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Sociology

<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Early collective behavior theories (LeBon 1895; Blumer 1969) focused on the irrationality of crowds. Eventually, those theorists who viewed crowds as uncontrolled groups of irrational people were supplanted by theorists who viewed the behavior some crowds engaged in as the rational behavior of logical beings.
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxH3>Emergent-Norm Perspective</OpenstaxH3>
<OpenstaxFigure id="import-auto-id2693003" src="https://openstax.org/apps/archive/20240226.174525/resources/d4cbc3991b7490feb9519d86f5a8c0b768f9cbab" alt="A photo of a damaged home from Hurricane Katrina with a sign posted on the fence that reads, Looters Will Be Shot" mediaType="image/jpg" width="551" height="412" />
<OpenstaxFigureText width="551">
	Figure 21.3 According to the emergent-norm perspective, Hurricane Katrina victims sought needed supplies for survival, but to some outsiders their behavior was normally seen as looting. (Credit: Infrogmation/Wikimedia Commons)
</OpenstaxFigureText>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Sociologists Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian (1993) built on earlier sociological ideas and developed what is known as emergent norm theory. They believe that the norms experienced by people in a crowd may be disparate and fluctuating. They emphasize the importance of these norms in shaping crowd behavior, especially those norms that shift quickly in response to changing external factors. <OpenstaxTerm>Emergent norm theory</OpenstaxTerm> asserts that, in this circumstance, people perceive and respond to the crowd situation with their particular (individual) set of norms, which may change as the crowd experience evolves. This focus on the individual component of interaction reflects a symbolic interactionist perspective.
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	For Turner and Killian, the process begins when individuals suddenly find themselves in a new situation, or when an existing situation suddenly becomes strange or unfamiliar. For example, think about human behavior during Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans was decimated and people were trapped without supplies or a way to evacuate. In these extraordinary circumstances, what outsiders saw as “looting” was defined by those involved as seeking needed supplies for survival. Normally, individuals would not wade into a corner gas station and take canned goods without paying, but given that they were suddenly in a greatly changed situation, they established a norm that they felt was reasonable.
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Once individuals find themselves in a situation ungoverned by previously established norms, they interact in small groups to develop new guidelines on how to behave. According to the emergent-norm perspective, crowds are not viewed as irrational, impulsive, uncontrolled groups. Instead, norms develop and are accepted as they fit the situation. While this theory offers insight into why norms develop, it leaves undefined the nature of norms, how they come to be accepted by the crowd, and how they spread through the crowd.
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxH3>Value-Added Theory</OpenstaxH3>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Neil Smelser’s (1962) meticulous categorization of crowd behavior, called <OpenstaxTerm>value-added theory</OpenstaxTerm>, is a perspective within the functionalist tradition based on the idea that several conditions must be in place for collective behavior to occur. Each condition adds to the likelihood that collective behavior will occur. The first condition is <OpenstaxEm>structural conduciveness</OpenstaxEm><OpenstaxEm>,</OpenstaxEm> which occurs when people are aware of the problem and have the opportunity to gather, ideally in an open area. <OpenstaxEm>Structural strain</OpenstaxEm>, the second condition, refers to people’s expectations about the situation at hand being unmet, causing tension and strain. The next condition is the <OpenstaxEm>growth and spread of a generalized belief</OpenstaxEm>, wherein a problem is clearly identified and attributed to a person or group. 
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Fourth, <OpenstaxEm>precipitating factors</OpenstaxEm> spur collective behavior; this is the emergence of a dramatic event. The fifth condition is <OpenstaxEm>mobilization for action</OpenstaxEm>, when leaders emerge to direct a crowd to action. The final condition relates to action by the agents. Called <OpenstaxEm>social control</OpenstaxEm>, it is the only way to end the collective behavior episode (Smelser 1962).
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	A real-life example of these conditions occurred after the fatal police shooting of teenager Michael Brown, an unarmed eighteen-year-old African American, in Ferguson, MO on August 9, 2014. The shooting drew national attention almost immediately. A large group of mostly Black, local residents assembled in protest—a classic example of structural conduciveness. When the community perceived that the police were not acting in the people's interest and were withholding the name of the officer, structural strain became evident. A growing generalized belief evolved as the crowd of protesters were met with heavily armed police in military-style protective uniforms accompanied by an armored vehicle. The precipitating factor of the arrival of the police spurred greater collective behavior as the residents mobilized by assembling a parade down the street. Ultimately they were met with tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets used by the police acting as agents of social control. The element of social control escalated over the following days until August 18, when the governor called in the National Guard. 
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxFigure id="import-auto-id1303504" src="https://openstax.org/apps/archive/20240226.174525/resources/1372df9ca4460c17c4fb335f2018a0ef63698618" alt="A masked officer with a shield is shown here." mediaType="image/jpg" width="525" height="700" />
<OpenstaxFigureText width="525">
	Figure 21.4 Agents of social control bring collective behavior to an end. (Credit: hozinja/flickr)
</OpenstaxFigureText>
<OpenstaxH3>Assembling Perspective</OpenstaxH3>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	Interactionist sociologist Clark McPhail (1991) developed <OpenstaxTerm>assembling perspective</OpenstaxTerm>, another system for understanding collective behavior that credited individuals in crowds as rational beings. Unlike previous theories, this theory refocuses attention from collective behavior to collective action. Remember that collective behavior is a noninstitutionalized gathering, whereas collective action is based on a shared interest. McPhail’s theory focused primarily on the processes associated with crowd behavior, plus the lifecycle of gatherings. He identified several instances of convergent or collective behavior, as shown on the chart below.
</OpenstaxParagraph>
<OpenstaxTable id="import-auto-id2423132">
	<OpenstaxThead>
		 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTh>
				 Type of crowd 
			</OpenstaxTh> 
			<OpenstaxTh>
				 Description 
			</OpenstaxTh> 
			<OpenstaxTh>
				 Example 
			</OpenstaxTh> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
	</OpenstaxThead>
	<OpenstaxTbody>
		 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Convergence clusters
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Family and friends who travel together
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Carpooling parents take several children to the movies
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Convergent orientation
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Group all facing the same direction
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				A semi-circle around a stage
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective vocalization
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Sounds or noises made collectively
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Screams on a roller coaster
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective verbalization
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective and simultaneous participation in a speech or song
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Pledge of Allegiance in the school classroom
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective gesticulation
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Body parts forming symbols
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				The YMCA dance
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective manipulation
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Objects collectively moved around
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Holding signs at a protest rally
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
		<OpenstaxTr>
			 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Collective locomotion
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				The direction and rate of movement to the event
			</OpenstaxTd> 
			<OpenstaxTd>
				Children running to an ice cream truck
			</OpenstaxTd> 
		</OpenstaxTr> 
	</OpenstaxTbody>
</OpenstaxTable>
<OpenstaxTableTitle>
	Table 21.1 - Clark McPhail identified various circumstances of convergent and collective behavior (McPhail 1991).
</OpenstaxTableTitle>
<OpenstaxParagraph>
	As useful as this is for understanding the components of how crowds come together, many sociologists criticize its lack of attention on the large cultural context of the described behaviors, instead focusing on individual actions.
</OpenstaxParagraph>

