Social Change and Development Perspectives

Module 1 – Introduction to Social Change

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
After successfully completing this module, the learners should be able to:
▪ Explain the meaning and nature of social change ;
▪ Explain capitalism as driving force of social change;
▪ Identify the founders and their contributions to sociological thinking;
▪ State and explain the theories of social change; and
▪ Critique the effect of technology to social change and the connections of social change
and the natural environment.

TOPIC
OUTLINE
A. Definition of concepts
B. Patterns of social change
C. Process of social change
D. Sources of social change
E. Means of social change
F. Classical theories of social change
G. Emerging theories of social change

OVERVIEW
Social change is all around us. The Philippines of the 1990s is obviously different to that
of the 1960s and if we can predict the future, that of the 2010s. The social political and
economic face of contemporary Philippines has been shaped by the driving force of
industrial capitalism. It is indeed important to know the dynamics of social change under
capitalism ad the ways in which it impacts on society.
Understanding the processes of social change is also important and it allows us to more
fully appreciate the social origins of our attitudes, values, and norms and reflecting on
how they also change over time. Thus, it can remind us of the human authorship of
society, its institutions and its characteristics.

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 Lecture Notes
Why social change and development?

Global Definition of the Social Work Profession:

“Social Work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes
social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of
people. Principles of social justice, human rights collective responsibility and respect for
diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences,
humanities and indigenous knowledges, social work engages people and structures to address
the challenges and enhance well-being.”

Professional social workers are promoters of positive social change and one of the key players
in societal development.

Super Macro Development Theories:

Economic/ Social Development Theories/
Perspectives in International
Social Change Theories/ State
Relations
Formation/ International Relations

(Dynamics and Issues)

Perspectives in Societal Macro Development Theories:

Development Economic/ Social Development
Theories/ Social Change Theories

Perspectives/ Theories on
Perspectives in Working with
Community/ Organizations/ Socio
Communities and Aggrupation
cultural Aggrupation
-ctural Aggrupations

Perspectives in Working with Human Psychology/ Personality

Individuals and Families Theories/ Theories on Families

Figure 1: Knowledge Foundations of Social Worker as Development Practitioner

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What is change?
o Change is something that modifies/alters/deviate from something existing
o Alteration towards something different, just a repair of a damage, or an
innovation from what is existing or destruction of something existing and a
replacement of somethings entirely new.

What is social change?

- refers to basic alterations overtime, in the behavior patterns, culture, and structure of
society.

- refers to change in the nature, the social institutions, the social behavior or the social
relations of a society or community of people.

Ex. The restructuring of the Philippine society from agricultural to an industrial society
constitute social change.

Social change- refers also to acts of advocacy for the cause of changing society in a positive
way.

Ex. Advocacy for human rights

o Social change is used in the study of history, economics, and politics.

-success or failure of different political systems, globalization, democratization, development

and economic growth.

Social change could be:

- slow, gradual, incremental, and evolutionary, in this it might be barely noticeable.

- Fast, radical, sudden, and revolutionary, it might even take people by surprise.

- Wide in scope, affecting only a small number of people.

Patterns of Social Change:

1. Linear social change: social change follows a straight path e.g. social Darwinism,
spencer, Durkheim, Toinnes
2. Cyclical: social change follows a cycle, e.g. “ history repeats itself” (Plato, Spemgler)
3. Dialectical: spiral..thesis-anti thesis-synthesis (Hegel, Marx)

Process of social change:

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 ▪ Evolutionary social change happens slowly through the years and the same across
the globe
Most evolutionary theories of social change have adopted the approach of
identifying a succession of stage through which human societies have progressed,
from the supposedly relatively simple patterns, our remote ancestors to the
complexity and diversity of the present day (Noble, 2000)
August Comte: Comte conceptualized three stages of social evolution which relate
both to the development of human thought from primitive superstition to modern
scientific reason, and to the changing order which the evolution of consciousness
gives rise to (Noble, 2000)

