Social Changes
What is Social Change?
• Is the transformation of the major aspects
of culture and society– changes in beliefs,
values, customs, behavior, social
relations, material culture, stratification
and anything else of importance
• It is inevitable everywhere and at all times
• It took place far more slowly than it does
today (societies and cultures tend to be far
more stable)
(example)
TASADAY
• - tiny band of people during the 1970’s
• Was discovered in the Philippine rain forest
• They follow a way of life similar to stone age
people who lived hundred thousand years
ago
• They were almost untouched by social
change because the process of social
change was slow before the discovery
(another example)
The artic transportation was traditionally
primitive, and fairly cheap. Centuries back, people
in that place struggled over long stretches of
snow-and-ice-bound land on foot, or in skis.
The snowmobile was invented in the late
1950’s. This machine became popular and the
Artic people who could afford to have one used
them to herd reindeers. The snowmobile was a
great blessing to the people who had to travel
long distances.
The snow mobile had far reaching
economic and social effects on northern regions.
It generated a large amount of productive activity.
It had also tremendous social impact.
There was then a growing gap between the
“haves” and “have nots”. The use of
snowmobiles have made the poor even
poorer. The introduction of snowmobiles
forced all but the wealthiest reindeer-herders
out of business. Definitely, the poor families
couldn’t compete with machines. The result
was greater stratification by wealth.
The snowmobiles in short is typical of
many technological advances. It has
produced not only in the people who used
it but in their surroundings
as well.
SOCIAL CHANGE in
general can be defined as the
alteration in patterns of social
organization over time.
To sum it up, change in
social organization has been
universal. Therefore, this has
become a subject in the study
of the sociologists.
SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGES
1. In varying degrees,
all people value
consistency, and
tend to accept only
those innovations
that are compatible
with established
norms, values and
beliefs
• For example, the
Moslem women
2. The attitude toward change
in culture or the innovators in
their own culture influence
acceptance or rejection
• McDonald chicken and hamburgers are
becoming the favorites of some Filipinos
because they were introduced by the
Americans and because of the so-called
colonial mentality.
3. An innovation may or
may not fill a gap in
another culture.
Filipinos show little
interest in potatoes
because they already
have rice, a starchy
food.
4. The rationality and
desirability of a change maybe
obvious, but the inconvenience
and irritation of the shift block
change.
• The color coding and the odd-even
scheme introduced by the
transportation agency may have
certain advantages but resistance is
felt from several sectors because of
the inconvenience they can bring
about.