Emergent Rule-Breaking Theory

The emergent norm theory “rejects the premise that individuals become irrational in crowd situations due to the invasive power of irrationality” (Davetian). They focus, however, on the conditions that bring about collective behaviour, basing their theoretical arguments on four basic premises. The first premise being that “collective behaviour is facilitated by situations in which there is uncertainty and confusion. Imitative behaviour follows due to the need for specificity, certainty, and consensus” (Davetian). Second, when one member initiates an action, other members observe to see if there is opposition to the behaviour, if there is no opposing reaction, they conclude the behaviour is acceptable. Normalization of the behaviour then occurs and encourages individuals to engage in norm-breaking behaviour. In terms of the Greek riot then, that small deviant group of youth would have initiated the rule-breaking behaviour and because there was no opposing reaction, others deemed it was appropriate to react to the shooting in rule-breaking behaviour. The third premise is since people tend to conform to the norms of their …show more content…
They are based on the premise that collective behaviour served a function in society because of its ability to be observed throughout history. Concluding that collective behaviour helps decrease accumulated strain in a society, stating that collective action is not only necessary but also functional for the maintenance of a balanced culture (Davetian). Neil Smelser, the first to propose the value-added theory, saw social movement as a side-effect of rapid social change. His theory is based on the recognition that tension decreases if a means is found for episodic and manageable events that drain off the excessive