Stages of Development Dominant Mode of Thought Dominant Social Groups

Theological Supernatural/ religious Priests and warriors

Metaphysical Philosophical/ Theoretical Lawyers and theologians

Positive Scientific Scientists and engineers

▪ Planned change: social change happens through a process of assessment, planning

and strategic implementation of plans

Sources of social change:

▪ Invention: an original creation which is useful to individuals or society in general

▪ Discovery: an act of finding an element or thing which has not been recognized
earlier
▪ Conflict (political, ideological, religious, ethnic etc.): clash of ideas, perception or
perspective which may lead to violent actions, examples: revolution, terrorism etc.
▪ Ideology: a theory or philosophy of society accompanied by a program of action on
how to change it and what are the goals to achieve. Ideology is a theory which is
adhered to often times with rigidity and zealousness by its proponents. Example-
neoliberalism, religion as ideology, communism
▪ Neoliberalism as an ideology firmly believe in the primacy of the market and the
market as self regulating; it rejects state intervention in the marker or in the macro
economy and rejects development planning.
▪ Social consciousness: an awareness of ones status in relation to the economic
condition for example, one status as a contractual laborer or an oppressed peasant
vis-à-vis a rich capitalist and a rich landlord

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 ▪ Paradigm shift: a shift in worldview of the general public- shift from a worldview that
natural resources are infinite to a worldview that natural resources are finite or
limited
▪ Geopolitics and globalization: complex geographical, political, economic factors
affecting state affairs, example Geopolitics in the West Philippine Sea

According to Thomas Kuhn, …”The historian of science may be tempted to exclaim that
when paradigms change, the world itself changes with them. Led by a new paradigm,
scientist adopt new instruments and look in new places. Even more important, during
evolutions, scientists see new and different things when looking with familiar
instruments in places they have looked before. It is rather as if the professional
community had been suddenly transported to another planet where familiar objects
are seen in a different light and are joined by unfamiliar ones as well”. ( Kuhn, The
structure of scientific revolutions)

Four major theories of social Change:

1. evolutionary theory

- explains how one social form evolves into another. They maintain that society
progresses from a simple beginning to a more complex form. From homogeneity to
heterogeneity, from archaic to a civilized, from primitive to modern, from rural to urban. This ,
they believe, is the inevitable direction in the evolution of society.

Emile Durkheim maintain unilinear evolution for all societies

Herbert Spencer

Leslie White

Julian Steward argue that evolution is multilinear

Gerhard Lenski

Emile Durkheim has proposed that simple societies progress to complex ones by the action of social
forces such as increase in population, division of labor and their type of solidarity or cohesion.

Mechanical solidarity – social solidarity based on similarity between individuals in terms of

homogenous culture, collective conscience, customs and traditions as seen in simple societies.

Organic solidarity- more formal means to hold society together are developed such as central
government and legal institutions.

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Herbert Spencer is a social evolutionist who views societies as social organisms involved in a struggle
for existence in a world of competition and society.

2. Cyclical Theory

This theory posits that every society undergoes a phenomenon of cyclical change, a pattern of
subsequent and recurring phases of growth and decline.

- Argues that every society has a natural life cycle: death, followed by the birth of
some new social order.

3. Equilibrium theory

Views society as tending toward a state of stability or balance. Thus, when sudden changes
cause disruptions, those disruptions are only temporary.

4. Conflict theory

Marx argued that conflict is the law which civilization has followed to the present day. –
without conflict, there is no progress.

Sources of Social Change

1. Shifting population

2. technological innovation

3. new ideas and cultural values

4. diffusion - refers to the process by which one society to another through two different cultures.

