Social action is a secondary method in professional social work aimed at addressing mass social problems and empowering communities through organized efforts. It involves mobilizing individuals to instigate structural changes for social justice, utilizing techniques like advocacy, lobbying, and education without resorting to violence. Key elements of social action include group initiatives, democratic values, and skills in research and communication, reflecting a humanitarian approach focused on justice and equality.

1. Social Action - Meaning:
▪ Social Action is one of the auxiliary methods of Social Work
(Secondary/ Indirect method).
▪ This method is new introduction in the practice of professional social work
and it is a crucial method in developing countries.
▪ Social Action is a way of meeting mass social problems - mass attack on
mass social problems

2. ▪ Social problems and conflicts have remained an integral part of the
society from the time immemorial.
▪ For providing relief and solution to these problems, social work and
social welfare have also remained a part of human society.
▪ Professional social work utilizes certain methods of working with people
in view of empowering the people to solve their problems.
▪ Among the methods of social work, social action is a new
introduction in the professional social work practice.

3. • social action is re-adjustment of the social institutions and
redistribution of power and resources for social justice and
empowerment of the community.
• As a method of social work, social action mobilizes the general
population to bring about structural changes in the social
system.
• It is an organized effort to change or improve social and
economic institutions.

4. ▪ Social action is used when people’s needs and problems remain unmet and
unsettled through other methods of social work.
▪ However, the process of social action depends on other methods of social
work such as social case work, group work, research and community
organization.
Some of the social problems like
• dowry system,
• destruction of natural resources,
• alcoholism, poor housing, health, etc. can be tackled through social action

5. ▪ Social Action involves organized efforts to influence public opinion or official
policy or executive action with the support of groups or individuals
▪ It mobilizes them to organize themselves for bringing about desired change
or prevent it that adversely affects them.
▪ Social activists improve the critical consciousness of masses, build the
capacity and guide the confronting strategies in order to reach the set goals

6. ▪ Social Action - uses democratically workable strategies such as propaganda,
research, advocacy, lobbying, public pressure techniques to deal with the
societal problems, without the element of violence.
▪ Therefore, social action include methods such as education, propaganda,
persuasion or pressure but it does not recommend physical coercion or
compulsion.
▪ According to Mary Richmond, propaganda and legislation are the appropriate
strategies to bring the large participation of people for mass betterment.

7. Social action covers movements of
• social, religious and political reform,
• social legislation,
• racial and social justice,
• human rights, freedom and civic liberty.
• Previously social action was considered as a tool within the
field of community organization, but now it has been
considered as a separate technique of social work.

8. ▪ Key concepts in Social Action are:
✓ Empowerment – transformation in power relations (in favor of powerless)
✓ Critical consciousness (recognizing the problem/need)
✓ Community capacity building
✓ Social capital (Resources of community)
✓ Issue selection (specific and urgent need)
✓ Participation (people’s involvement)
✓ Relevance (pressing need/issue selected)
▪ Basic Philosophy of Social Action - humanitarian approach based on the principles
of justice, equality and fraternity.

9. ▪ Social Action – bringing radical changes in the social environment of client and
community.
▪ It is a systematic, conscious effort directed to influence the basic social condition
and policies in favour of deprived and unprivileged.
▪ It is a community oriented method – increases the problem solving capacity of
community through achieving concrete changes towards social justice.
▪ It is a process which brings awareness among people on socio-political and
economic realities conditioning their lives.

10. Essential elements in Social Action:
❑ Group action – (though it may begin with individual initiative)
❑ Organised effort - give the shape of a movement
❑ Social progress/change – motivates public
❑ Democratic values/ practices - within the boundaries of constitutional provision
❑ The force behind social action lie in group compulsion
Skills required for a Social Activist:
1. Relational skills, 2. Analytical and Research skills
3. Intervention skills 4. Managerial skills
5. Communication skills 6. Training skills

11. ▪ Some examples:
✓ Socio-religious movements of medieval period targeted against superstition,
orthodox religious practices and various other social evils.
✓ Narmada Bachao Andolan carried out by Medha Patkar - 1978.
✓ Chipko Movement – forest conservation movement - 1973.
✓ Jan Lokpal Bill – Anti Corruption Movement by Anna Hazare – 2011
✓ Bachpan Bachao Andolan started in 1980 by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
✓ Swadeshi Movement - 1905

12. Definition – 1
Social action is “mass betterment through propaganda and
social legislation”
-Mary E. Richmond (1922)
Mary E. Richmond
was the first social worker to use the word ‘Social Action’ in 1922

13. Definition - 2
“Social Action is an individual, group or community effort within
the framework of the social work philosophy and practice that
aims to achieve social progress, to modify social policies and to
improve social legislation and health and welfare services”
- Walter Friedlander

14. Definition - 3
“Social Action may be described as organised group effort to solve
mass social problems or to further socially desirable objectives by
attempting to influence basic social & economic conditions or
practices.”
- John W. Hill

15. In general the concept of Social Action:
1. It touches the very core of society and shapes its destiny.
2. Its techniques are in propaganda, research, lobbying.
3. Social Action is an alternative approach to facilitate and enhance the social
functioning of human beings in any society.
4. Brings about peaceful revolution, bring together the required resources to
meet these needs
5. It requires knowledge & understanding of process in the treatment or the
study of social breakdown.

16. Social Action – Goals/Objectives:
▪ Prevention of changes considered as negative;
▪ Solution of mass problems;
▪ Improvement in mass conditions;
▪ Influencing institutions, policies and practices;
▪ Introduction of new mechanisms or programmes;
▪ Redistribution of power and resources (human, material and moral), decision-
making;
▪ Appropriate decision making for effects of thought, action and structure;
▪ Social development through change.

17. Characteristics of Social Action:
▪ Social action is concerned with change in current social practices.
▪ Social action involves a goal accepted as desirable and worthwhile by the social
actionists.
▪ Social action always involves an attempt to bring about action by people other than
the social actionist.
▪ Social action include methods such as education, propaganda, persuasion or
pressure but it does not recommend physical coercion or compulsion.
▪ Social action to be identified with certain method and procedures.

18. Importance (Use) of Social Action:
• Removal of Social Problems –this is the main purpose of social action. The
scope of Social Action in Indian society is confronted by many social problems
which should be solved in accordance to the democratic ideals
• Solution of individual and family problems-
• Spread of democratic values – social work is based on democratic
ideals, in theory as well as in practice. For this social action could
be used as base.

19. • Encouragement to Organisational function – Social action as a process
having various models of execution the speed of social action could be
increased..
• Social Reform – With the help social action the process of social reforms
could be encouraged. It indirectly brings improvement in social
conditions.