SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Collective Behavior, Social Movement Theory, Social Control
Collective behaviour : voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is
engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant
group norms and values
▪
No official division of labour, hierarchy of autonomy, established rules /
procedures
▪
No institutionalized norms governing behaviour
▪
Examples : crowds, mobs, riots, fads, fashions
▪
Often directed towards public issues (ex: pollution)
▪
Common influence / stimulus that creates response
□
Structural factors increasing particular stimulus responses
Timing - weekends, more people off work
Breakdown in social control mechanisms
3 majors factors contribute
□
Conditions for Collective Behaviour
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Crowd : relatively large number of people in one another's
immediate vicinity
□
Mass : large number of people who share an interest in a
specific idea / issue, but not in immediate physical vicinity
□
Ex: fear, hostility, joy, grief, disgust, shame, surprise
Dominant emotion : publicly expressed feeling perceived by
participants and observers as the most prominent in collective
behaviour
□
Distinctions Regarding Collective Behaviour
▪
Collective Behaviour
○
Presence of large number of people in an area does not necessarily
create crowd behaviour
▪
Ex: bus or shopping mall --> observers don't interact with
one another
Casual: large gathering of people at the same place / time
□
Ex: religious service graduation, concert, lecture
Event would not occur without crowd
Conventional : specifically gather for event --> FOCUS
□
Casual and conventional crowds
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Expression of strong emotion
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Ex: worshippers at religious service
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Acting: so focused on purpose creates violence / disruption
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Mobs : emotional crowd engaging against specific target
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Riots : violent crowd fuelled by emotion without a target
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Panic : reaction to threat with self-destructive behaviour
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Expressive and acting crowds
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Engage in activities to achieve specific political goals
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Ex: sit-ins, marches, blockades, strikes, boycotts
□
Can turn into an acting crowd (escalate)
□
Protest crowds
▪
Types of Crowd Behaviour
○
Contagion theory
▪
Explanations of Crowd Behaviour
○
“Collective Behaviour, Social Movements, and Social Change,” available as pdf
online
>
Reading 2.2: Social Movements
January 18, 2017
12:00 PM
READINGS Page 136
Document Summary
Collective behaviour, social movements, and social change, available as pdf online. Collective behaviour : voluntary, often spontaneous activity that is engaged in by a large number of people and typically violates dominant group norms and values. No official division of labour, hierarchy of autonomy, established rules / procedures. Crowd : relatively large number of people in one another"s immediate vicinity. Mass : large number of people who share an interest in a specific idea / issue, but not in immediate physical vicinity. Dominant emotion : publicly expressed feeling perceived by participants and observers as the most prominent in collective behaviour. Ex: fear, hostility, joy, grief, disgust, shame, surprise. Presence of large number of people in an area does not necessarily create crowd behaviour. Casual: large gathering of people at the same place / time. Ex: bus or shopping mall --> observers don"t interact with one another. Conventional : specifically gather for event --> focus.
