Mechanisms of Cultural Change
Inventions and Innovations
new products and ideas that affect the way people live and think (phones, wifi, sticky notes)
Diffusion (culture change mechanism)
ideas and items are borrowed from other cultures (food, starbucks, fabrics, practices)
Acculturation: cultural change mechanisms
when cultural elements from another culture replace another’s (european culture was replaced indigenous culture in America)
Theory or Cultural Diffusion
when one culture borrows cultural symbols and ideas from another culture therefore changing the original culture (holistic from Asia to Canada, yoga, clothing styles)
Theory of Acculturation
prolonged contact caused interchange of cultural symbols, values, materials etc
- transitioning from original culture
incorporation: theory of acculturation
- free borrowing of culture (food, dress of culture they enter, values) and interest of host country (immigration to Canada can choose to a large extent
direct change: theory of acculturation
when one culture defeats or takes over another and forces it to change aspects of its culture (native americans and explores/missionaries
common historically
Accumulation model: sociological theories of change
- growth in knowledge from generation to generation allowed society to change (tolerance/racism)
- humans gather increasing amounts of knowledge and technology which leads to change
diffusion of innovation model: sociological theories of social change
- innovation (technology, belief, fashion)
- spread of an innovation affected by who adopts it
- more likely to spread if adopted by young urban, educated people (recycling,phones, tattoos
Macro sociology and social change
the stuff of the larger organization, communities and societies where people live
- looks at the big picture and identifies large scale patterns and trends
- how rural society differs form an urban society
Micro sociology and social change
the study of small groups and individuals within a society
- how change occurs depends on the social and environment stimuli that surround the person
- attitudes of friends, teachers expectations
sociological theories of change
cognitive consistency
to see out stimuli that are consistent with their beliefs, attitudes and limit exporters to those that are inconsistent
- watching news channels that support your views
- staying with people that think the same way you do
sociological theories of social change
cognitive dissonance
having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes
people are motivated to reduce discomfort they feel when their behaviour doesn’t match their attitudes
- cheat on tests but believe in fairness and honesty
factors that effect social change
3 conditions that lead to social change
- leadership
- role of elites
- populace ready for change
3 impediments for social change
- traditional cultural
—> holding old ways of thinking make change difficult (women equality, religious equality - the expense
—> largely supported by society but the increase in taxes are not (universal daycare, pharmacy)
Psychological theories of change
Behaviour modification 6 staged
- pre-contemplation
- contemplation
- preparation
- action
- maintenance
- relapse
adapting to social change
conformity
indirect and direct social pressure- confirm to the group on our own to feel belonging or we may be forced by strict rules and sanctions (putting up your hands in class)
conformity
informational influence
- human desire to accept information that another admire person tells us is valid (parents, teachers, employers, friends)
conformity
normative influence
the pressure to conform to positive expectations of others
(do what your friends want)
alienation
estrangement from society: feeling of being an outsider
- some are slow to social change and others have difficulty adapting and left behind (technology, discrimination)
- some join groups of other alienated people (gangs)
