Notes: Theories of Social Change | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2024 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
TOPIC-10- Social Change in Modern Society 
 
Sociological theories of social change 
 
Definitions: Social change:  
- variations overtime in relationships among individuals, groups, cultures and societies 
- need not always be drastic, subtle like voting patterns, crime rate etc 
 
Horton and Hunt:  
- Changes in social structure and social relationships of a society.  
- Differentiate b/w cultural change and social change even though both overlap at many times. 
 
The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) – 
- Change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action 
and interaction in societies. 
 
Three aspects of social change:  
(i) Process of alteration (no reference to quality of change) 
(ii) link b/w culture & change  
(iii) can vary in scope (expanse of change) and speed 
 
Social change & other closely related terms- 
 
- Evolution: expresses continuity & direction of change. Not just change in size but structure 
- Growth: implies direction of change but essentially only size and quality  
- Progress: Direction towards some desired goal. Involves value judgement 
 
  
Page 2


 
TOPIC-10- Social Change in Modern Society 
 
Sociological theories of social change 
 
Definitions: Social change:  
- variations overtime in relationships among individuals, groups, cultures and societies 
- need not always be drastic, subtle like voting patterns, crime rate etc 
 
Horton and Hunt:  
- Changes in social structure and social relationships of a society.  
- Differentiate b/w cultural change and social change even though both overlap at many times. 
 
The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) – 
- Change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action 
and interaction in societies. 
 
Three aspects of social change:  
(i) Process of alteration (no reference to quality of change) 
(ii) link b/w culture & change  
(iii) can vary in scope (expanse of change) and speed 
 
Social change & other closely related terms- 
 
- Evolution: expresses continuity & direction of change. Not just change in size but structure 
- Growth: implies direction of change but essentially only size and quality  
- Progress: Direction towards some desired goal. Involves value judgement 
 
  
 
Theories of Social Change:  
 
Cyclic Theory: 
 
Conceptualizes change as an ongoing series of cycles rather than a process with direction.  
To study ancient civilizations like Greece, China, India, etc. 
 
Pritrim Sorokin- Book- ‘social and cultural dynamics’ 
Cyclic theory of change:  
Three kinds-  
- Sensate: realm of science and of direct sensory experiences. 
- Ideational: Ideational culture is spiritualistic, mystical and 
indeterminate 
- Idealistic: In between. characteristic of both the ideational and sensate 
 
Ideational ?idealistic ? sensate ? idealistic ? ideational 
Alters by virtue of own forces and properties 
Linked to principle of limited possibilities of change: limit to number of alternations that can develop in 
a system.  
When all combinations complete,repetition 
Saw societies changing instead of progressing/decaying 
 
Oswald Spengler - (Decline of West) and Toynbee (studied 21 civilizations) 
Similar= all civilizations birth, grow, decay and death 
 
Pareto-Book ‘The mind and society, ’Study of circulation of elites.  
‘history is graveyard of aristocracies’.  
Rests upon biological diff and little supported by evidence 
Asserted that political changes especially with regard to rule of elites tends to take place in a cycle. 
 
Criticism of cyclic theories: 
Horton and hunt: Not convincing. Doesn’t explain why diff societies respond diff to change. 
Ritzer: doesn’t consider socio-psychological factors. Cast men as virtual pawns.  
 
  
Page 3


 
TOPIC-10- Social Change in Modern Society 
 
Sociological theories of social change 
 
Definitions: Social change:  
- variations overtime in relationships among individuals, groups, cultures and societies 
- need not always be drastic, subtle like voting patterns, crime rate etc 
 
Horton and Hunt:  
- Changes in social structure and social relationships of a society.  
- Differentiate b/w cultural change and social change even though both overlap at many times. 
 
The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) – 
- Change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action 
and interaction in societies. 
 
