Social: Social Change

Question 1

What is social change?

Answer 1

the process by which society changes beliefs, attitudes and behaviour to create new social norms.
- Minority influence incurs social change over time by altering attitudes and behaviour – this involves internalisation (true conformity), therefore is long lasting.
—> Majority inf luence then maintains the new social order (keeps things the way they are) until a new minority influence emerges to repeat the process.
—> The slow pace of social change through MI allows new ideas to be ‘road-tested’ (i.e. to check their suitability for mainstream society).
—> people who resist social influence can incur social change by modelling attitudes and behaviour necessary for social change to occur

Question 2

What is minority influence show how social change happens?

Answer 2

Social change begins with a minority group, Moscovici Research informs us that consistency, flexibility are important for a minority to start the change.

Question 3

What is a zeitgeist and how could social change happen?

Answer 3

means spirit of the times. What things were happening at the time that made people think that a change was in order?

Question 4

What is the snowball effect on affecting how social change happens?

Answer 4

when the idea gets hold, lots of people join in
and so attitudes change quickly at this point.

Question 5

How is social cryptoamnesia affect how social change happens?

Answer 5

After a number of members have shifted their opinion to agree with the minority group, that minority becomes a majority

Question 6

What’s an example of social change?

Answer 6

Smoking – for many years smoking was the norm, as was the toleration of others smoking in public places, such as in pubs, on buses, etc.
- The few opponents of smoking were seen as interfering busybodies, killjoys, etc.
1. The consistent minority influence of smoking being unhealthy and an invasion of others’ privacy eventually started to win people over.
2. Converts were few at first, but then more and more came to agree with the minority viewpoint. A healthy lifestyle became the Zeitgeist, it was in the spirit of the times.
3. The Snowball effect occurred eventually the anti- smoking viewpoint became mainstream and enshrined in law, such as bans on smoking in public places.
4. Finally we have social cryptoamnesia, where majority influence now serves to maintain
the anti-smoking norm.