14.1 Give examples of how change takes place at each level of analysis.

14.2 Explain how stresses and strains can lead to organizational change.

14.3 List the six factors necessary for collective behavior to occur.

14.4 Provide examples of the difference between planned and unplanned change.

14.5 Illustrate the stages of social movements.

14.6 Describe how the development of technology brings about change in societies and their environments.

Key Points:

• Social change—variation or alteration over time in behavior patterns, culture, or structure in a society— typically involves change at one level of the social system that ripples through the other levels, micro, meso, and macro.
• Strains within an organization or group can induce change, as can stresses imposed from the outside envi­ronment.
• Sociological theories—whether micro or macro— offer explanations for the causes of change.
• At the micro level, change is often initiated through collective behavior, which can take several forms: crowds, mobs, riots, rumors, fads, and fashions.
• At the meso level, change in organizations is often man­aged through a planned process.
• Social movements often provide impetus for change at the macro level. Social changes can be induced at the micro level, but they can have impacts even at the global level.
• Science and technology can also stimulate change, but science has its greatest impact for change when it is institutionalized.
• Social structures constrain what we do, but individuals, especially when acting in concert with others, can chal­lenge, resist, and change the social systems that con­strain them. We can change our society through human agency.

Summary:

Can you change the world? The choices we make facilitate change at each level in our social world. Sociology helps us to learn how to work with groups to make a difference.

As you face individual challenges to bring about change in your social world, keep in mind this message: Change at one level affects all other levels. Sociology as a discipline is focused on gathering accurate information about the soci­ety in which we live. Sociologists often use their knowledge to advocate for changes that they think will make a better society. Sociological insights will help you contribute to the dialogue about how to make our social world a better, more humane place.