Relative and Absolute Deprivation, Types of Resources, Five key components Political Process Theory, Types of Social Movements

1. Relative Deprivation Theory,
Resource Mobilization Theory,
Political Process Theory and
New Social Movements
M. Vijayalakshmi
M.Sc., M.Phil. (Life Sciences), M.Ed., M.Phil. (Education),
NET (Education), PGDBI
Assistant Professor (Former),
Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Education (Autonomous),
Coimbatore – 641020.

2. • Relative deprivation is formally defined as an actual or
perceived lack of resources required to maintain the
quality of life (e.g. diet, activities, material possessions)
to which various socioeconomic groups or individuals
within those groups have grown accustomed, or are
considered to be the accepted norm within the group.

3.  Relative deprivation is the lack of resources (e.g. money, rights, social
equality) necessary to maintain the quality of life considered typical
within a given socioeconomic group.
 Relative deprivation often contributes to the rise of social change
movements, such as the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
 Absolute deprivation or absolute poverty is a potentially life-threatening
situation that occurs when income falls below a level adequate to maintain
food and shelter.

4. Relative Deprivation Theory Definition
• Relative Deprivation Theory suggests that people who
feel they are being deprived of something considered
essential in their society (e.g. money, rights, political
voice, status) will organize or join social movements
dedicated to obtaining the things of which they feel
deprived.

5. • Relative Deprivation has been cited as a factor
driving incidents of social disorder like rioting,
looting, terrorism, and civil wars.
• In this nature, social movements and their
associated disorderly acts can often be attributed
to the grievances of people who feel they are being
denied resources to which they are entitled.

6. Relative Deprivation Theory History
• In proposing one the first formal definitions of relative
deprivation, British statesman and sociologist Walter Runciman
listed four required conditions:
 A person does not have something.
 That person knows other people who have the thing.
 That person wants to have the thing.
 That person believes they have a reasonable chance of getting the
thing.

7. Relative Versus Absolute Deprivation
• Relative deprivation has a counterpart: absolute
deprivation. Both of these are measures of poverty in a
given country.
• Absolute deprivation describes a condition in which
household income falls below a level needed to maintain
the basic necessities of life, such as food and shelter.

8. Resource Mobilization Theory
• Resource mobilization theory is used in the study of social movements and argues
that the success of social movements depends on resources (time, money, skills,
etc.) and the ability to use them.
• When the theory first appeared, it was a breakthrough in the study of social
movements because it focused on variables that are sociological rather than
psychological.
• No longer were social movements viewed as irrational, emotion-driven, and
disorganized.
• For the first time, influences from outside social movements, such as support
from various organizations or the government, were taken into account.

9.  According to resource mobilization theory, a key issue for social
movements involves obtaining access to resources.
 The five categories of resources that organizations seek to
obtain are material, human, social-organizational, cultural, and
moral.
 Sociologists have found that being able to effectively utilize
resources is linked to a social organization's success.

10. Types of Resources
• According to sociologists who study resource mobilization, the types
of resources needed by social movements can be grouped into five
categories:
• Material resources. These are the tangible resources (such as
money, a location for the organization to meet, and physical
supplies) necessary for an organization to run. Material resources
can include anything from supplies for making protest signs to the
office building where a large non-profit is headquartered.

11. • Human resources. This refers to the labor needed (whether
volunteer or paid) to conduct an organization's activities.
Depending on the organization's goals, specific types of skills
may be an especially valuable form of human resources.
• Social-organizational resources. These resources are ones
that SMOs can use to build their social networks.

12. • Cultural resources. Cultural resources include knowledge necessary to
conduct the organization's activities. For example, knowing how to lobby elected
representatives, draft a policy paper, or organize a rally would all be examples of
cultural resources. Cultural resources can also include media products (for
example, a book or informational video about a topic related to the
organization's work).
• Moral resources. Moral resources are those which help the organization to be
seen as legitimate. For example, celebrity endorsements can serve as a type of
moral resource: when celebrities speak out on behalf of a cause, people may be
spurred to learn more about the organization, view the organization more
positively, or even become adherents or constituents of the organization
themselves.

13. Political Process Theory
An Overview of the Core Theory of Social Movements
• Also known as "political opportunity theory," political process theory
offers an explanation of the conditions, mindset, and actions that make
a social movement successful in achieving its goals.
• According to this theory, political opportunities for change must first be
present before a movement can achieve its objectives. Following that, the
movement ultimately attempts to make change through the existing
political structure and processes.

