Meaning and definition of social change: Change is an
ever-present phenomenon. It is an integral part of nature and of man. All
societies are subject to change, the physical environment, people, and culture
all undergo changes. Society is not static but dynamic.
To Mac Iver and Page, social change refers to the changing
pattern of social relations, social structure, of groups and organizations. It
is defined as the changes in the structure and functioning of a particular
social system. Identifying change involves showing how far the structure of an
institution or society or community is altered over a period of time. a given
social system is in a process of change when its basic institution is modified,
when the roles which individuals constituting the system change when functions
change, when status is based on achievement, etc.
Social change mainly refers to changes in the life patterns
of people. Changes in art, science, technology, philosophy, may result in the
changes in the attitudes, behavior, social processes, social patterns,
interactions and relations of people. These changes then amount to social
change.
Factors responsible for social change: Social change is the
product of the interaction of many factors. A single factor may trigger a
particular change, but it is always associated with a number of factors. The
physical, biological, technological, cultural, and other factors may together
being about social change. None of these factors works separately form the
rest. Each factor is therefore an element in the system. Changes in one part
influence the other parts, until the entire society or community is involved.
The following are the factors that are responsible for change.
Physical environment – has an effect on the development of
human social organization, for e.g., in extreme environmental conditions people
must reorganize their ways of life in relation to weather conditions. People
who live in Alaska follow different patterns of social life from people in
Mediterranean countries. Major changes in the environment are quite reare but
very compelling when they occur. For e.g., when there is a famine or when soil
is eroded or when coal or oil in a particular region is exhausted etc., people
have to move away or man’s original activity changes. Human beings however can
adapt to their environment. They can master the world around them. Man does not
accept the limitations imposed by his natural environment; he strives in
various ways to change it. He can change the courses of rivers and turn deserts
into fertile areas. Each new invention, each improvement of man can lead to
change in society.
Population factors – Changes in the size, density, sex-age
composition of population have an important impact on social change. A rapidly
growing population must either migrate or improve in productive techniques. For
e.g., population explosion in a developing country like India has led to many
socio-economic problems including crime and violence. Great historical migrations
and conquests of the Vikings, Huns, etc., have arisen from the pressure of a
growing population upon limited resources. Migration encourages further change
for it brings a group into a new environment, subjects it to new contacts and
confronts it with new problems. Population changes have occurred all through
human history, by reason of migration, war, changing mores, famines, etc. Those
societies were declining death rate have a higher standard of living, high
status of women, high levels of literacy, etc. A population change therefore is
not only a change in itself, but also becomes a causal factor in further social
and cultural changes.
Economic factors – influence the rate and kind of change.
Industrial capitalism is one of the most important economic factors that have
had a far-reaching impact on the society. It not only aims at technological
innovations and increasing productivity but also maximizes profits at the cost
of labor welfare. This results in conflicts between the rich and the poor. Economic
inequality has become a common feature where there is deprivation of every
kind. There is no equality of status, rather, a glaring disparity between the
rich and the poor, leaving the country with no savings or capital investments.
Our cultural interest are often affected by economy. For eg. Those interested
in fine arts, dance, music, theatre, etc., as a career cannot take them for
want of enough resources or economic support. However, economic factors alone
cannot be the cause of social change.
Political factors – Another type of influence on social
change is the impact of political developments. The struggle between nations to
expand their power, develop their wealth and military over other nature has
been an important source of change over the last few decades. The government as
political machinery can either enhance change or disrupt and retard it. The
political ideology, the policies and programs and efficiency with which they
run the country tends to influence the process of social change. For e.g.,
political instability in India has adversely affected economic growth. NRIs and
other foreign investors dread investing their money in projects or industries
in India. Terrorism and religious fundamentalism have caused havoc in India.
India has suffered from these politically oriented movements which have
resulted in riots and conflicts. Thus, political factors can ruin a generation,
affect social change, the socio-cultural and socio-economic life of the people.
Isolation and contact – Societies located at world
crossroads have always centers of change. Since most traits come through
diffusion, those societies in closest contact with other societies are likely
to change most rapidly. Areas of greatest intercultural contact are always the
centers of change. Trade, even war has always brought intercultural contact and
today tourism is adding to the contacts between cultures. Conversely isolated
areas are less likely to change. The most primitive tribes have been those who
were the most isolated like the polar eskimos or the Onges of the Nicobar
Islands. Isolation invariably retards change.
Attitudes and Values – Societies differ greatly in their
general attitude towards change. A society that reveres the past, worships
ancestors, are preoccupied with traditions, superstitions, and rituals will
change very slowly and unwillingly. Literate and educated people tend to have
positive attitudes and values towards change and hence accept changes more
readily than illiterate and uneducated people do. A rapidly changing society
therefore has a different attitude towards change and this attitude is both
cause and effect of the change already taking place.
Perceived needs – A society’s rate and direction of change
are greatly affected by the needs its members perceive. ‘Needs’ are subjective,
they are real only if people feel they are real. Until people feel a need, they
resist change. For e.g., the tire was invented in 1845 but was ignored until
the popularity of the bicycle created an awareness of the need for tires. A
more recent failure is the need to recognize that death control creates the
need for birth control as well as the population will increase tremendously.
The cultural base – By cultural base we mean the
accumulation of knowledge and technique available. As the cultural base grows,
an increasing number of inventions, innovations and discoveries are possible.
Unless the cultural base provides the necessary knowledge and technique
available to the inventor, innovations cannot take place. For e.g. Leonardo da Vinci
sketched many machines which were entirely workable in principle, but the
technology of his day were incapable of building them.
