Question

explain the notion of a social movement, as well as the four types of social movements (not stages of development). Provide one clear example to illustrate each of the four types.

Answer 1

Social Movement

A social movement is a group of people who are prepared to encourage some social changes. A social movement is typically based upon two factors - first, what the movement is trying to change, and second, how much change a movement is encouraging. Social movements can occur at the person to person or at the community level, and they can supports for either minor or major social changes.

The social movements can be different by size and potential. So basically it can be stated that social movement is completely related to the social changes.

Example

Civil rights, Labor rights are the examples of social movement.

In 1966, Anthropologist David F.Aberle had discovered four different kinds of social movement. These social movements are 1) Alternative Social Movement, 2) Redemptive Social Movement, 3) Reformative Social Movement , 4) Revolutionary Social Movement.

Alternative Social Movement

The main goal of Alternative social movement is changing a person's behavior. It can be done by do-it-yourself effort.It also refers to limited social changes. The alternative movement is basically brings the change in a small group or few members of the group.According to some social psychologists, this social movement is less effective rather than other social movement.

Example

Mothers against drunk driving ( MADD) is the example of Alternative Social Movement. Because it also organized by a group of people who was against to the drunk driving.The main goal of the movement was changing the behavior of some particular people.

Redemptive Social Movement

Redemptive Social movement is kind of religious. It leads to the complete personal change.It is also lead to the individual changes but this movement is capable to change large numbers of people. It is more effective than an alternative movement.Changes in religion can comes from this social movement.

As example

Spreading the Christian religion is the biggest example of redemptive social movement. As we all know a religional changes brings the change in an individual person.So it can be stated that this is an example of redemptive social movement.

Reformative Social Movement

Reformative Social movement is capable to modify some specific parts of our society. It leads to changes of some specific parts without complete transformation. This movement can be done only in a Democratic Society where people have the right to speak. This is only depends on the freedom of the people in a society.

Example

Controling population is the example of reformative social movement.Because this kind of social change only happens when the people of the society have some freedom to take a decision. so it can be stated that controling population is the decision of a social movement.

Revolutionary Social Movement

The Revolutionary social movement brings a complete social changes. The main goal of this social movement is throwing the existing society and build up a great different society.This Revolutionary social movement seeks to correct some limitations of the present or existing society. It takes so many years to complete the whole Revolutionary social movement. It leads to the total changes in social system. Not only that it also seeks so many efforts of so many people.

Example

The Communist Movement in Soviet Russia is the example of Revolutionary Movement.Because this movement brings a lot of changes in the total social system and the effect of this social movement is also memorible.