SW010101

MODULE 1 – INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

AND RELATION OF SOCIAL WORK

Unit 4- Social Change

Kesiyamol Mathew
Asst. Professor
What is Social Change?
• Change is the law of nature- thus society being a dynamic entity
undergoes constant changes.

• Society is a web of social relationships and hence Social change means

a change in the system of social relationship.

• Partial changes are common than complete change

• Social change alters long established pattern of social structure and
functions of the society.
Social Change- Definition

❑ M.E Jones: “ Social Change is the term used to describe variations in,
or modifications of, any aspect of social processes, social patterns,
social interaction or social organisation.”

❑ MacIver and Page: “Social change refers to 'a process' responsive to

many types of changes; to changes in the manmade conditions of life;
to changes in the attitudes and beliefs of men; and to the changes
that go beyond the human control to the biological and the physical
nature of things”.

❑ Maclver : “Social Change refers to change in the human relationships”.

Characteristics of social Change
• Social Change is continuous: endless and continuous flux and changes.

• Social Change is Temporal: denotes time sequence. Change happens through time.
Innovation, modification and renovation of existing behavior and discarding the old
behavior take time.
• Social Change is Environmental: Social change never takes place in vacuum. It must
take place within a geographic or physical and cultural context.

• Social Change is Human Change: People effect change and themselves affected by it.
• Social Change results from the interaction of a number of factors: A single factor may
be triggered a particular change but it is always accompanied by physical, cultural,
technological or biological factors may together bring about the social change.
Characteristics of social Change
• Social Change may create chain reaction: Change in one aspect leads to change in
other aspects. Eg: Joint family to Nuclear Family, Rural to Urban Migration
• Social Change involves and Rate and Direction of Change: Rate of speed , direction of
change is different from time to time and society to society. Globalization in Western
Countries V/s Globalization in Indian Rural/ Remote Villages
• Social Change may be Planned or Unplanned: Direction and tempo is conditioned
by human intervention. These are planned changes. E g: MDG – SDG, NHM (2005)–
NRHM & NUHM (2013).
• Short V/s Long Run Change: change which appears to be vital today may be irrelevant
after few years. E. g: Telephone – Mobile – Android (5G) – AI to control over humanity.
• Social Change is an Objective Term: It is a categorical process. It has no value –
judgements attached to it. It is a phenomenon which is neither moral nor immoral, it is
amoral.
 SOCIAL EVOLUTION- Meaning
SOCIAL
❑ Evolution – Latin Word ‘Evoluere’ meaning ‘to develop’ or ‘to unfold’. Sanskrit
word ‘Vikas’.
❑ Organic Evolution is replaced by Social Evolution in Sociology
❑ Evolution of human society ; explain the origin and development of man
❑ Evolution of man’s social relations.
❑ Examines how our society evolved.
 SOCIAL EVOLUTION- Concept & Definition
❑ Based on the assumption in sociological studies, society evolved because of men, who made
society evolved.
❑ Man with more superior and more evolved biological structure could give rise to a more complex
society.
❑ Then the question is “ What is that evolving in the social world?” Acc. To R.H Lowie & A. Kroeber
the element that undergo change and evolve is ‘Culture’. Thus Social Evolution becomes ‘Cultural
Evolution’.
❑ Factors that cause social evolution:
1. Accumulation
2. Invention
3. Diffusion
4. Adjustment
 SOCIAL PROGRESS – Meaning & concept
❑ Latin word ‘Progredior’ meaning “to
step forward” . Social Progress
Indicates a change or an advance
towards a desirable end.
❑ It involves and implies value –
judgements (Social Values).
❑ Social progress connotes
improvement, betterment, going up
from a lower position.
❑ It is determined in terms of material advancement, individual
enhancement, greater control over human conditions of life,
human happiness, order and harmony at societal level.
❑ According to goal, place and society there is change in the
notion of progress.
❑ Example: The Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination
Transgender persons (protection of rights) act,
2019

❑ It refers to the change towards

accepted social values that leads to
happiness and welfare .
 SOCIAL PROGRESS – Definition
❑ Ogburn & Neimkoff – “Progress means change for the better
and this is the reason for value fixation”.

❑ Hornell Hart- “Social Progress are those changes in the social

structure which free human tasks, provide inspiration and
comfort and organize them.”

