posting by Seung Jae Lee (W.12) Collective Behavior, Social movements

Collective Behavior

summary)

The meaning of collective action is a social process that occurs in a voluntary way outside the existing social structure.
Collective behavior can also mean abnormal behavior, when norms are absent or unclear, or when they contradict each other.

Examples of collective behavior :  religious revival meetings, a panic in a burning theater...

And Collective behavior and group behavior are different.
Trait of Collective behavior : Includes limited, short-term social interaction, there is no clear social boundary, It produces weak and unconventional norms.

Trait of Group behavior : Tend to be longer than collective behaviors, It is usually more discerning than collective action, Tendency to be stronger and more generic than collective behavior.

Crowds
A crowd is a temporal set of human beings that is coincidentally organized without common norms or organization.
Blumer (1951) differentiated four types of crowds : 
Casual, conventional, expressive, acting.
It is a riot when the behavior of the crowd changes violently.
Collective action is not necessarily close at hand. Nowadays, with the development of communication technology, collective action can be continued in a long distance.

http://wallpaperswide.com/concert_crowd-wallpapers.html

Theories of Crowd Behavior
Contagion Theory : The crowd hypnotizes their members. The effects of hypnosis are combined with the anonymity of many people, resulting in irrational and abnormal behavior.
Convergence Theory : Thoughts are not formed because the crowd is gathering. People with the same mind come together to form a crowd. 
Emergent-Norm Theory : This is a theory that combines the two theories above. People with the same ideas are gathered and anonymity is added, which leads to the behavior of the crowd.

Panic

Panic is a sudden fear that dominates thought and affects the crowd.
Moral Panic : Moral panic is a mass movement based on the perception that individuals, minority groups, or subcultures are threats to society.

Riots

A riot is a naturally occurring group of unorganized human beings causing a commotion by violence.

Mass Hysteria

Hysteria is mental neurosis caused by mental and psychological conflicts. 

Fads

Fads is a social synchronic phenomenon in which a certain number of people share similar cultural and behavioral patterns in a society for a certain period of time.

Rumors

Rumors are facts or information spread among people, regardless of their authenticity.

My opinion)

I learned something new today. I have seen the term 'collective' several times while studying society and ethics when studying in high school. This is the first time I have learned so deeply. As I was studying this posting, there was a anxious word. It is a riot. It was not a word that originally had that much thought, it's a word that has gotten a bad impression these days. On May 18, 1980, a democratization movement took place in Gwangju, my hometown. It is an incident that took place during the process of seizing power by Chun Doo Hwan and the new military forces. I have learned that it is a democratization movement ever since I was little from my father who participated in the exercise at that time and grandmother who saw a person dying in front of her. But there are those who claim that it is a riot that the Gwangju people took up with weapons. I can not forgive them. I want them to think about the meaning of the riot again.

Social movements

summary)

Social movements are actions that are continuously carried out as a group for the transformation and improvement of society and the resolution of social problems. 
Giddens has identified how social movements work in modern society.
-democratic movements that work for political rights
-labor movements that work for control of the workplace
-ecological movements that are concerned with the environment
-peace movements that work toward, well, peace

Social Movement Theories
Deprivation Theory : The theory of deprivation argues that social movements have their basis among those who are deprived of goods or resources.There is a problem because it is difficult to see how many people feel deprived at some level.
Mass-Society Theory : It argues that social movements are composed of individuals of large societies that are not important or socially separated.
Structural-Strain Theory : It provides six theories that promote the development of the social movement.
-structural conduciveness, structural strain, growth and spread of a solution, precipitating factors, lack of social control, mobilization.

Resource-Mobilization Theory
The mobilization theory considers that resources are important for the development of social movements. The resources include knowledge, money, media, labor, solidarity, legitimacy, internal and external support of the power elite.
Some of the assumptions of theory.
-Because there is a constant discontent, social movement occurs.
-social movement organizations require resources and continuity of leadership.

Political Process Theory
Political process theory is similar in many respects to resource mobilization. But there is a tendency to emphasize political opportunities. Political process theory argues that there are rebellious consciousness, organizational power, and political opportunities as the three key elements for the formation of social movements.

Culture Theory
Cultural theory is based on political process and mobilization theory, but it has broader meaning in two aspects. First, it emphasizes the importance of a mobile culture. Second, I try to solve the free rider problem.

my opinion)

umm..... Yes. This is it. The word social movement is what I want. The most representative example of the social movement I think is the 5.18 democratization struggle that took place in my home town of Gwangju. Democratic politics could shine against tyranny politics because of their efforts.

http://www.518.org/ease/menu.es?mid=a10301000000

This photo shows a student at Chonnam University protesting to Chun Doo Hwan in front of the martial law forces to lift emergency martial law.

My Question) 5.18 The democratization movement is one of the unforgettable events .My people in my hometown are well aware of the 5.18 democracy movement, but I felt that there are not so many people in the university who know better about the 5.18 democracy movement than I thought.  How much do you know about the 5.18 democratization movement?