Running Head: SOCIAL CHANGE RESEARCH PAPER
Table of Contents
4.1. Variants of conflict theory. 5
5.1. Population Growth and demographic transition. 7
Social Change
Abstract
Social change is noted to be a change in the structure, values and characters among other aspects of the society. The change that occurs in the society is noted on the basis of the level through which it has occurred, and the size of the population it has affected. This change in the social change is classified by theorists in varied categories trying to bring about the varied forms of change that we experienced. This change that occurs is based on several aspects like the attitudes and values, the structure of the society and population of the society. Change may be accepted depending on the implication is brings as well as the correlations that exists.
1. Introduction
Social change is the process there is major modification in the structure and functioning of a certain social system. It involves the transformation in the social behavior, structure and cultural values. The mode course through which it takes is not taken into consideration (cliffs notes, 2000). The process that is involved in the transformation of the social aspect attributes to the ideas of continuity and determination. There is various aspect of social change that occurs in varied forms making it hard to form a holistic view about social change. In every social transformation there is a composition that takes place throughout the whole social process and the attribution of roles done varies (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 11). The people in the society experience the change psychologically; the constant contact amongst the people changes the attitudes and hopes; new knowledge is continuously being acquired and transferred. In another attribute that conceptualizes the change, the social frameworks in the changes that happen do not in any way show the changes. Theorists believe that there is always some form of connection between the past and present. Societies do not fade away as life does. What may be noted is just the change in the organization. The concept that social system is constant and well managed these changes is attributed to be quite normal in the social framework.
2. Description of change
Some of the concepts that are applied to describe change are size of the transformation, time taken, and course, speed of the change and violence that took place. These aspects do vary from one society to another. These concepts used to describe social change are applied to show the size of the elements impacted and the level of change that takes place. These concepts vary form the normal description of change and are taken to be a transformation in the roles, instructions or circumstances of action (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 15).
The rate at which change occurs is characterized on a continuum form slow to fast. For it to be logical it has to be based in reference to time and the point at which the change occurs in terms of direction. In terms of directionality of change, the transformation is viewed in terms of progress majorly relying on the cognitive desire. The controlling desire of change may be directed to knowledge on objectified social framework and procedures (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 18). In terms of peaceful or violent change; peace has been characterized as being gradual while violence on the hand takes the aspect of being violent. One may characterize fast change as being violent and may impact on the emotions, values and desires of the people taking part in it. In such an instance, cultural delay and social psychological level happens. This does happen in the occupation of the society as well as the household. Take for instance a person who works as a miner and another who works as a banker; the contrast between the financial statuses of the two occupations brings about a transformation in the functions of their respective families, even though the values and communicative interactions are veered towards the traditional aspects or attributed to insecurity (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 20). The description of change in terms of violence, there is always the threat of application of force that takes place in the transformation while a peaceful transformation is characterized by the changes that occur as a result of an agreement and made to occur as a result of the hindrances of the society. There are other forms that may be used to describe change on the basis of planning, continuity as well as the roles being undertaken.
3. Levels of change
The other matter that is considered while looking into a transforming society takes into consideration the scope of the transformation. This may involve group or personal changes while others may involve the transformation in the social system level. In terms of the theorists like in the case of social Darwinism, their perspective varies from temporary to irrelevant. Most focus however looks into the personal relevance, looks more into the form of social relations in relations to fulfillment of several instincts and desires with reference to psychological procedure like emotion, motivation and cognition. The transformations that occur are as a result of external influence; the interactions that take place between the human and his environment where the human being by the help of learning is able to acquire information from his environment and familiarize with it. The environment is known to have a great impact on the personal being, making him or her to change his desires and objectives (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 21). The individual human being is seen as objective oriented being and the social is believed to take refuge in the interactions between the individual and his surrounding more so in psychic reaction to the transformations that take place.
4. Theories on social change
There are several theories that have been advanced that lay emphasis on the transformation that the society has acquired.
4.1. Variants of conflict theory
Most of the societies in the past have been accredited to being involved in conflicts resulting to a transformation in the society. These theories look into the procedure of life that is veered towards instability and conflict between the societies or the people involved in the war. The transformation is seen as being due to dialectic correlation between the dominant factors of the society and the provisions that get involved in the competition with the initial factor. This does not in any way present a lack of understanding in terms of the normative aspects but a society that is governed by concepts of dominance.
4.2. Marxist variant
According to Karl Marx, the social change that takes place in the society is not based on the political aspect but the economic changes which are not reliant on the external change (Strasser & Randall, 1981, pp. 41). When coming into the eighteenth century, people were in no position to experience them taking part to modeling the natural and social world and this was due to the poor level of advancement of the productive forces; for instance labor force and technology in production, division of labor and the correlation that existed in the production. This brought to fact that the human being attributed himself as being controlled by the society and nature.
The relations of production are applied to know the position and experience in the course of production and utilization and hence there is the allocation of occupational chances, the impact of the work organization and the framework of the desires in the society. There is also the progressive institutionalization of democratic aspects of relation that go with the change. The idea behind this is that the human evolution is followed by the allocation of knowledge from one generation to another. This is noted with the process of socialization where cultural attribution is integrated in the people of the society, to the level that the learning procedure becomes conscious and manageable.