❑ Hobhouse- “Social Progress is an increase in those qualities of

social life which it internalizes and ,makes it reasonable”

❑ Ginsberg – “Progress provides reasonable solutions to social

values”
What is the difference between social evolution
and social progress ?
Social Progress Social Evolution
1. Change towards desired goal Change towards directional social change

2. Subjective and value based Slow and step by step process

3. Specific to the needs and well being of the Broader and complex involves both biological
humanity and cultural development which may or may
not contribute to the development of humanity

4. Upgrading the human life and society to a Adaptation of existence and survival of the
better level than before society
 Physical environmental. E. g- Climate, earth quake, flood
Demographic. E g-size, composition and distribution of
population

Cultural Factors Eg- Values, beliefs, ideas,

institutions / Discovery and invention/ Borrowing

Factors of & Diffusion

Ideas and ideologies.Eg-Post independence changes

Social change and democracy

Technological Factors: Industrialization, Urbanization

and Modernization

Biological Factors : TFR, MMR, IMR, Size and Composition

of the population

Social Legislation: Hindu Marriage Act 1955

Education: instrument of social change
 • Exogenous sources: Change occurs from
outside. Eg. War, conquest

Sources of Change • Endogenous source: Change originating from

within. Eg. Activities of groups within the
society
Evolutionary Theory

Evolutionary theory assumes that societies change

gradually from simple to complex forms

August Comte-Human societies evolved in a unilinear

fashion i.e. in one line of development.

L.H. Morgan gave three stages of social evolution-

savagery, barbarism and civilization through which all
societies pass
According to comte, society evolved through 3 stages:

1. Theological / Fictious/
2. Metaphysical/philosophical​/abstract
3. Scientific / positive stage​

Theological - Phenomena (events) were caused ​by supernatural forces. Eg. Thunder,
lightning, etc. Society as an expression of god’s will
Metaphysical- Absolute forces of either a religious or secular type were the source of
knowledge. Imagination questioned theological dogma, period of social statics, and social
dynamics.
Scientific - Scientific laws were supposed to ​determine both the natural and social world.
Empirical explanation to all forms of social behavior.
• Herbert Spencer: Society has been gradually progressing towards a better
state.
• Military society to the industrial society.(social Darwinism)
• Durkheim viewed societies as changing in the direction of greater
differentiation, interdependence and formal control
• Societies have evolved from a relatively undifferentiated social structure
with a minimum of the division of labor and with a kind of solidarity called
mechanical solidarity to a more differentiated social structure with
the maximum division of labor giving rise to a kind of solidarity called
organic solidarity.
Multi linear Theory
of Evolution
• Different sequences/pattern for different
culture (Julian Steward )
• Neither straight line nor progressive
• Episodic approach: accidents/
circumstances
• All cultures of the world does not pass
through the same developmental stage
• Cultures have revolved around several
line at different rates
 • Unsatisfactory explanation of social
evolution
• Over generalization
Limitations of
• Failure to specify systematic
Evolutionary evolutions of societies/institutions
Theory
 • Every society is subjected at every
Conflict theories moment to change, hence social
change is ubiquitous, resolution of the
conflict over owner (Ralf Dahrendorf)
• Principle of dialectic (opposites) as
central to social life.
• Capitalists and the proletariat have
mutually hostile interests will conflict
with each other. (Karl Max)
• One of the outcomes of conflict
among groups is social change.
• George Simmel: Conflict is a
permanent feature of society and not
just a temporary event
Cyclical Theories

• Spengler, Toynbee and Sorokin

• Social change holds that civilizations rise and fall in an endless
series of cycles
• Spengler believed that social change may take the form of
progress or of decay, but that no societies lives forever.
• Spengler: The fate of civilizations was a matter of destiny.
• life-cycle of civilizations: Birth, maturity, old age, and death.
• Arnold Toynbee: Every society faces challenges at
first, challenges posed by the environment and
later challenges from internal and external
enemies. The nature of responses determines the
society's fate (A study of History)
• A society can grow and respond if they can
constructively respond to challenges.(Toynbee)
• He does not believe that all civilizations will
inevitably decay.
 Pendular theory of social
change(Saturation theory)
Pitirin Sorokin in his book Social and Culture
Dynamics

Social Change=Two cultural extremes: The Sensate

And The Ideational

Between these types lies a third type 'idealistic'

culture.

This is a desirable blend of other two but no society

ever seems to have achieved it as a stable condition.
 Circulation of Elites –Vilfredo Pareto

• Individuals are born with quite different abilities and acquire

quite different skills and aptitudes.
• Elite: Who are most capable in any grouping
• Change through replacement of elites by another
• Never ending Circulation of elites In circular fashion
• Governing Elites. Persons who are directly or indirectly concerned
with administration. These persons play highly important role and
enjoy prestigious place in society.
• Non-Governing Elites. In this class are included persons who are not
connected with administration but occupy such a place in society that
they somehow influence the administration.
➢ Up and down movement of members of elite and non-elite.
➢ Some non-elite by their merit may rise to the level of elite
➢The entire governing class may be reduced to the status of the
governed by the process of revolution.
Deterministic theories
There are certain forces, social or natural or both which bring about social
change and the circumstances which determines the course of social change

Sumner and Keller insist that social change is automatically determined by

economic factors.

Keller: Conscious effort and rational planning have very little chance to affect
change unless and until the folkways and mores are ready for it
 Social change can be brought
about by means of conscious

Telic and systematic efforts

Theory Lester F. Ward : Progress can be

achieved by means of purposive
effort or conscious planning.
Thank You for listening.