AO1 - Social Change

• Social Change: A change in attitudes, behaviours or laws. These aren't just with individuals but on a large scale, how societies have changed. A historical example of social change is increased rights for women - the suffragette movement in the UK won the campaign for women's right to vote in the 1920's.
• 1. Minority has an idea: must remain consistent by having the same belief between members of the group over a long period of time. They must also show commitment by showing dedication and making personal sacrifices. However they must also be flexible and not completely rigid by showing compromise if they want to change the majority opinion - e.g. the suffragettes
• 2. If the minority remain consistent, committed and flexible then they can change the beliefs of the majority publicly and privately - internalisation, which is the most permanent and deepest level of conformity, it is a cognitive process.
• 3. Once members of the majority move towards the minority, the influence begins to gather momentum as more people pay attention to the idea until the minority eventually become the majority - this is known as the snowball effect.
• 4. When the majority remember the minority idea but forget that the idea came from the minority group, the two become separated - this is known as social crypto amnesia.
• 5. Social change has occurred when there is a change in society's attitudes, behaviours and laws.