Sociology exam 3 (Collective Action, social movements, and Social change)

Collective Action, social movements, and Social change

Collective action

action that takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situations

Convergence Theory

theory of collective action stating that collective action happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place.

Contagion Theory

theory of collective action claiming that collective action arises because of people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of others with whom they are in close contact

Emergent Norm Theory

theory of collective action emphasizing the influence of keynoters in promoting new behavioral norms.

Social movements

collective behavior that is purposeful and organized (but not ritualized) and that seeks to challenge one or more aspects of society through institutional and extra-intuitional means

Alternative Social Movements

Social movements that seek the most limited societal change and often target a narrow group of people

Redemptive social movements

social movements that target specific groups but advocate for more radical change in behavior

Reformative social movements

social movements that advocate for limited social change across an entire society

Revolutionary Social Movements 

social movements that advocate the radical reorganization of society

Classical Model 

model of social movements based on concepts of structural weakness in society that results in the psychological disruption of individuals

Resources Mobilization

Theory 

model of social movements that emphasizes political context and goals but also states that social movements are unlikely to emerge without the necessary resources 

Political process model

model of social movements focuses on the structure of political opportunities. When these are favorable to a particular challenger, the chances are better for the success of a social movement led by this challenger.

Emergence

the first stage of a social movement, occurring when the social problem being addressed is first identified

Coalescence 

the second stage of a social movement, in which resources are mobilized around the problems outlined in the first stage

Routinization or Institutionalization 

the final stage of a social movement, in which it is institutionalized and a formal structure develops to promote the cause

Social movement and organization

a group developed to recruit new members and coordinate participation in a particular social movement; these groups also often raise money, clarify goals, and structure participation in movements