Three aspects of social change:  
(i) Process of alteration (no reference to quality of change) 
(ii) link b/w culture & change  
(iii) can vary in scope (expanse of change) and speed 
 
Social change & other closely related terms- 
 
- Evolution: expresses continuity & direction of change. Not just change in size but structure 
- Growth: implies direction of change but essentially only size and quality  
- Progress: Direction towards some desired goal. Involves value judgement 
 
  
 
Theories of Social Change:  
 
Cyclic Theory: 
 
Conceptualizes change as an ongoing series of cycles rather than a process with direction.  
To study ancient civilizations like Greece, China, India, etc. 
 
Pritrim Sorokin- Book- ‘social and cultural dynamics’ 
Cyclic theory of change:  
Three kinds-  
- Sensate: realm of science and of direct sensory experiences. 
- Ideational: Ideational culture is spiritualistic, mystical and 
indeterminate 
- Idealistic: In between. characteristic of both the ideational and sensate 
 
Ideational ?idealistic ? sensate ? idealistic ? ideational 
Alters by virtue of own forces and properties 
Linked to principle of limited possibilities of change: limit to number of alternations that can develop in 
a system.  
When all combinations complete,repetition 
Saw societies changing instead of progressing/decaying 
 
Oswald Spengler - (Decline of West) and Toynbee (studied 21 civilizations) 
Similar= all civilizations birth, grow, decay and death 
 
Pareto-Book ‘The mind and society, ’Study of circulation of elites.  
‘history is graveyard of aristocracies’.  
Rests upon biological diff and little supported by evidence 
Asserted that political changes especially with regard to rule of elites tends to take place in a cycle. 
 
Criticism of cyclic theories: 
Horton and hunt: Not convincing. Doesn’t explain why diff societies respond diff to change. 
Ritzer: doesn’t consider socio-psychological factors. Cast men as virtual pawns.  
 
  
 
Evolutionary/Linear theories: 
Consistent in direction; when final stage reached->evolution ends 
 
Herbert Spencer: Applies social Darwinism – simple to complex 
August Comte-Explains change as the outcome of man’s intellectual development. He said that this 
intellectual dev is accompanied by moral dev, esp, the growing predominance of altruism over egoism. 
Law of 3 stages: theological, Metaphysical & Positive. Criticism- deterministic character and totalitarian 
implications 
Durkheim- Complexity & from mechanical to organic solidarity 
Karl Marx- Primitive communism-> ancient slavery-> feudal -> capitalism -> communism. 
LH Morgan- 7 technological stages from savagery to civilization  
Hobhouse- 5 stages in intellectual history of mankind. 
- Preliterate 
- Proto science- ancient east- Babylon, china etc 
- State of reflection in ancient east – 4-5th cent BC in china, India)  
- Stage of critical and systematic thought- Greece 
- Dev of modern scientific thought from about 16th cent.  
Lenski and Lenski –  
- Some changes cyclic, unpatterned, but evolutionary process of cumulative change is 
predominant pattern.  
- Cumulative changes- 2 ways 
o Innovation and selection.  
o Innovation produces new variations & selection decides which variation should lead. 
- Both processes happen at 2 levels- @ level of individual society and at world system. 
- Portray course of evolution as progressive- freedom, justice, equality, happiness etc 
  
Criticism: 
- May explain long term rends but not change on smaller scale 
- Don’t explain significant differences between societies at same level of evolution 
- Stages of evolution not fixed in reality- leapfrogging possible 
- There can be no final stage. It is always value laden  
- Lacks data support. 
 
  
Page 4


 
TOPIC-10- Social Change in Modern Society 
 
Sociological theories of social change 
 
Definitions: Social change:  
- variations overtime in relationships among individuals, groups, cultures and societies 
- need not always be drastic, subtle like voting patterns, crime rate etc 
 
Horton and Hunt:  
- Changes in social structure and social relationships of a society.  
- Differentiate b/w cultural change and social change even though both overlap at many times. 
 
The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) – 
- Change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action 
and interaction in societies. 
 
