Exam 20: Collective Behavior, social Movements, and Social Change

"For a movement to develop,there must be a clear statement of the problem and a shared view of its cause,effects,and possible solution." This illustrates sociologist Neal Smelser's value­added theory condition of:

In the______________stage of a social movement,widespread unrest is present as people become aware of a problem.At this stage,leaders emerge to agitate others into taking action.

______________ movements seek to bring about a total change in society.These movements usually do not attempt to work within the existing system;rather,they aim to remake the system by replacing existing institutions with new ones.

New social movement theory looks at a diverse array of collective actions and the manner in which those actions are based in politics,ideology,and culture.It also incorporates factors of identity,including race,class,gender,and sexuality,as sources of collective action and social movements.

Worshipers at religious revival services;mourners lining the streets when a celebrity,public official,or religious leader has died;and revelers assembled at Mardi Gras or at Times Square in New York on New Year's Eve are examples of a(n)______________crowd.

A______________is a relatively large number of people who are in one another's immediate vicinity.

The most common type of______________occurs when people seek to escape from a perceived danger,fearing that few (if any)of them will be able to get away from that danger.They also arise in response to events that people believe are beyond their control.

Sociologists have identified ways in which grievances are framed.______________framing identifies a problem and attributes blame or causality to some group or entity so that the social movement has a target for its actions.

A(n)______________is a form of crowd behavior that occurs when a large number of people react to a real or perceived threat with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior.

Sociologist William Ogburn suggested that when a change in the material culture occurs in society,a period of cultural diffusion follows in which the nonmaterial (ideological)culture has not caught up with material development.

Examples of______________movements are groups organized to oppose gay marriage,abortion and gun control legislation.

______________movements seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure.Members usually work within the existing system to attempt to change existing public policy so that it more adequately reflects their own value system. _____________

Ecofeminism emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s out of the feminist,peace,and ecology movements.It is based on the belief that______________is a root cause of environmental problems.

Scholar______________focused on crowd psychology and developed the contagion theory.

Examples of a______________include the audience in a movie theater or people at a pep rally for a sporting event.

Discuss possibilities of the future of social change.

Rumors thrive when tensions are low and when an abundance of authentic information is available on an issue of great concern.

Sociologists distinguish among movements on the basis of their goals and the amount of change they seek to produce.Some movements seek to change people whereas others seek to change society.

Explain the political opportunity theory.

Based on sociologist Neil Smelser's value­added theory,the structured strain condition states that when a society or community is unable to meet people's expectations that something should be done about a problem,strain occurs in the system.The ensuing tension and conflict contribute to the development of a social movement based on people's belief that the problem would not exist if authorities had done what they were supposed to do.