Social change

Social change involves alteration of the social order of

Contents
Definition
Prominent theories
Current social changes.
Global demographic shifts
Gendered patterns of work and care A set of social changes proposed for climate
change mitigation.
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Definition
Social change may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea
that society moves forward by evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-
economic structure, for instance a shift away from feudalism and towards capitalism.

Social Development refers to how people develop social and emotional skills across the lifespan, with
particular attention to childhood and adolescence. Healthy social development allows us to form positive
relationships with family, friends, teachers, and other people in our lives.[1]

Accordingly, it may also refer to social revolution, such as the Socialist revolution presented in Marxism, or
to other social movements, such as Women's suffrage or the Civil rights movement. Social change may be
driven through cultural, religious, economic, scientific or technological forces.

Prominent theories
Change comes from two sources. One source is random or unique factors such as climate, weather, or the
presence of specific groups of people. Another source is systematic factors. For example, successful
development has the same general requirements, such as a stable and flexible government, enough free and
available resources, and a diverse social organization of society. On the whole, social change is usually a
combination of systematic factors along with some random or unique factors.[2]

There are many theories of social change. Generally, a theory of change should include elements such as
structural aspects of change (like population shifts), processes and mechanisms of social change, and
directions of change.[3]
 Hegelian: The classic Hegelian dialectic model of change is based on the interaction of
opposing forces. Starting from a point of momentary stasis, Thesis countered by Antithesis first
yields conflict, then it subsequently results in a new Synthesis.
Marxist: Marxism presents a dialectical and materialist concept of history; Humankind's history
is a fundamental "struggle between social classes".
Kuhnian: The philosopher of science, Thomas Kuhn argues in The Structure of Scientific
Revolutions with respect to the Copernican Revolution that people are likely to continue
utilizing an apparently unworkable paradigm until a better paradigm is commonly accepted .
Heraclitan: The Greek philosopher Heraclitus used the metaphor of a river to speak of change
thus, "On those stepping into rivers staying the same other and other waters flow" (DK22B12).
What Heraclitus seems to be suggesting here, later interpretations notwithstanding, is that, in
order for the river to remain the river, change must constantly be taking place. Thus one may
think of the Heraclitan model as parallel to that of a living organism, which, in order to remain
alive, must constantly be changing. A contemporary application of this approach is shown in
the social change theory SEED-SCALE which builds off of the complexity theory subfield of
Emergence.
Daoist: The Chinese philosophical work Dao De Jing, I.8 and II.78 uses the metaphor of water
as the ideal agent of change. Water, although soft and yielding, will eventually wear away
stone. Change in this model is to be natural, harmonious and steady, albeit imperceptible.
Four Levels of Action: Will Grant of the Pachamama Alliance describes "Four Levels of
Action" for change:

1. Individual
2. Friends and family
3. Community and institutions
4. Economy and policy

Grant suggests that individuals can have the largest personal impact by focusing on levels 2 and 3.[4][5]

Current social changes.

Global demographic shifts

One of the most obvious changes currently occurring is the change in the relative global population
distribution between countries. In recent decades, developing countries became a larger proportion of the
world population, increasing from 68% in 1950 to 82% in 2010, while the population of the developed
countries has declined from 32% of the total world population in 1950 to 18% in 2010. China and India
continue to be the largest countries, followed by the US as a distant third. However, population growth
throughout the world is slowing. Population growth among developed countries has been slowing since the
1950s and is now at 0.3% annual growth. Population growth among the less developed countries excluding
the least developed has also been slowing, since 1960, and is now at 1.3% annual growth. Population growth
among the least developed countries has slowed relatively little, and is the highest at 2.7% annual growth.[6]

Gendered patterns of work and care

In much of the developed world, changes from distinct men's work and women's work to more gender equal
patterns have been economically important since the mid-20th century. Both men and women are considered
to be great contributors[7] to social change worldwide.[8]
See also
Activism Reformism
Accelerating change Reform movement
Alternative movement Secularisation
Comparative historical research Social conservatism
Constitutional economics Social decline
Degeneration Social development theory
Globalization Social disintegration
Global social change research project Social movements
Historical sociology Social progress
Idea of Progress Social relations
Industrialisation Social revolution
Lifestyle (sociology) Societal collapse
Modernisation Sociocultural evolution
Revolution Transformation of culture

References
1. "Social development" (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B97800804489470047
47).
2. Gene Shackman, Ya-Lin Liu and George (Xun) Wang. "Why does a society develop the way it
does?." (http://gsociology.icaap.org/report/summary2.htm) 2002.
3. Haferkamp, Hans, and Neil J. Smelser, editors. "Social Change and Modernity." (http://ark.cdli
b.org/ark:/13030/ft6000078s/) Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1991.
4. Will Grant Four Levels of Action (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uXGPXsd8dNhGcGM26aEaN
gQY77eWUlJU/view?usp=embed_facebook), retrieved 2019-09-28
5. "The Drawdown Project to Reverse Global Warming — Educational Resources" (https://atlanti
c2.sierraclub.org/content/drawdown-project-reverse-global-warming-%E2%80%94-educational
-resources). Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. April 29, 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
6. Shackman, Gene, Xun Wang and Ya-Lin Liu. 2011. "Brief review of world population trends -
Population." (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1966739). Retrieved May
2013.
7. Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura), 118
8. Bjørnholt, M. (2014). "Changing men, changing times; fathers and sons from an experimental
gender equality study" (http://www.margunnbjornholt.no/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Changing
-men-changing-times-fathers-and-sons-from-an-experimental-gender-equality-study.pdf)
(PDF). The Sociological Review. 62 (2): 295–315. doi:10.1111/1467-954X.12156 (https://doi.or
g/10.1111%2F1467-954X.12156).

Further reading
Eisenstadt, SN (1973). Tradition, Change, and Modernity (https://books.google.co.nz/books/ab
out/Tradition_Change_and_Modernity.html?id=WZ_ZAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y). Krieger
Publishing.
Giddens, Anthony (2006). Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Haralambos, Michael and Holborn, Martin (2008). Sociology: Themes and Perspectives.
London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0007245955
 Harper, CL (1993). Exploring Social Change. New Jersey: Engelwood Cliffs.
Oesterdiekhoff, Georg W. (2014). "The Role of Developmental Psychology to Understanding
History, Culture and Social Change". Journal of Social Sciences. 10 (4): 185–195.
doi:10.3844/jssp.2014.185.195 (https://doi.org/10.3844%2Fjssp.2014.185.195).
Polanyi, Karl. (1944). The Great Transformation. New York: Farrar & Rinehart.
Tilly, Charles. (1988). "Misreading, then Rereading, Nineteenth-Century Social Change."
Pp. 332–58 in Social Structures: A Network Approach, eds. Barry Wellman and S.D.
Berkowitz. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tilly, Charles. (2004). Social Movements, 1768-2004. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.
ISBN 1-59451-043-1.
Vago, Steven. (1999). Social Change, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-
13-679416-5.

External links
Understanding The World Today (http://gsociology.icaap.org) – Reports about global social,
political, economic, demographic and technological change.
Social Change Collection (http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/sc
hange) from Georgia State University

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