Means of social change

▪ Diffusion: act of spreading ideas, beliefs, objects etc. through migration, colonization,
mass communication etc.
▪ Revolution: a radical social change usually through armed strategies where the victors
have the power to install new structures and systems
▪ Terrorism: random acts of violence to make the world know that those committing
these have the power to destroy those whom they think are the enemies but oftentimes
the victims are innocent people

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 ▪ Social action planned collective action to address a social issue
▪ Social movements- a collective link by common ideals dynamically launched series of
social actions in order to achieve a specific social objective
▪ Development planning- act of state and toher stakeholders to consciously assess,
prepare strategically courses of action I order to address social problems ( economic,
political, sociocultural, etc.)
▪ Free the market and roll back the state: neoliberal strategy of privatization,
deregulation, liberalization
▪ Legislation action: a process of enacting policies and laws to provide an environment
conducive to the enhancement of well being
▪ International agreements: multilateral/bilateral commitments entered into by state
representatives
▪ Social Work Interventions: systematic and scientific strategies and methods founded on
social work principles geared on transforming individuals, groups, communities and
societies.

Classical Theories of Social Change

Systems Perspective/ social deterministic

▪ Structural functionalism: interconnections in different in different aspects; disruptions in

interconnections cause social change; Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton
▪ Conflict:
Marxist: Karl Marx- society changes due to changes in economic and social structure
through class struggle)

Non Marxist: Ralf Dahrendorf- society changes due to the dialectical interaction
between opposing ideas or groups.

Phenomenological/ Interpretive ( Schutz, Berger and Luckman)

Symbolic Interactionism: Human Behavior is influenced by meanings that are

constructed through social interaction; social change is caused by changes in social construction.

Emerging Theories of social change

Variants of Phenomenological Perspective

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 - Constructivism; act of consciously changing paradigms through education, policies,
mass media etc.
- Structuration (Giddens): assumes that behavior shapes social structures in the same
way that social structures shape human behavior

Scope of Social Change Theories

▪ Macro Theories

(International/global and national)

▪ Middle Range Theories (Meso)

(Local/community/class/sector based approach/strategy based)

▪ Micro Theories
( Individual or personality theories)

Unit II. Understanding Society and change

I. Capitalism as driving force of social change

A. all societies are linked via series of economic, social, cultural and political exchanges which
are based on this socio-economic system we call capitalism.

B. Capitalism is “an economic system based on private ownership of wealth, which is invested
and reinvested in order to make profit’.

C. the economic base of capitalism ( the way the economy is structured) thus reflects a quest
for profit and wealth which is kept by individuals.

II. Why sociological theory?

A. Social change –‘alteration in basic structures of social groups or society’

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 B. Two things to understand the mechanics of social change :

Structure of society and the ways in which social change occur

August Comte- coined the term sociology.

C. Three main theoretical perspectives: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and

interactionists perspective .

D. The importance of understanding the relationship between power and autonomy

1. social structures- enduring patterns found within a society. Ex. State- which
encompasses both a political system and its public service operations and bureaucracies.

2. Structuration- concept which views the agency/ structure relationship as being

mutually dependent. It can potentially provide a basis for social understanding which incorporates
both the human agent and the social structure more fully into its realm.

III. Founders:

A. Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

-Commonly called the ‘founder of sociology”, it was Comte who coined the term sociology and
argued that the scientific method could be applied to the study of society. He also set the parameters
of the subject by suggesting that it should focus on both social stability and social change.

B. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

-It was Spenser who viewed society using what is called the biological analogy. He viewed
society as being like living organisms, with interdependent parts which contribute to the survival of the
whole. He also picked up on Darwin’s theory of evolution and applied it to societies in order to
understand the processes of change which occur.

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 C. Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Marx believed that it was the role of social science to both understand and change society. His
goal was the development of society which was socially just, and in which structures of exploitation
were replaced with those which facilitated the common good, His critique of capitalist social and
economic relations led him to emphasize the role of the economic sphere in all forms if social life. For
Marx, if the economic sphere is based on systems of exploitation ( such as is the case with capitalism),
them society would also be exploitative, unequal, and unjust.

D. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

It was Durkheim who argued for the study of social structures. In order to understand their role
in society, he argued , you must look at what function they have. For example, to study the family, you
must ask yourself what function the family plays in society. Another important contribution by
Durkheim was his work on suicide. His analysis led to the conclusion that, rather than being an
individual act, suicide is actually influenced by social conditions.

