Social change

• Define social change.


  Social change refers to when a minority view challenges the majority view and eventually becomes the majority view.

  Examples include changes in recycling habits, the ban of smoking in indoor public places, votes for women etc.
• Outline the role of social influence processes in social change.


  Firstly, the minority must show commitment to their belief by placing themselves at risk or inconvenience. This will cause the majority to start paying attention to their cause.

  The minority will then need to display consistency by repeating the same messages overtime e.g. holding regular protests. This will cause the majority to consider their arguments more carefully.
• Outline the role of social influence processes in social change.


  However, the minority will need to be flexible in that they may have to agree to a compromise with the majority. This is because being too rigid will put the majority off listening to them.

  If the minority are effective in their displays of commitment, consistency and flexibility, the snowball effect will take place. This is when more and more people from the majority start to join the minority to the point it gains momentum and becomes the new majority.
• Outline the role of social influence processes in social change.


  People remaining in the initial majority will then conform to the new majority due to normative social influence (wanting to fit in) or informational social influence (wanting to be right). New laws will also be introduced to make the new majority view more of a social norm and encourage obedience to the new social change.

  Once social change has occurred, social crypto-amnesia happens. This refers to when people remember that a change has happened, but they tend to forget how It happened.