Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Flashcards about Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Collectivity

Unstructured group of individuals who come together, briefly, to engage in an activity

Collective Behavior

Actions that happen due to collectivity that are unstructured, unpredictable, spontaneous and emotional

Contagion Theory

Powerful emotions can be passed from person to person in a crowd–lose individuality and become a crowd

Convergence Theory

Mobs are brought together by similarities

Structural Strain Theory

Behavior depends on crowd dynamics and social context

Social Conduciveness

Preexisting organization that says that collective acts are legitimate

Social Strain

Needs aren’t being met by government agencies

Emergent Norm Theory

People in a crowd see themselves as similar so act together and make a new “norm”

Casual Crowd

Form spontaneously at an event – have little interaction

Conventional Crowd

Form at a lecture – individual goal – little interaction

Expressive Crowd

Gathering at an emotionally charged event

Active Crowd

Emotional group – violent, destructive behavior

Joy or Merriment

Celebrations (if out of hand, becomes mob behavior)

Deindividuation

Lose sense of individuality

Decreased situational awareness

Decreased concern about how others view the behavior

Fad

Short-lived trend

Craze

Intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something

Fashion

Prevailing style or custom

Mass Hysteria

Collective obsessive behavior fuelled by intense fear

Rumors

Unverified or inaccurate information

Urban Myths

Modern folklore or fictional stories with macabre details

Popular Opinion

Reflects the beliefs of the public (can be influenced by the media)

Propaganda

Manipulate public opinion to change beliefs

Name Calling

Political ads using negative connotations to attack an opponent

Glittering Generalities

Associating an idea with vague description

Transfer

Associate one idea with an already established idea

Testimonial

Celebrity endorsement of a product

Bandwagon

“Everyone” supports the idea and so should you

Mass Media

Influence Public Opinion

Social Movements

Collective efforts to bring about social or political change

Ideology

Unifying beliefs

Organization

Structure, leaders, active participants

Goals and Tactics

Clearly defined goals and tactics

Activism

Assertive action that supports or opposes a controversial issue

Civil Disobedience

Nonviolent protest where an individual deliberately and publically disobeys a law which they believe is unjust

Expressive Social Movements

Aimed at individuals to change behavior

Progressive Social Movements

Make positive change in organizations

Regressive/Resistant Social Movements

Prevent change or go back to old ways

Reform Social Movements

Major change without total transformation

Revolutionary Social Movements

Radical shift (often violent)

Utopian Social Movements

Create ideal society

Relative Deprivation Theory

People feel deprived as compared to others

Resource Mobilization Theory

Deprived groups find resources

Emergence stage

Small group agitates

Coalescence stage

More join group and plans are made

Bureaucratization stage

Hierarchical structure with rules