Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

• Types of crowds: o Casual crowd: A loosely structured, usually passive group with little emotional interaction. Members enter and leave at will. o Conventional crowd: More structured with more predictable behavior. Members choose to bea part. o Expressive crowd: Structured around a celebration or event and allows expressive emotions. o Solidaristic crowds: Members have a strong sense of unity or agreement. o Acting crowds: An expressive crowd turned angry and hostile. • Two types of acting crowds: o Mobs: Threatens violence or is violent toward a single target. o Riots: Violent and angry toward multiple, changing, targets and includes looting, property damage, and assault. • Types of mass behavior: o Fashion: A temporarily popular style of dress or behavior that departs from what is customary. o Fad: A temporary fascination followed by a large number of people. o Craze: An intense fad that leaves lasting consequences and becomes part of the culture when it ends. o Panic: A collective behavior of those facing an incoming threat; fear, spontaneity, and lack of coordination are hallmarks of panic actions. o Mass hysteria: A widespread anxiety that is caused by an irrational belief and results in irrational behavior. o Disaster behavior: Following natural disasters, normal activities are disrupted and heterogeneous groups develop in the face of the chaotic aftermath. • Types of mass communication: o Rumor: An unconfirmed piece of information passed from one person to another (and another and so on). o Gossip: Non-essential discussion of another’s personal lives and actions. o 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. o Urban legends: Realistic but untrue stories that often have a twist or irony concerning a recent event(s). • Common types of social movements: o Reform movements: Seek to improve society; they are the most common and aregenerally accepted by society. o Revolutionary movements: Seek to overthrow or replace an existing social structure; they develop when participants are dissatisfied with the government’s inattention or rejection.  Few revolutionary movements have been successful; those that have been have brought great change and influenced societies across the globe.

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