14. Political Process Theory outlines five key components that
determine the success or failure of a social movement:
political opportunities,
mobilizing structures,
framing processes,
protest cycles, and
contentious repertoires

15. • Political opportunities are the most important aspect of PPT, because according to the
theory, without them, success for a social movement is impossible.
• Political opportunities--or opportunities for intervention and change within the existing
political system--exist when the system experiences vulnerabilities.
• Vulnerabilities in the system can arise for a variety of reasons but hinge on a crisis of
legitimacy wherein the populace no longer supports the social and economic conditions
fostered or maintained by the system.
• Opportunities might be driven by the broadening of political enfranchisement to those
previously excluded (like women and people of color, historically speaking), divisions
among leaders, increasing diversity within political bodies and the electorate, and a
loosening of repressive structures that previously kept people from demanding change.

16. • Mobilizing structures refer to the already existing
organizations (political or otherwise) that are present among
the community that wants change.
• These organizations serve as mobilizing structures for a social
movement by providing membership, leadership, and
communication and social networks to the budding movement.
• Examples include churches, community and non-profit
organizations, and student groups and schools, to name a few.

17. • Framing processes are carried out by leaders of an organization in order
to allow the group or movement to clearly and persuasively describe the
existing problems, articulate why change is necessary, what changes are
desired, and how one can go about achieving them.
• Framing processes foster the ideological buy-in among movement
members, members of the political establishment, and the public at large
that is necessary for a social movement to seize political opportunities and
make change.
• McAdam and colleagues describe framing as "conscious strategic efforts by
groups of people to fashion shared understandings of the world and of
themselves that legitimate and motivate collective action"

18. • Protest cycles are another important aspect of social movement success according to
PPT. A protest cycle is a prolonged period of time when opposition to the political system
and acts of protest are in a heightened state. Within this theoretical perspective, protests
are important expressions of the views and demands of the mobilizing structures
connected to the movement and are vehicles to express the ideological frames connected
to the framing process. As such, protests serve to strengthen solidarity within the
movement, to raise awareness among the general public about the issues targeted by the
movement, and also serve to help recruit new members.
• The fifth and final aspect of PPT is contentious repertoires, which refers to the set of
means through which the movement makes its claims. These typically include strikes,
demonstrations (protests), and petitions.

19. New Social Movements
• Aberle’s Four Types of Social Movements: The term new
social movements (NSMs) is a theory of social movements that
attempts to explain the plethora of new movements that have
come up in various western societies roughly since the mid-
1960s (i.e. in a post-industrial economy), which are claimed to
depart significantly from the conventional social movement
paradigm.

20. Types of Social Movements
 Alternative movements are typically focused on self-improvement and
limited, specific changes to individual beliefs and behavior. These include
things like Alcoholics Anonymous, Mothers Against Drunk Driving
(MADD), and Planned Parenthood.
 Redemptive movements (sometimes called religions movements) are
“meaning seeking,” are focused on a specific segment of the population,
and their goal is to provoke inner change or spiritual growth in individuals.
Some sects fit in this category.

21.  Reformative social movements seek to change something specific
about the social structure. They may seek a more limited change, but are
targeted at the entire population. Environmental movements, the women’s
suffrage movement, or the more contemporary “Buy Nothing Day”, which
protests the rampant consumerism of Black Friday, are examples of
reformative movements.
 Revolutionary movements seek to completely change every aspect of
society—their goal is to change all of society in a dramatic way. Examples
include the Civil Rights Movement or the political movements, such as a
push for communism.

22. • There are two central claims of the NSM theory.
• Firstly, the rise of the post-industrial economy is responsible for a new
wave of social movement.
• Secondly, these movements are significantly different from previous social
movements of the industrial economy.
• The primary difference is in their goals, as the new movements focus not
on issues of materialistic qualities such as economic well-being, but on
issues related to human rights (such as gay rights or pacifism).

23. Other helpful categories that are helpful for sociologists to describe
and distinguish between types of social movements include:
 Scope: A movement can be either reform or radical. A reform movement
advocates changing some norms or laws while a radical movement is
dedicated to changing value systems in some fundamental way. A reform
movement might be a green movement advocating a sect of ecological
laws, or a movement against pornography, while the American Civil
Rights movement is an example of a radical movement.

24. • Type of Change: A movement might seek change that is either innovative
or conservative. An innovative movement wants to introduce or change
norms and values, like moving towards self-driving cars, while a
conservative movement seeks to preserve existing norms and values,
such as a group opposed to genetically modified foods.
• Targets: Group-focused movements focus on influencing groups or
society in general; for example, attempting to change the political system
from a monarchy to a democracy. An individual-focused movement seeks
to affect individuals.

25.  Methods of Work: Peaceful movements utilize techniques such as
nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience. Violent movements
resort to violence when seeking social change. In extreme cases,
violent movements may take the form of paramilitary or terrorist
organizations.
 Range: Global movements, such as communism in the early
20th century, have transnational objectives. Local movements are
focused on local or regional objectives such as preserving an
historic building or protecting a natural habitat.