Rohall 3e ppt ch11

2. Background to Collective Behavior Collective behavior is action of people in groups or crowds, usually as a reaction to an event or to express a common sentiment This behavior typically includes situations in which individuals act differently in group contexts than they would otherwise Collective behavior can take the form of protests, riots, or panics, among other things 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Differentiating Collective Behavior, Action, and Social Movements Sociologists have historically used the expression collective behavior to refer to most collective events By the 1980s, sociologists generally began to use the term collective action to reflect the seemingly purposive nature of peoples behavior Another concept related to collective behavior and action is social movements, collective action designed to produce new social orders 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. SI: Constructing Collective Behavior Some of the earliest work in collective behavior emphasized the emotional side of large crowds with examples from the French Revolution Interactionists emphasize both emotional and rational ways that collective events are constructed 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. SI: Mass Hysteria Theory Gustave LeBon probed the workings of crowds and wrote that all crowds exert an inherently negative influence on people This thinking is the basis of mass hysteria theory in which individuals in crowds lose their ability to think and act rationally LeBon describes groups influence on their members as a rapidly transmitted, contagious mental unity, a sense of a shared emotional bond that emerges whenever people interact in a group 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. SI: Ingredients of Contagion The three main ingredients that lead to contagion include: Intensity of behavior Homogeneity of mood and action Irrational behavior With these three ingredients, the crowd is unable to sustain focus and moves rapidly from one object or idea to another, making it easy to produce almost any behavior 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. SI: Circular Reaction Herbert Blumer proposed that remarkable events dispose people to gather together and then to anxiously move about in a seemingly aimless and random fashion, a process called milling Intense milling can transform human interaction as people enter an interpretive phase If the interpretive phase of interaction is interrupted, people become suggestible and irrational, producing a circular reaction 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. SI: Collective Identity Collective identity refers to an individuals sense of connection with a larger community or group Collective identity is important in every stage of collective behavior Movements may emerge because individuals from varying backgrounds develop a sense of connection resulting from shared frustration over an issue 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. SI: Collective Identity Blumer went on to create a more elaborate classification of of crowds Acting crowds develop a focus, or goal, and act with unity to achieve the goal. An expressive crowd lacks a goal and is primarily just a setting for tension release A public is an aggregate of people who are concerned with a specific issue. A mass is composed of anonymous individuals from many social strata which is only loosely organized 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. SI: Rational Choice in Collective Behavior Most sociological studies or accounts of mass hysteria turn out to be reports of events that were first identified as hysteria by police, firefighters, and others Only a small minority of participants in collective events typically report any hysterical symptoms As a result, other perspectives and theories have emphasized the rational behaviors among group members 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. SI: Emergent Norm Theory The emergent norm theory of collective behavior focuses on how individuals come to accept the restraints imposed by a group during an event This perspective also assumes that individuals enter groups with unique attitudes and perspectives, a feature of the crowd called differential expression Individuals may change their attitudes over time but this is a relatively rational process 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. SI: Types of Event Participants Behavior in collective events, depends, in part, on the type of participants at the event There are several different types of participants involved in most collective events: Ego-involved participant has a strong personal commitment to the issue Concerned participant has some concern over goal but no personally commitment Insecure participant seeking direction from the 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. group Curiosity seeker motivated by curiosity

14. SI: Value-Added Theory Another major theoretical perspective in the study of collective behavior is value-added theory From this perspective, there are different types of collective behavior and several social structural determinants of collective behavior. To fully understand the causes of an event, according to value-added theory, you need to distinguish the types of collective behavior. 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Types of Collective Behavior Value-added theory describes five types of collective behavior: Panic: when large groups are overwhelmed with a common fear Craze: when large groups become obsessed with a product, behavior, or idea. Hostile outbursts: any type of mass violence or killings Norm-oriented social movements: movements to change the way things are regulated in society Value-oriented social movements: attempts to change the social order of society 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. SI: Determinants of Collective Behavior According to value-added theory, there are five determinants of collective behavior: Structural conduciveness Structural strain Generalized belief Mobilization for action Action of social control Each determinant of collective behavior must be present for collective action to take place 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. SI: Perception Control Theory Perception control theory is based on the premise that people must be able to monitor and interpret one anothers behavior for collective action to occur There are three sources of perception control input: Independent instructions Interdependent instruction Organizational instruction Each form of instruction occurs naturally in different types and stages of collective behavior 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. SSP: The Structure of Crowds and Social Movements From a social structure and personality perspective, society provides the strains, resources, and limitations that help or limit individuals ability to change the system through social movements Researchers also examine individuals behaviors during collective events 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

