This document defines and discusses collective behavior and social movements. It defines collective behavior as voluntary, spontaneous activity by large groups of people, often aimed at social change. Crowds and masses are types of collective behavior. Social movements are the most organized form and seek to promote or resist change through mobilizing resources and exploiting political opportunities. Theories of social movements and their elements, stages, and types are outlined.

1. Collective Behavior
and Social Movements

2. Collective Behavior
and Social Movements
• Definition
• Characteristics
• Conditions
• Factors
• Theories
• Crowds
• Types of Crowds
• Mass
• Types of Mass Behavior
• Social Movements
• Types of Social Movements

3. Collective Behavior:
Definition
• Voluntary, often
spontaneous activity
that is engaged in by a
large number of people

4. Collective Behavior:
Characteristics
• Represent the actions
of groups of people, not
individuals
• Exhibit patterned
behavior that are
usually highly emotional
• Often associated with
effort to achieve social
change

5. Collective Behavior:
Conditions
• Precipitating incidents
• Generalized belief of
what is wrong
• Mobilization

6. Collective Behavior:
Factors
• Feeling of normlessness
• Breakdown of social
control
• Timing

7. Collective Behavior:
Theories
• Emergent Norm Theory
– postulates that people
faced with an unusual
situation can direct a
movement
• Value Added Theory
• – agents of social
control conducive to
collective actions must
be present for collective
behavior to occur

8. Collective Behavior:
Crowd
• A relatively large
number of people who
are in one another’s
immediate vicinity

9. Collective Behavior:
Types of Crowd
• Casual Crowd – people
who happen to be in
the same place at the
same time who share a
momentary interest

10. Collective Behavior:
Types of Crowd
• Conventional Crowd –
people who come
together for a
scheduled event sharing
a common focus

11. Collective Behavior:
Types of Crowd
• Expressive Crowd –
people releasing similar
emotions

12. Collective Behavior:
Types of Crowd
• Acting Crowd– people
who are emotionally
focused erupting into
violent behavior

13. Collective Behavior:
Types of Crowd
• Protest Crowd – people
who engage in activities
intended to achieve
political goals, generally
non-violent

14. Collective Behavior:
Mass
• A number of people
who share a common
interest in a specific
idea or issue, but not in
one another’s vicinity

15. Collective Behavior:
Types of Mass Behavior
• Rumors/Gossips –
unverified information
that thrive in times of
uncertainty

16. Collective Behavior:
Types of Mass Behavior
• Public Opinion –
attitudes/beliefs
communicated by
ordinary citizens to
decision-makers

17. Collective Behavior:
Types of Mass Behavior
• Mass Hysteria – intense,
fearful reaction to a
perceived threat

18. Collective Behavior:
Types of Mass Behavior
• Fads/Fashions –
periodic popularity of
styles

19. Social Movements:
Definition
• Most organized form of
collective behavior that
acts to promote or
resist change

20. Social Movements:
Theories
• Resource Mobilization –
people organize
movements by using
knowledge, skills &
money
• Political Process –
movements exploit social
structural opportunities
• New Social Movement –
new forces of identity are
created as people
participate in movements

21. Social Movements:
Elements
• Precipitating incident
• Pre-existing grievance
• Pre-existing
communication
network
• Ability to mobilize

22. Social Movements:
Stages
• Preliminary Stage –
people become aware of
a threatening problem
• Coalescence Stage –
people begin to organize
and start making the
threat known to the
public
• Institutionalization Stage
– organizational structure
develops

23. Social Movements:
Types
• Social Movements –
seek limited change in
some aspects of
people’s behavior

24. Social Movements:
Types
• Reform Movements –
seek to improve society
by changing an aspect
of the social structure

25. Social Movements:
Types
• Resistance Movements
– seek to prevent or
undo change that has
already occurred

26. Social Movements:
Types
• Revolutionary
Movements – seek to
bring about a total
change in society

27. Social Movements:
Types
• Religious Movements –
seek to produce radical
change in individuals by
establishing a
spiritual/religious
system

28. Collective Behavior &
Social Movements
A Report by Jose Radin
L. Garduque in MAT
Soc. Sci. class of Prof.
Josan Dela Cruz
Borres in Filamer
Christian University,
Roxas City (First
Semester, A.Y. 2013-
2014)