Causes of Social Change

1.Technological and Economic Changes-

a) Agricultural advancements:

  Examples include irrigation, change in plow system,  establishing agricultural industry that develop the surplus food which lead to population growth and urbanization. People were able to work outside of the farm.

b) Industrialization :

     The process of changing from a manual labor force to a technology driven labor force in which machines play a large role.

  2. Modernization: 

  The process of moving from an agrarian to industrial society.

  Characteristics of modern societies

  ▶Larger role of government in society and bureaucracy to run governments,

  ▶Large, formal organizations and division of labor based on specialization of skills and abilities into occupations.

    3. Urbanization:  

  When large populations live in urban areas rather than rural areas known as urbanization. Usually results from economic opportunities: either people move to a city for jobs, or rural areas become the sites of large businesses which lead to population growth.

  4. Bureaucratization: 

  By which most formal organizations in a society (businesses, government, non-profits) run their organizations via the use of extreme rational and impersonal thinking, an extreme division of labor, and record keeping.

5. Conflict and Competition :

  These also play an important role to social change. For examples: War due to religion, ethnic tensions, competition for resources, gender and women’s movement like for equal payment and property. Race and Civil Rights Movement, collective political power, homosexuality becoming more available, but still denied civil and human rights. But Positive Outcomes are like solidarity, safety notions, positively  social development, welfare activities are enhancing .

6. Diffusion:

  Population in the world are adopting  new goods and services from anywhere he or she stays. Much of the materialist products are being applied to following the  marketing policy (celebrities campaigns in drinking milk, cold drinks), public health (birth control in less developed countries) etc.

7. Acculturation

  Examples: Asian Americans, American Indians are being eliminated through the dominancy of white American people. People can prevent social change by preventing acculturation,

Conflict Approach to Social Change  According to conflict approach

1. Every society is  subjected  at  every moment  to change, hence social change is ever present

2. Every society experiences  at every moment  social conflict, hence social conflict is ever present.

3. Every element in society contributes to change

4. Every society rests on  constraint of some of  its members  by others

( see detail in conflict perspective at unit II)