Collective Behaviour

The term “collective behaviour” was first by Robert E. Park, and employed definitively by
Herbert Blumer, to refer to social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure
(laws, conventions, and institutions), but which emerge in a "spontaneous" way.

Collective Behaviour defined

• Collective behaviour is a meaningcreating social process in which new norms of behaviour that
challenges conventional social action emerges.

Examples of Collective Behaviour

• Some examples of this type of behaviour include panics, crazes, hostile outbursts and social
movements .

• Fads like hula hoop; crazes like Beatlemania; hostile outbursts like antiwar demonstrations; and Social
Movements.

• Some argue social movements are more sophisticated forms of collective behavior.

Types Of Collective Behaviour

 Crowds

A crowd is a large number of people who gather together with a common shortterm or long-term
purpose. Sociologist Herbert Blumer (1969) developed a popular typology of crowds based on their
purpose and dynamics. The four types he distinguished are casual crowds, conventional crowds,
expressive crowds, and acting.

 Riots

A riot is a relatively spontaneous outburst of violence by a large group of people. The term riot sounds
very negative, and some scholars have used terms like urban revolt or urban uprising to refer to the riots
that many U.S. cities experienced during the 1960s. However, most collective behavior scholars continue
to use the term riot without necessarily implying anything bad or good about this form of collective
behavior, and we use riot here in that same spirit. Terminology notwithstanding, riots have been part of
American history since the Previous: colonial period, when colonists often rioted regarding “taxation
without representation” and other issues (Rubenstein, 1970).

 Disaster Behavior

A disaster is an accident or natural catastrophe that causes many deaths and much property
destruction. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and floods are the most common natural
disasters, while the sinking of the Titanic and the April 2010 BP oil well explosion are among the most
well-known accidents that had disastrous consequences.

 Rumor

Is a story based on unreliable sources that is nonetheless passed on from one person to another person.
A rumor may turn out to be true, but it often turns out to be false or at least to be an exaggeration or
distortion of the facts. The defining feature of a rumor, though, is that when it arises it is not based on
reliable evidence and thus is unsubstantiated (Goode, 1992).

 Mass hysteria

Refers to widespread, intense fear of and concern for a danger that turns out to be false or greatly
exaggerated. Episodes of mass hysteria are relatively rare. One that is often-cited is the “War of the
Worlds” episode (Miller, 2000).

 Moral panic

A moral panic is closely related to mass hysteria and refers to widespread concern over a perceived
threat to the moral order that turns out to be false or greatly exaggerated.

 Fads and Crazes

Fads and crazes make up the second category of beliefs and perceptions that are considered to be
collective behavior. A fad is a rather insignificant activity or product that is popular for a relatively short
time, while a craze is a temporary activity that attracts the obsessive enthusiasm of a relatively small
group of people (Goode, 1992).

Crowd Behaviour

A crowd is a large number of people who gather together with a common shortterm or long-term
purpose. Sociologist Herbert Blumer (1969) developed a popular typology of crowds based on their
purpose and dynamics. The four types he distinguished are casual crowds, conventional crowds,
expressive crowds, and acting.

 Casual Crowd

A casual crowd is a collection of people who happen to be in the same place at the same time. It has no
common identity or long-term purpose. This gathering of people waiting to cross the street is an
example of a casual crowd.

 Conventional Crowd
A conventional crowd is a collection of people who gather for a specific purpose. They might be
attending a movie, a play, a concert, or a lecture. Goode (1992) again thinks that conventional crowds
do not really act out collective behavior; as their name implies, their behavior is very conventional and
thus relatively structured.

 Expressive Crowd

An expressive crowd is a collection of people who gather primarily to be excited and to express one or
more emotions. Examples include a religious revival, a political rally for a candidate, and events like
Mardi Gras.

 Protest Crowd

As identified by Clark McPhail and Ronald T. Wohlstein (1983), a fifth type of crowd is the protest crowd.
As its name again implies, a protest crowd is a collection of people who gather to protest a political,
social, cultural, or economic issue. The gatherings of people who participate in a sit-in, demonstration,
march, or rally are all examples of protest crowds.

Public Opinion

In simple terms public opinion means opinions held by the people at a certain time on a certain issue.

Characteristics of Public Opinion

Here are some characterstics of Public Opinion.

(1) Any opinion which is acceptable to all or at least to most of persons, can be called public opinion.

(2) Public opinion indicates assimilation and combination of opinions of the majority of the groups .

(3) In public opinion, the chief characteristics is common acceptance of the group.

(4) In public opinion, the problem or issue around which the opinion is formed must be a problem of
the majority of the community. Characteristics..

(5) A public opinion is based on social and cultural unity of the community.

(6) A public opinion is not transitory and disorganised like a crowd. It is organised like a group, can
continue for a certain period. But it is also liable to change.

(7) For the formation of public opinion direct and indirect means of communications are essential.
 (8) Public opinion can be developed without any spatial or shoulder to shoulder or face to face contact.
(9) Indirect means of communication play a tremendous role in the formation of public opinion.

(10) Public opinion may grow on different problems like political, economic, social and religious issues.

Propaganda

Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes, or
actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles,
designs on coins and postage stamps, and so forth).

Related Terms.
Related to the general sense of propaganda is the concept of “propaganda of the deed.” This denotes
taking nonsymbolic action (such as economic or coercive action), not for its direct effects but for its
possible propagandistic effects. Examples of propaganda of the deed would include staging an atomic
“test” or the public torture of a criminal for its presumable deterrent effect on others, or giving foreign
“economic aid” primarily to influence the recipient’s opinions or actions and without much intention of
building up the recipient’s economy.

Another term related to propaganda is psychological warfare (sometimes abbreviated to psychwar),

which is the prewar or wartime use of propaganda directed primarily at confusing or demoralizing
enemy populations or troops, putting them off guard in the face of coming attacks, or inducing them to
surrender. _arrow_down warfare encompasses the use of propaganda, among many other techniques,
during peacetime to intensify social and political divisions and to sow confusion within the societies of
adversary states.

Another related word, advertising, has mainly commercial connotations, though it need not be
restricted to this; political candidates, party programs, and positions on political issues may be
“packaged” and “marketed” by advertising firms. The words promotion and public relations have wider,
vaguer connotations and are often used to avoid the implications of “advertising” or “propaganda.”
“Publicity” and “publicism” often imply merely making a subject known to a public, without educational,
propagandistic, or commercial intent.

SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals and/or
organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or
undoing a social change.

CBs and SMs 19th C. ROOTS • Modern Western social movements became possible through education
and the increased mobility of labour due to the industrialisation and urbanisation of 19th century
societies

Leadership
Leadership is essentially a continuous process of influencing behavior. It may be considered in context of
mutual relations between a leader and his followers. The leader tries to influence the behavior of
individuals or group of individuals around him to achieve desired goals. Leadership is a dynamic process,
which deserves study. It is a relational process involving interactions among leaders, members and
sometimes outside constituencies. Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and
willpower, you can become an e