Principles Chapter 20

• Collective Behavior is voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant-group norms and values.
• Brings about social change/alteration
• Factors that contribute to collective behavior: (1) structural factors that increase the chances of people responding in a particular way, (2) timing, and (3) a breakdown in social control mechanisms and a corresponding feeling of normlessness.

• Crowd is a relatively large number of people who are in one another�s immediate vicinity.
• Casual Crowd is a relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time; if they interact at all, it is only briefly.
• Conventional Crowd is made up of people who come together for a scheduled event and thus share a common focus.
• Expressive Crowd provide opportunities for the expression of some strong emotion.
• Acting Crowd collectivities so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior.
• Protest Crowds
• Mass is a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another�s immediate vicinity.

• 1) Preliminary (volunteers), widespread unrest is present as people being to become aware of a problem
• 2) Coalescence (volunteers), people begin to organize and to publicize the problem
• 3) Institutionalization, an organizational structure develops, and a paid staff beings to lead the group

• Mass is a number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another�s immediate vicinity.
• Rumor is an unsubstantiated report on an issue or subject
• Gossip is rumors about the personal lives of individuals.
• Mass Hysteria and Panic: Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat.
• Fads and Fashions: A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people; Fashion is defined as a currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance.
• Public Opinion is the attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision makers.
• Propaganda is information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one.

• Rumor is an unsubstantiated report on an issue or subject
• Gossip is rumors about the personal lives of individuals.
• Fads and Fashions: A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people; Fashion is defined as a currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance.

• A variety of resources (money, members, access to media, and material goods such as equipment) are necessary for a social movement; people participate only when they feel the movement has access to these resources.
• Resource mobilization theory asserts that successful social movements can occur only when they gain the support of political and economic elites, who provide access to the resources necessary to maintain the movement.

• Based on the assumptions that social movements are an interactive, symbolically defined, and negotiated process involving participants, opponents, and bystanders, frame analysis is used to determine how people assign meaning to activities and processes in social movements.
• Research based on frame analysis often highlights the social construction of grievances through the process of social interaction. Various types of framing occur as problems are identified, remedies are sought, and people feel compelled to take action.

• The focus is on sources of social movements, including politics, ideology, and culture. Race, class, gender, sexuality, and other sources of identity are also factors in movements such as ecofeminism and environmental justice.
• New social movement theory has been used in research that looks at technological disasters and causes of the environmental racism.

• Mob is a highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in, violence against a specific target - a person, a category of people, or physical property.
• Riot is a violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated emotions but is not directed at one specific target.
• Panic 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.

• Contagion Theory focuses on the social-psychological aspects of collective behavior; it attempts to explain how moods, attitudes, and behavior are communicated rapidly and why they are accepted by others.
• Social Unrest and Circular Reaction: social unrest is transmitted by a process of circular reaction - the interactive communication between persons such that the discontent of one person is communicated to another, who, in turn, reflects the discontent back to the first person.
• Convergence Theory focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs that many people may bring to crowd behavior.
• Emergent Norm Theory emphasizes the importance of social norms in shaping crowd behavior.

• Relative deprivation theory asserts that if people are discontented when they compare their accomplishments with those of others similarly situated, they are more likely to join a social movement than are people who are relatively content with their status.
• People are discontent when they compare their achievements with those of others consider themselves relatively deprived and join social movements in order to get what they view as their "fair share," especially when there is an upswing in the economy followed by a decline.
• According to value-added theory, six conditions are required for a social movement: (1)structural conduciveness: a perceived problem, (2) structural strain: a perception that the authorities are not resolving the problem, (3) a spread of the belief to an adequate number of people, (4) a precipitating incident or events that reinforce the belief, (5) mobilization of other people by leaders, and (6) social control factors: a lack of social control.

A social movement is an organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action. Reform, revolutionary, religious, and alternative movements are major types identified by sociologists. Reform movements seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure. Revolutionary movements seek to bring about a total change in society - sometimes by the use of terrorism. Religious movements seek to produce radical change in individuals by way of spiritual or supernatural belief systems. Alternative movements seek limited change to some aspect of people�s behavior. Resistance movements seek to prevent change or to undo change that has already occurred.

The alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time.

Voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant-group norms and values.

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

A relatively large gatherings of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time; if they interact at all, it is only briefly.

Made up of people who come together for a scheduled event and thus share a common focus.

Provide opportunities for the expression of some strong emotion.

Collectivities so intensely focused on a specific purpose or object that they may erupt into violent or destructive behavior.

A number of people who share an interest in a specific idea or issue but who are not in one another�s immediate vicinity.

A highly emotional crowd whose members engage in, or are ready to engage in, violence against a specific target � a person, a category of people, or physical property.

Violent crowd behavior that is fueled by deep-seated emotions but is not directed at one specific target.

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.

Engage in activities intended to achieve specific political goals.

Nonviolent action that seeks to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it.

Focuses on the social-psychological aspects of collective behavior; it attempts to explain how moods, attitudes, and behavior are communicated rapidly and why they are accepted by others.

Social unrest is transmitted by a process of circular reaction - the interactive communication between persons such that the discontent of one person is communicated to another, who, in turn, reflects the discontent back to the first person.

Focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs that many people may bring to crowd behavior.

Emphasizes the importance of social norms in shaping crowd behavior.

Collective behavior that takes place when people (who often are geographically separated from one another) respond to the same event in much the same way.

An unsubstantiated report on an issue or subject

Rumors about the personal lives of individuals.

Mass hysteria is a form of dispersed collective behavior that occurs when a large number of people react with strong emotions and self-destructive behavior to a real or perceived threat.

• A fad is a temporary but widely copied activity enthusiastically followed by large numbers of people.
• Fashion is defined as a currently valued style of behavior, thinking, or appearance.

The attitudes and beliefs communicated by ordinary citizens to decision makers.

Information provided by individuals or groups that have a vested interest in furthering their own cause or damaging an opposing one.

An organized group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action.

Seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure.

Movements seeking to bring about a total change in society.

Social movements that seek to produce radical change in individuals are typically based on spiritual or supernatural belief systems.

Movements that seek limited change in some aspect of people's behavior.

Seek to prevent change or to undo change that has already occurred.

The belief that a disproportionate number of hazardous facilities (including industries such as waste disposal/treatment and chemical plants) are placed in low-income areas populated primarily by people of color.