Social change

According to Moscovici's (1969) and Nemeth's (1986) research, a minority that is consistent, committed, and adaptable is the most effective in influencing an individual. However, minority groups also have a crucial role in promoting social change by influencing an entire society to modify its attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs.

Social change is the process by which a society evolves over time to replace old norms, beliefs, and attitudes with new ones, and to establish new expectations.

PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION: Throughout history, consistent individuals have challenged the values and norms of society, leading to significant social change. Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, for instance, led civil rights movements and were consistent in their views against apartheid for many years, which helped bring about social change.

An iconic event that sparked the civil rights movement occurred in the 1950s when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white male passenger and was subsequently arrested for violating US law. Parks' unwavering commitment to her cause, even at the cost of being arrested, inspired others to join the movement to end racial segregation laws in America.

Similarly, the suffragettes were a group of women who were consistent in their views on female rights and used educational and political arguments to draw attention to their cause. Despite facing opposition, they persisted in protesting and lobbying until they convinced society that women were entitled to vote. Many of the suffragettes made significant sacrifices for their cause, risking imprisonment and even death through extended hunger strikes, which ultimately made their influence even more powerful. Their consistent and committed efforts, over time, led to social change and the extension of the right to vote to all adults.

SOCIAL CHANGE: Various processes have been observed to explain social change. These include:

a) Consistency - displaying consistency in viewpoint and intended outcome can be beneficial in bringing about social change, as a consistent message appears more credible and can help to convince a majority.

b) Deep processing - when people think deeply about the issue at hand, rather than blindly accepting it, they are more likely to challenge existing social norms and bring about change.

c) Drawing attention - for social change to occur, the majority must first be made aware of the need for the change.

d) The Augmentation Principle - the majority is more likely to integrate the minority group's opinion into their own personal viewpoints when they pay attention to selfless and risky actions taken by the minority.

e) The Snowball Effect - once the minority viewpoint gains the attention of some of the majority group members, more and more people begin paying attention and the minority viewpoint gathers momentum, much like a snowball growing in size when rolled along a snowy field.

f) Social Cryptoamnesia - while the majority may know that social change has occurred, the source of the change and the message itself may become disassociated through the process of social cryptoamnesia, and they may not recall how it happened.

g) Normative social influence - social change can be encouraged by reporting the behaviour or attitudes of the majority to urge others to follow suit for normative reasons (e.g. to fit in with the majority).

h) Gradual commitment - once a small instruction has been followed, it is harder for larger requests to be declined. This is often referred to as the "foot-in-the-door technique" and means that people effectively find themselves adopting a new way of behaving gradually over a period of time.