19. SSP: Resource Mobilization Theory According to resource mobilization theory, movements are a product of the interaction between the social conditions that lead people to want change and resources available to make changes This theory emphasizes how groups, not individuals, interact to produce social movements in society Individuals may formalize groups to bring about social change; these groups are referred to as social movement organizations 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

20. SSP: Political Process Theory The political process theory examines the interaction of competing interests and opportunity structures in groups decisions and ability to produce social change A group may want to produce some change in society but must compete with other groups with dissimilar interests Under this schema, researchers must incorporate the multiple social conditions and groups that can influence the development of social movements 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

21. SSP: Phases of Collective Behavior Research in social movements has developed to the point where we can divide social processes into phases: Assembling phase - a time when people come together into the same place at the same time Gathering phase - behaviors occurring during an event Dispersal phase - behaviors leading to the end of a social movement gathering 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

22. SSP: The Assembling Phase The assembling phase refers to the factors that bring people together into the same place at the same time Research shows that most people learn about social movements from their friends, family, and acquaintances Generally, people who have no other obligations and have easy access to the site of the meeting are more likely to participate 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

23. SSP: The Gathering Phase Most large gatherings are comprised of small clusters of friends and family Individuals tend to form lines to access various services or events Other behaviors include the development of an arc or ring around performers or speakers and the use of certain noises and gestures Symbols are very important to such gatherings 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

24. SSP: The Dispersal Phase There are different ways in which people leave a gathering: Routine dispersals - in which participants leave a gathering in a rational, orderly fashion Coerced dispersals - situations in which a third party attempts to break up a group Emergency dispersals - occur during emergency situations such as fires or explosions Research shows that people rarely act without reason, even during emergency dispersals 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

26. SSP: Size and Media Coverage of Events Researchers over the last 30 years have tried to assess the size and scope of social movements Most protests and marches are small in nature Most do not involve civil disobedience Smaller protests are least likely to be reported, even though they represent the majority of them 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

27. SSP: Collective Memory Collective behavior can be caused by or provoke intense feelings and beliefs Collective memory refers to a shared belief about a person, an event or interaction, or an object Social psychologists study how we develop collective memories in a similar manner as collective behavior, examining the conditions that produce spontaneous thoughts or feelings at the same time 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

28. GP: Group Processes and Collective Behavior Scholars in sociologys group processes tradition are particularly interested in collective action in terms of how it relates to structural power From this perspective, collective action has the ability to mitigate power differences that are based in structural positions 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

30. GP: Coalitions People and groups can collectively work together to limit the power of other people are or groups A coalition is an alliance of actors (i.e., people, organizations) formed for the purpose of achieving some goal Research in the group processes tradition indicates that people will be likely to form coalitions when they are faced with large power disparities, and also that these coalitions can be successful 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

32. GP: The Power and Weaknesses of Coalitions The biggest limitation to successful coalitions is the free-rider problem, when some actors can reap the benefits of a group effort without incurring the costs A social dilemma is a situation whereby if every person acts in his or her own best interests, the results will be bad for the group These dynamics are important to social movements because they help explain the success of collective action 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

33. Chapter 11: Bringing It All Together The study of collective behavior includes a myriad of approaches to explaining individuals behavior in large groups Interactionists emphasize the transformative power of crowds The social structure and personality approach emphasizes the structural conditions that influence collective behavior Group processes scholars study the development and success of coalitions 2014, 2011, 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.