COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR

AND CHANGE
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
 COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR

Collective behavior is a concept wherein a large number of people, who

interact little, make a unified action in the absence of conversational forms and
standards. The action of this collective behavior greatly influences other people to join
them or to give them what they want. Sociologist recognize the following collective
behavior:
 Crowd
 Mobs and Riots
 Rumors and Gossip
 Public Opinion
 Fashion and Fads
 Social Movement
 CROWD
It is the temporary gathering of a large number of people who has a common
purpose or goal and its members influence one another. Formal organization is not
needed in a crowd as long as there is a large number of people gathered together for a
common purpose or goal.
Characteristics of Crowds:
 Crowds do not recognize boundaries
 There is equality within the crowd. People lose their status once they join the
crowd.
 Crowds love density. In the crowd, people come together, shoulder to shoulder
and joined their hands in order to accomplish what they want.
 Crowds are always in motions or movement either physical or psychological
movement.
 MOBS AND RIOT

A crowd can act peacefully or violently. Once the crowd acts violently, it is
called a mob or a riot. A mob is a highly emotional crowd which will do anything even
to hurt people and destroy property just to achieve its purpose and goal. A riot, on the
other hand, is a crowd who turned violent without any purpose or goal.
 RUMORS AND GOSSIP

Rumor and gossip is considered as a mass collective behavior. Unlike crowd,

mob and riot, physical proximity is not necessary. A rumor is any information, without
any substantive basis, spread informally by word of mouth. Gossip, on the other hand, is
kind of rumor, however, it only focuses particularly on personal lives and affairs of
other people. Gossip is personal and may be localized while rumor may involve the
entire society.
 PUBLIC OPINION

Public opinion is commonly referred to as all views held by the people or a

community relative to certain matters. It involves beliefs, notions, prejudices and
aspirations. It also has been considered as that sentiment crystallizing the views of the
majority on a certain question at a certain time.
Public opinion starts with two or more persons who sit together and create an
opinion, based on their studies and expertise, regarding a specific matter and spread it
through speeches, writings and conversations. Then, the second phase will start.
Learned and educated people will hear the new opinion and based on their expertise
and knowledge, they will react on it. Their reaction will proceed to the third phase, that
is, people who sometimes know nothing about the subject matter. Theses people will
just believe whatever the secondary phase says.
 FASHION AND FADS

Fashion is a social pattern favored by a large number of people in a certain

period of time. Fashion is transitory. It means that it comes and goes. People can see the
latest fashion through the arts, music, drama, movies, literature, architecture, languages
and even public opinion. However, the most famous genre of fashion is clothing. By
clothing, people can distinguish whether it is in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s.
A fad is another social pattern that is enthusiastically accepted by a large
number or people in a certain period of time. Fads are also crazes. Examples of fad are
the Gangnam Style dance craze in the year 2012 and the Harlem shake and Gwiyomi
action of 2013.
Fads and fashion has similar characteristics. However, fashion deals more in the
fundamental values and social pattern of people that evolve over time while fad is just
passing fancies that capture the people.
 SOCIAL MOVEMENT

Social movement, as differ from other collective behavior, has a sense of

organization and truly affects the society as a whole and continues to exist for many
years.
Examples:
 Movements that aim to change the society:
 Revivals movements of Christian groups
 Peace movement
 Anti-violence against women
 Environmental movement
 DEFINITION AND NATURE SOCIAL CHANGE

Social change is a process wherein cultural and social pattern in the community
undergo alteration and modification in the cultural and social structure or system
through time.
Cultural change and social change are unique and distinct from each other. The
former deals with the changes in the beliefs, customs and practices while the latter
deals with the changes in social institutions, structure and processes.
 CAUSES OF SOCIAL CHANGE

 Development of Language
 Changes in Environment
 Ecological Changes
 Psychological Factor
 Evolution of Political and Religious Principles
 Discoveries
 Invention
 PROCESS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

• People develop new concept, discover new thing and develop new technology
1

• New things will be presented to small group who are interested to know,
2 understand and experience

• Once the group appreciates and the presentation has a positive result, the new
things will now be presented to the mass through any kinds of media that is
3 appropriate to the new thing

• The last phase is mass awareness and information.

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 GLOBALIZATION
Globalization is the process wherein people from different parts of the world
interchange world views, products, ideas, culture and even human resources. It is also
the process of world-wide exchanges of national, social and cultural resources.
Socio-cultural globalization is a type of globalization that involves world-wide
exchanges of social and cultural ideas and products through the following:

1. Exchanges and Presentation of Culture

2. Development of Multilingualism
3. Presentation of Political Programs and Ideas
4. Media and Public Opinion
5. Internet
6. Population Growth through migration and immigration