E. Max Weber (1864-1920)

Much of Weber’s work was concerned with the changes which he like the others, foresaw as
being a consequence of the rise of industrial capitalism. He disliked this form of society, which he saw
as resulting in humanity being trapped in what he described as an iron case ( the result of a society
which had, as dominant values, notions of rationality and technical efficiency). While the writings of
Marx had a profound influence on Weber, he disagreed with Marx on a number of issues, particularly
his economic determinism and the idea of social science knowledge being used to intervene in social
processes in order to facilitate social change.

I. Theories:

A. Functionalist

a. Views society as being made of interrelated parts

b. Each part performs a function in maintaining society

c. The basic law that maintains society is stability

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B. Conflict

a. Views society as being composed of different groups

b. The various groups have conflicting interests

c. Conflict and Change is what characterizes society

C. Interactionist

a. Views society as being the product of our day-to-day interactions

b. It is our practice and actions that shape the kind of society we have

c. the most important dimensions to look into is individual interactions

There is a very concrete implication for social work practice of one’s perspective on society: it
points to certain directions as to the sources of problems and solutions.

The critical tradition of social work is founded on a particular perspective of society and social
change. We will use this perspective in looking at Philippine society.

The Three Main Perspectives

Functionalist Conflict Interactionist

Level Macro Macro(large-scale Micro (small-scale

social patterns) social patterns)

Key assumption Society set of Society made up of Small scale

integrated parts competing interest interaction is the
groups most important

Main Social Force stability Conflict Interaction

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 Key question How does it Who benefits How do people react
contribute to the or respond to each
overall stability of other?
society?

Theorists Parsons Marx Cooley

Merton Mills Mead

Durkheim Connel Berger

Main Criticism Conservative, Narrow focus on Neglects larger social

conflict. Ignores institutions. Focus is
Dismissive of social
stable elements of too narrow
change
society
Too much emphasis
on order and stability

II. Perspective in Understanding Social Change and Development

1. Evolution: All societies go through phases of development (f)

- human society progresses from simple to more complex forms- from a backward to an
advanced state- by means of continuous processes of growth and differentiation.

- progressive evolution of society was assumed to be gradual, ordered and incremental

- viewed as unilinear. All human societies follow a singular and particular course between the
‘simple primitive’ and the “complex modern”

2. Modernization: the introduction of modern technology is the key

3. Dependency: Exploitative relationships between countries create underdevelopment(C)

4. World-System: The realities in a particular country can only be fully understood by seeing them in
the bigger global context.(c)

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 LEARNING
ACTIVITY 1

Objective: As an output, students will be able to create an electronic collage and demonstrate their learnings
about social change.

Task: Get some pictures that depicts your learnings about social change to be used for your electronic collage.
Then, write a one paragraph explanation of your work.

Tools and resources: Online resources, photos, laptop

SUMMARY

Understanding society and change allow us to understand fully the changes of our country and
to the lives of Filipinos. Models of social change allow us to critically evaluate the ways in which
social change occurs as well as its possible results.
Sociological theory concerned with understanding the nature of society and its relationships to its
members is very important for discussion. Social scientist focus on things like institutions,
dimensions of inequality, power and so on as well as the ways in which human beings learn from
each interaction with one another. Also, an influence on the structures society as well as the
dominant norms, values and beliefs can be seen to derive from wats in which people have
attempted to understand the forces of social change.

REFERENCES
Stafford C.& Furze B. (1997). Society and Change. A sociological introduction to Contemporary Australia.
MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd.

Martinussen, John. (1997). Society, State and Market: A guide to competing theories of development. Zed Book
Ltd, London and New Jersey, Fernwood Publishing, Halofax, Nova Scotia.

Nyden,Gwendolyn E. (1997).Sociology: A down-to-earth approach. Allyn & Bacon.

McMichael, Philip (2008). Development and Social Change. A Global Perspectives. Pine Forge Press.

Prepared by:

CHERYLL A. ESCANO,RSW,MSW

Faculty, College of Teacher Education

and Human Sciences

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