SOCIAL CHANGE

Social change is universal and is

inevitable . It could be abrupt or gradual .
But what instigates social change can be
demographic , cultural ,political ,
economic in nature . Having knowledge of
these factors can be of help in designing
interventions that can instigate social
change .
 Social change is brought about different factors
which could be internal or external . Internal
factors are differences that occur in the norms ,
values , and beliefs of people from different ages,
gender, social class, caste, psychosocial
characteristics, ethnicity, and race. These often
produce tension and conflict that lead to social
change. On the other hand, external factors, which
are beyond human control, could be demographic,
cultural, political, and economic. The external
factors are further explained in the following:
 1. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS
 These refer to changes that occur in the
number and composition of people in the
community brought about by variations in
fertility rates, mortality rates, and migration
rates.
 2.CULTURAL FACTORS
 These refer to changes that occur in the
elements of culture ( symbols and language, norms,
values and beliefs, rituals, and artifacts) due to
cultural diffusion , fission, and convergence.
Cultural diffusion refers to the spread of culture from
one region to the other. Cultural fission on the other
hand is the breaking up of culture into two or more
independent units from a cultural origin. Cultural
convergence is the fusion of two or more cultures
into a new one, which is somewhat different from
its predecessors.
 3. POLITICAL FACTORS
 These refers to changes that occur in the
political structure and system of society due to
either reformist or radical approaches.

 4. ECONOMIC FACTORS
 These refer to changes that occur in the
economic structure and system of society due
to modernization.
THEORIES ON SOCIAL
CHANGE
Aside from understanding the factors that brings forth
social change it is also important to know the theories
proposed by social scientist to explain social change. There
are five main theories on social change: evolutionary,
cyclical, functional, conflict, and symbolic interactionism.
 1.EVOLUTIONARY
 In this theory, communities are seen to go
through a series of linear stages from simple to
complex, all geared toward a higher and more
advance stage of existence.

 2. CYCLICAL
 This theory presupposes that communities
undergo a cycle of birth, maturity, decline, and
death, and that they undergo stages of ideational,
idealistic, and sensate culture
 3. FUNCTIONAL
 This theory present that communities always
operate on equilibrium where the social, cultural,
political and economic structures of the community
producer order , stability, and productivity.

 4. CONFLICT
 This theory explain that changes take place due to
conflicts that occur in societies. Conflicts arises because
of unequal relation among people on the basis of class,
gender, age, race, and ethnicity.

 5. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
 This theory argues that people in society
continuously interact with one anotherv and it
is through this interaction that they are able to
construct and alter existing social, cultural,
political, and economic structures.