There is also the contradiction that exists between the two difference classes of people. The human correlation is modeled by the conflict that exists between the social groups (Marx, Aug 15, 1975, pp. xi). Their social position is based on their ability to control resources, means of production and the exploitation of products. The implication of such factors is not well correlated but similarly tyrannical changes that arise as a result of which satisfy the fundamental economic purposes of wage. The idea of a conflict in the classes is fundamental to Marx. What propels the change in the social aspect of life is believe to be the shift in the relation between two classes. The conflict that comes about may contribute to permanent transformation in the social relations as well as a fall in the existing social framework and the advancement of new forms of social relations based on the means of production.
5. Components of change
5.1. Population Growth and demographic transition
The population component of change involves disparities in the size, composition and physical allocation of the elements of human beings more so on population. The population component is quite primary; the cultural and social transformation involves contrast in the relationships, institutions among other variables (Weinstein, May 30, 2010, pp. 55). Variedly, demographers are more focused on the significant matters like how many people stay in a certain area, the number that is of a certain age, if the size has increased or dropped in a certain period of time among other issues.
5.2. Physical Environment
The alterations in the physical environment are quite major in affecting social transformation. The Northern part of Africa, noted as being the hottest deserts in the world, was initially green and heavily populated. The implication of climate transformation, soil erosion and drying up of water masses has brought about the desert that is there now. The culture of the human being is impacted upon by these changes and at times when they occur they become undetected. The human being occupation on the land does bring about the change in the environment and consequently lead to a change in the social aspect as well as culture. The bringing down of trees leads to soil erosion and limits the amount of rain that is received. A large part of the deserts in the world are as a result of human disregard to it ( Sociology Guide, 2011). The destruction that has happened in the environment can be regarded to as the factor leading to a drop in civilization. Most of the human lives have led to a transformation in their physical surrounding by moving to other parcels of land to develop their activity. For the societies that heavily rely on the environment for their daily living, result to resulted to a change in their culture.
5.3. Isolation and contact
The societies that have been based in places that have many societies have always been components of change that occur. Considering that the new attributes that the society takes up is as a result of diffusion, the societies that have been constant contact with other societies are more or less destined to change. In the past, the connection that existed between Asia, Africa and Europe was known for creating change. It later moved to other parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and the North western part of Europe. The regions that have been noted to be of high cultural interaction are the venues of change. Violence and trade have brought about intercultural interaction and presently tourism is increasing the interaction between the cultures (Sociology Guide, 2011). On the other hand, the regions that have been isolated are regions that have been noted to be of stable, resistance of their social culture and resistance to any form of change that occurs. There have been several primitive tribes that been isolated from other parts of the societies like the Eskimos.
5.4. Social Structure
The framework that the society has acquired has a great impact on the speed at which change occurs. A society that has a high level of authority in the elder people of the society like the Chinese are more definite to retain their culture and social status in addition to being stable. A society that is keen consideration of conformity with other people in the society and coaches the person to be responsible to others is not bound to acquire change. In comparison, the society that is majorly individualistic and allows cultural variability is bound to be impacted by change. When the structure of a society is very centralized is most definite to bring about change and diffusion, however, the system is at times applied to block any form of change that occurs (Sociology Guide, 2011). A culture that is extremely unified so that all factors of the society are well intertwined with others, the aspect of change is bound to be very hard to acquire in addition to it being very expensive. On the other hand, a culture that is not deeply integrated leading to a family that is less dependent on another in terms of family and other activities. A structure that is well formulated and rigid where all the roles done and privileges offered are precise is less definite to experience change when one compares it to a loosely structured society where the tasks done and authority are exposed for a person to reorganize.
5.5. Attitudes and Values
The people who live in the advanced countries and societies, any form of change that occurs is quite part of their life. The children that are born and grow in these countries are used to changes in their societies and have learned to appreciate it. On the other hand, the countries that have not experienced development will not accept any form of change kindly. It is consequent that different societies have contrasting afflictions to change. The people who dwell in the past will not take change that fast as compared to the ones that have dwelled in the modern life. The person living in native part of Africa will be hard to transform him or her to live in a well-organized manner (Sociology Guide, 2011). Though it will happen with persistence, it will be very hard to effect the change as fast as one may need it to be or the person living in the developed country will undergo. These people are strongly and unconsciously centered in their ethnic tribe; they take value in their customs and methods, changing them are hence quite hard. Any form of change in the society will be very gradual and a times hard to notice.
6. Conclusion
Social change is something that when it happens it is hard to notice. The present change in the society has been brought about by technology. Technology has brought about a very big different from the past with our present lives. Though even with factor of change other communities still find it hard to change and still hang on to their former lives. Change however, depending whether it is for the good or bad should be accepted or rejected. As one may notice, some changes in the society are bad while others are good.
Bibliography
Sociology Guide, (2011). Factors of Change. Social Change.
Marx, K. (Aug 15, 1975). Karl Marx on Society and Social Change: With Selections by Friedrich Engels. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Cliff’s notes, (2000). Social Change Defined. Sociology.
Strasser, H., & Randall, S. C. (1981). An Introduction to Theories of Social Change. Boston: Taylor & Francis.
Weinstein, J. (May 30, 2010). Social Change. Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield.
