Psyc 391 Final

Front 1

Collective Behavior

Back 1

voluntary, spontaneous behaviour, engaged by a large number of people and typically violates dominant norms and values

Front 2

What are the Characteristics of Collective Behavior?

Back 2

Limited interaction: short, or non-existent
Unclear norms: no set rules, people make up new social norms as they go along
Limited unity: seldom share sense of group identity, usually involves people who do not necessarily know each other

Front 3

crowds

Back 3

temporary gathering of people

Front 4

conventional crowd

Back 4

gathered for scheduled event, generally act in line with social norms

Front 5

casual crowds

Back 5

people happen to be in the same place at the same time, temporary

Front 6

forms around emotionally charged activities, dominant expression is joy

Back 6

expressive crowd

Front 7

Acting crowd

Back 7

so emotionally focused that it may erupt in violent behaviour, results in violation of established norms

Front 8

political crowds

Back 8

crowds that engage in activities intended to achieve political goals, generally non-violent and contain leadership

Front 9

mobs

Back 9

more violent form of acting crowd
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members united by a specific destructive/violent goal
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usually has group leaders who enforce conformity among group members
•
actions represent challenge to authority

Front 10

riots

Back 10

Erupt in destructive behaviour, less unified/ structured than mobs

Front 11

panics

Back 11

collective behaviour triggered by fear
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Spontaneous, uncoordinated group action to escape perceived threat
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Mutual cooperation breaks down
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Norms that govern behaviour are no longer in place

Front 12

moral panics

Back 12

people become fearful, without reason, about behaviour that appears to threaten society’s core values
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Usually fuelled by mass media (social/moral crisis)
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Public demands action, but rarely lasts long

Front 13

mass hysteria

Back 13

Unfounded anxiety shared by people scattered over a wide geographic area
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Involves irrational beliefs and behaviours spread by the population
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fuelled by the media
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Usually short-lived

Front 14

fashion

Back 14

enthusiastic attachments among large numbers of people for particular styles of appearance or behaviour;
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Mostly related to clothing
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Short-lived and subject to continual change
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e.g. grunge look
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Change = progress, social mobility, new social status and status symbols

Front 15

fads

Back 15

An unconventional object, action, or idea that a large number of people are attached to for a very short period of time

Front 16

rumors

Back 16

unverified piece of information that is spread rapidly from one person to another
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Lack of definite information about a subject of interest
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Content changes as it passes from person to person
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Generally difficult to control and can persist for years

Front 17

urban legends

Back 17

stories that teach a lesson and seem realistic but are untrue
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Arise and spread because of unclear situations
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Seem true because usually include specifics

Front 18

public opinion

Back 18

collection of differing attitudes that members of a group of geographically scattered people have about a particular issue
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short lived, people change views quickly
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e.g. public opinion polls on political candidates, views on equality
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often influenced by propaganda
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e.g. endorsements by famous people, associate a candidate with something the public approves of or respects

Front 19

contagion theory

Back 19

people give up their individuality to the pull of the group
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Crowd behaviour is contagious and breaks down individual restraint
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Collective behaviour is irrational, people will do things they wouldn’t do alone

Front 20

convergence theory

Back 20

Focus on shared emotions, goals and beliefs
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People with similar attributes find collective of like minded people
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Collective behaviour is rational

Front 21

social change

Back 21

Transformation of culture and social institutions

Front 22

social movement

Back 22

An organised group that acts consciously to promote or resist change through collective action
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Improve social conditions

Front 23

what are the distinguishing features of social movements?

Back 23

Long lasting
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Highly structured organisation, with formally recognised leaders
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Deliberate attempt to encourage or block societal change

Front 24

alternative movements

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seek limited change in some aspect of people’s lives

Front 25

redemptive change

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selective focus, seek radical change

Front 26

reform movements

Back 26

seek to improve society by changing an aspect of the social structure, targets all members of society

Front 27

Revolutionary movements

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seek to bring about a total change in society

Front 28

name and describe the stages of social movements

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Emergence: perception that something is wrong
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Coalescence: movement defines itself, goes public
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Bureaucratisation: organising to get things done
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Decline: movement in need of regrouping, time to stop?
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Success
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Organisational problems
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Leadership sells out to other interests
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Repression / forced to stop

Front 29

deprivation theory

Back 29

Social movements arise among people who feel deprived

Front 30

relative deprivation

Back 30

perceived disadvantage arising from a specific comparison to situation of others

Front 31

Resource mobilisation theory

Back 31

Importance of resources in the development and success of social movements
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Knowledge, money, communication facilities
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Members are recruited through social networks
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Commitment to the movement is maintained by building collective identity

Front 32

Structural Strain Theory

Back 32

pre-conditions for emergence of social movements

Front 33

What are the characteristics of stuctural strain theory?

Back 33

Structural conduciveness: people come to realise that their society has problems
2.
Structural strain: people experience deprivation
3.
Growth and spread of a solution: generalised belief of what is wrong and what could be done about it
4.
Catalyst: precipitating factor/incident that sparks collective behaviour
5.
Mobilisation: protest, rallies, and action
6.
Lack of social control: response of the entity that needs changing: repression or giving green light for change

Front 34

The "strength" of an interpersonal tie is combination of:

Back 34

amount of time
•emotional intensity
•mutual confiding
•reciprocity

Front 35

Strong social ties:

Back 35

Social support, peer influence

Front 36

Weak social ties:

Back 36

embeddedness and structure of social networks in society
•transmission of information through these networks

Front 37

social action

Back 37

Working alone and together, people act for the benefit of others, their community, and society
socially validated but not socially mandated

Front 38

What are the motivations for volunteering?

Back 38

Values: Volunteering to satisfy personal values or humanitarian concerns.
Understanding: Volunteering to gain a better understanding of people, or places.
Enhancement: Volunteering to feel better about yourself or escape other pressures.
Personal development: Volunteering to challenge yourself, make new friends, or further your career.
Social: Volunteering allows an individual to strengthen his or her social relationships
Protective: Volunteering to reduce negative feelings, such as guilt or to address personal problems