Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

• Disaster behavior: following natural disasters, normal activities are disrupted and heterogeneous groups develop in the face of the chaotic aftermath. Disaster behavior is usually positive and acts as an aid. Prolonged exposure to disaster, however, can leave a lasting negative effect on a community. Communication is a necessary part of mass behavior. Some forms of communication can be viewed as basic types of collective behaviors in their own rights. Some of the types of mass communication are: • Rumor: An unconfirmed piece of information passed from one person to another (and another and so on). When people are uninformed or suspect the information of being suspect, rumors are more likely to be generated. Rumors are usually not true and are far easier to start than to stop. • Gossip: Non-essential discussion of another’s personal lives and actions. • Mass media: The strongest force shaping public opinion, these forms of media (newspaper, television, internet, and radio) aim to reach as much of the population as possible. • Urban legends: Realistic but untrue stories that often have a twist or irony concerning a recent event(s). These are collective responses to uncertain situations and usually provide a lesson or warning. 7.3 Social Movements Another form of collective behavior is a social movement, a large group of people joined together to bring about or resist a social or cultural change. Examples include the women’s rights movement and the environmental movement. These organized and goal-directed efforts are usually enduring and have been the source of major social change. While collective behavior is more unstructured and spontaneous, social movements are deliberate and organized; they are more likely to occur in industrial countries rather than preindustrial. The most common types of social movement include: • Reform movements: Seek to improve society; they are the most common and are generally accepted by society. • Revolutionary movements: Seek to overthrow or replace an existing social structure; they develop when participants are dissatisfied with the government’s inattention or rejection. o Few revolutionary movements have been successful; those that have been have brought great change and influenced societies across the globe. • Resistance (regressive) movements: Seek to reverse or resist change and revert society to more traditional values. • Expressive (utopian) movements: seek to create “perfect societies” by separating from the larger society and establishing a community that promises to meet every need. • Millenarian (religious) movements: seek to disrupt religious or spiritual practices.

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