Question

Define collective behavior from a sociological perspective and explain the relationship between collective behavior and social change.

Answer 1

COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR:

Collective behavior is a term sociologists use to refer to a miscellaneous set of behaviors in which large number of people engage.It is a voluntary activity engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant group norms and values.common forms of collective behavior includes

1. crowds
2. mobs
3. panics
4. riots
5. disaster behavior
6. rumors
7. mass hysteria
8. moral panics
9. fads and crazes

social change is the alteration ,modification,or transformation of public policy culture or social institutions over time such change is usually brought about by collective behavior.collective behavior can actually change elements of society.In sociology collective behavior is grouped by four terms

• the crowd
• the public
• the mass
• social movement

ACTIONS THAT CREATE SOCIAL CHANGE includes

1.community organizing

2.advocacy

3.social entrepreneurship

4.protests and demonstrations

5.community building

6.philanthropy

7.community and economic development

8.voting and formal political activities

9.informal associations

10.socially responsible daily behavior

11.community based participatory research

collective behavior can cause changes in social behavior or social changes may occur.it includes alterations of social order of a society.it may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socioeconomic structure for instance a shift away from feudalism towards capitalism.usually change comes from 2 sources .one source is random or unique sources or factors such as climate, weather ,or the presence of specific group of people,other source is systematic factors.which means successful development has the same general requirement such as stable and flexible government enough free and available resources and a diverse social organization of society.on the whole ,social change is usually a combination of systematic factors along with some random or unique factors.