21.1.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Collective Behavior

1 An Introduction to Sociology

1.1 What Is Sociology?

1.1.1 What Are Society and Culture?

1.1.2 Studying Patterns: How Sociologists View Society

1.1.3 Studying Part and Whole: How Sociologists View Social Structures

1.2 The History of Sociology

1.2.1 Creating a Discipline: European Theorists

1.2.2 Applying the Discipline: American Theorists and Practitioners

1.3 Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

1.3.1 Functionalism

1.3.2 Conflict Theory

1.3.3 Symbolic Interactionist Theory

1.3.4 Sociological Theory Today

1.4 Why Study Sociology?

1.4.1 Sociology and a Better Society

1.4.2 Sociology in the Workplace

2 Sociological Research

2.1 Approaches to Sociological Research

2.1.1 The Scientific Method

2.1.2 Interpretive Framework

2.1.3 Critical Sociology

2.2 Research Methods

2.2.1 Surveys

2.2.2 Field Research

2.2.3 Experiments

2.2.4 Secondary Data Analysis

2.3 Ethical Concerns

3 Culture

3.1 What Is Culture?

3.1.1 Cultural Universals

3.1.2 Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

3.2 Elements of Culture

3.2.1 Values and Beliefs

3.2.2 Norms

3.2.3 Symbols and Culture

3.2.4 Language and Symbols

3.2.5 Language and Culture

3.3 High, Low, Pop, Sub, Counter-culture and Cultural Change

3.3.1 High, Low, and Popular Culture

3.3.2 Subculture and Counterculture

3.3.3 Cultural Change

3.4 Theoretical Perspectives on Culture

4 Society and Social Interaction

4.1 Types of Societies

4.1.1 Preindustrial Societies

4.1.2 Industrial Society

4.1.3 Postindustrial Society

4.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Society

4.2.1 Émile Durkheim and Functionalism

4.2.2 Karl Marx and Conflict Theory

4.2.3 Max Weber and Symbolic Interactionism

4.3 Social Constructions of Reality

4.3.1 Roles and Status

4.3.2 Presentation of Self

5 Socialization

5.1 Theories of Self-Development

5.1.1 Psychological Perspectives on Self-Development

5.1.2 Sociological Theories of Self-Development

5.2 Why Socialization Matters

5.2.1 Nature versus Nurture

5.3 Agents of Socialization

5.3.1 Social Group Agents

5.3.2 Institutional Agents

5.4 Socialization Across the Life Course

5.4.1 Resocialization

6 Groups and Organization

6.1 Types of Groups

6.1.1 Defining a Group

6.1.2 Types of Groups

6.1.3 In-Groups and Out-Groups

6.1.4 Reference Groups

6.2 Group Size and Structure

6.2.1 Dyads, Triads, and Large Groups

6.2.2 Group Leadership

6.2.3 Conformity

6.2.4 The Bystander Effect and Diffusion of Responsibility

6.3 Formal Organizations

6.3.1 Types of Formal Organizations

6.3.2 The McDonaldization of Society

7 Deviance, Crime, and Social Control

7.1 Deviance and Control

7.1.1 Deviance, Crime, and Society

7.1.2 Social Control

7.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Deviance and Crime

7.2.1 Functionalism

7.2.2 Conflict Theory

7.2.3 Symbolic Interactionism

7.3 Crime and the Law

7.3.1 Types of Crimes

7.3.2 Crime Statistics

7.3.3 Public Perception of Crime

7.3.4 The U.S. Criminal Justice System

8 Media and Technology

8.1 Technology Today

8.1.1 What Is Technology?

8.2 Media and Technology in Society

8.2.1 Categorizing Technology

8.2.2 Types of Media and Technology

8.2.3 Product Advertising and the Attention Economy

Question	Answer
a theory that credits individuals in crowds as behaving as rational thinkers and views crowds as engaging in purposeful behavior and collective action	assembling perspective
a perspective that emphasizes the importance of social norms in crowd behavior	emergent norm theory
a functionalist perspective theory that posits that several preconditions must be in place for collective behavior to occur	value-added theory