Processes of social change
When we refer to social change as a process we mean that it
is a definite step by step manner by which change takes place and where one
state leads and merges into another. A process means a continuous change taking
place in a definite manner through the operation of forces present from the
very beginning with the situation. Examples of processes is communication,
integration, socialization, inventions, diffusion, discovery, innovations, etc.
Discovery – A discovery is a shared perception of reality,
which already exists. It is an addition to the world’s store of already
existing knowledge. It adds something new to the culture because although this
reality may have always existed, it became part of the culture only after its
discovery. For e.g., human beings discovered continents, circulation of blood,
the different planets, comets, etc. A discovery becomes a factor in social
change only when it is put to use. For e.g., before AD 100 Hero of Alexandria
had build a steam engine as a toy, but steam power produced no social changes
until it was put to serious use years later. Therefore, when new knowledge is
used to develop new technology, cast changes generally follow.
Invention – An invention is often defined as a new
combination or a new use of existing knowledge. The wheel did not exist until
someone had the idea of using a round slice of tree log and length of tree
limb, or round stone. Thus, even though the elements used are not new, it is
the idea of combining them in a useful way that produces something that never
existed before. For e.g., iron, with the addition of small amounts of other
metals, became steel, a new metal altogether. Inventions may be classified into
material inventions such as bow and arrow, telephone and so on and social
inventions such as the alphabet, law, etc. Each invention may be new in form,
function and meaning. Form refers to the shape or trait of the new invention;
function refers to what the invention does and meaning the long range
consequence of its use. For e.g. the
hooka, bedi and cigarette are different in form, but not in function or
meaning.
Innovation – The term innovation usually includes both
discoveries and inventions. In either case something new has been added to the
culture. Innovations are usually compatible with being the existing culture.
Usually traits are modified to fit into the existing culture of the society.
Example – A new speech form – Hinglish – new dance step, etc. A society with a
good cultural base that provides for the accumulation of science, technology
will have more innovations.
Diffusion – Most of the social changes in society have developed
through diffusion, the spread of cultural traits from group to group. Diffusion
operates both within societies and between societies. Jazz originated among the
black musicians of New Orleans and today it has been diffused throughout the
world. Diffusion takes place whenever societies come into contact. A typical
American wears pajamas invented in India, uses coins invented in Lydia, eats
waffles invented in Scandinavia and smokes (an American India habit) a
cigarette, derived from Mexico. The process of diffusion therefore is an
important instrument of social change. Most of the aid-programs in
underdeveloped countries and underprivileged groups within countries are
efforts to promote diffusion.
Planned social change – The direction and spread of change
are often conditioned by human engineering. Planned social change referred to a
conscious and systematic planning, projects, programs, etc., launched by man to
determine and control the rate and development of change. For e.g., fiver year
plans, Family Welfare Programs, Economic policies and so on. Planned social
change is desirable as the various goals to be achieved the means to achieve
them are outlined before. India has adopted planning programs after
independence to bring about overall development particularly in the villages.
For e.g., irrigation projects, credit societies, etc. Similarity, in the urban
areas town planners seek to introduce various projects and constructive changes
to make life in cities more bearable. For e.g., building flyovers, highways,
controlling air and water pollution, reducing noise pollution, etc., Planning
is also necessary to combat the problems that could arise of unplanned changes.
Unplanned changes refer to changes resulting from natural calamities, wars,
etc. Therefore, planning change is a necessary feature of modern societies in order
to achieve overall progress.
Resistance to and acceptance of social change
Specific attitudes and values – Aside from its general
attitude towards change, each society has many specific attitudes and values.
Peoples establishes likes and dislikes are important factors in social change.
If an object or trait has a purely utilitarian value – i.e., if it is a valued
because of what it will do, or how it will benefit people – change may be
accepted quite readily.
Demonstrability of innovations – An innovation is most
quickly accepted when its usefulness can be easily demonstrated. The American
Indians very eagerly accepted the European guns and pistols, as it was more
useful than the bow and arrow. The people in the urban areas readily accepted
the pressure cooker, washing machine, and various other household appliances.
Sometimes inventions are inefficient in their earlier stages that the general
acceptance is delayed until they are perfected. For e.g., the recent
innovations of the solar operated autorickshaws or cars are not readily
accepted. Social inventions however can be tested only through long term trial.
Compatibility with existing culture – Innovations are most
readily accepted when they fit in nicely with the existing culture. If the
innovation conflicts with the existing culture, it may be rejected, or it may
be modified to fit into it. Many tribal areas have readily accepted the
procedures and materials of scientific medicine – antibiotics, vaccinations,
etc., and have continued to use their traditional folk medicine. Today American
movies, sport, fashion, etc. have been readily accepted in Indian society, but
with necessary modifications.
Technical difficulties and costs of change – Change is
almost always costly. Not only does it disrupt the existing culture and destroy
cherished sentiments and values, but it also involves some specific costs. The
very poor resist change because they cannot afford to take any risks.
Technology not only costs materially but also brings about difficulties if the
culture is not modified enough to accept new change.
Role of the change agent – who proposes a change how does
this person go about it? The identity of the originator greatly affects
acceptance or resistance of change. Innovations, which are first adopted by
persons at the top of the social ladder, are likely to filter downward quite
rapidly. Many change agents are deviants of some sort. The non-conformists may
launch a new fashion, speech form, or dance step, which may be readily accepted
among people.
