
1) invention
2) diffusion
3) discovery
cognitive dissonance
discomfort a person feels when their behavior doesnt align with their beliefs
Four aspects of social change
1) direction of change
2) rate of change
3) sources
4) controllability
paradigm shift
fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions
acculturation
assimilation to a different culture, typically the dominant one
diffusion
the spread of a discovery from one to another and the acceptance in a different culture
8 forces of change
- leaders
- geography
- environmental
- population changes
- external forces
- proximity
- values and ideas
- technology
3 impediments of change
cost, tradition and fear
3 conditions needed for change to occur
charasmatic leaders, role of elites and populace ready for change
5 theories of social change
1) Cyclical Theory- Society changes in cycles like seasons
2) Challange and response theory- each society faces initial challanges to its physical enviroment
3) functionalist theory- society is affected by social institutions
4) conflict theory- society changes based on the dynamic between the rich and poor
5) evolutionary theory- all societies evolve from simple beginnings and become more complex over time
assumptions of conflict theory
competition, structural inequality, revolution, and war
define alienation
a term applied to anyone who does not share the major values of society and feels like an outsider
define conformity
the tendancy for an individual to align their attitudes or beliefs with those of the people around them
the way alienation and conformity can affect society
alienation be postive for change but also can be very severe that people give up
conformity tends to discourage social change
define technology
the creation of tools or objects that both extend our natural abilities and alter our social enviroment
how has tech changed society
changed the way humans communicate
definition of technosis
overindependence or attachment to technology
how do ethics change
as technology is changing and evolving so does society
dominant paradigm
belief that humans have a duty to create material wealth to make this and future generations richer and a right to dominate change or even corrupt the natural world in order to do so
alternative environmental paradigm
a beleif that society must place higher importance on the non material values. Encourage stronger communities built on better personal relationships and act with a greater respect for nature
who is the most affected my climate change
the people who live closer to the equater
define abiotic
non living things (weather and climate)
define biotic
living things like vegetation and animals