Three aspects of social change:  
(i) Process of alteration (no reference to quality of change) 
(ii) link b/w culture & change  
(iii) can vary in scope (expanse of change) and speed 
 
Social change & other closely related terms- 
 
- Evolution: expresses continuity & direction of change. Not just change in size but structure 
- Growth: implies direction of change but essentially only size and quality  
- Progress: Direction towards some desired goal. Involves value judgement 
 
  
 
Theories of Social Change:  
 
Cyclic Theory: 
 
Conceptualizes change as an ongoing series of cycles rather than a process with direction.  
To study ancient civilizations like Greece, China, India, etc. 
 
Pritrim Sorokin- Book- ‘social and cultural dynamics’ 
Cyclic theory of change:  
Three kinds-  
- Sensate: realm of science and of direct sensory experiences. 
- Ideational: Ideational culture is spiritualistic, mystical and 
indeterminate 
- Idealistic: In between. characteristic of both the ideational and sensate 
 
Ideational ?idealistic ? sensate ? idealistic ? ideational 
Alters by virtue of own forces and properties 
Linked to principle of limited possibilities of change: limit to number of alternations that can develop in 
a system.  
When all combinations complete,repetition 
Saw societies changing instead of progressing/decaying 
 
Oswald Spengler - (Decline of West) and Toynbee (studied 21 civilizations) 
Similar= all civilizations birth, grow, decay and death 
 
Pareto-Book ‘The mind and society, ’Study of circulation of elites.  
‘history is graveyard of aristocracies’.  
Rests upon biological diff and little supported by evidence 
Asserted that political changes especially with regard to rule of elites tends to take place in a cycle. 
 
Criticism of cyclic theories: 
Horton and hunt: Not convincing. Doesn’t explain why diff societies respond diff to change. 
Ritzer: doesn’t consider socio-psychological factors. Cast men as virtual pawns.  
 
  
 
Evolutionary/Linear theories: 
Consistent in direction; when final stage reached->evolution ends 
 
Herbert Spencer: Applies social Darwinism – simple to complex 
August Comte-Explains change as the outcome of man’s intellectual development. He said that this 
intellectual dev is accompanied by moral dev, esp, the growing predominance of altruism over egoism. 
Law of 3 stages: theological, Metaphysical & Positive. Criticism- deterministic character and totalitarian 
implications 
Durkheim- Complexity & from mechanical to organic solidarity 
Karl Marx- Primitive communism-> ancient slavery-> feudal -> capitalism -> communism. 
LH Morgan- 7 technological stages from savagery to civilization  
Hobhouse- 5 stages in intellectual history of mankind. 
- Preliterate 
- Proto science- ancient east- Babylon, china etc 
- State of reflection in ancient east – 4-5th cent BC in china, India)  
- Stage of critical and systematic thought- Greece 
- Dev of modern scientific thought from about 16th cent.  
Lenski and Lenski –  
- Some changes cyclic, unpatterned, but evolutionary process of cumulative change is 
predominant pattern.  
- Cumulative changes- 2 ways 
o Innovation and selection.  
o Innovation produces new variations & selection decides which variation should lead. 
- Both processes happen at 2 levels- @ level of individual society and at world system. 
- Portray course of evolution as progressive- freedom, justice, equality, happiness etc 
  
Criticism: 
- May explain long term rends but not change on smaller scale 
- Don’t explain significant differences between societies at same level of evolution 
- Stages of evolution not fixed in reality- leapfrogging possible 
- There can be no final stage. It is always value laden  
- Lacks data support. 
 
  
 
Neo-evolutionary:  
Suggest general trend towards more elaborate form of DOL  
 
Conflict Theory: 
Marx- Dialectical materialism: 
- Law of Unity and Conflict of Opposites 
- The Law of Negation of the Negation 
- The Law of Transition of Quantity into Quality 
 
Elements of social conflict: 
- Opposition b/w 2 or more social categories- can be class/caste/family/proffesional orgn 
- All situation of conflict have element of power  
- May involve hostile sentiments and attitudes 
- Need to differentiate b/w objective (eg resources) & subjective (eg: hatred) basis of conflict 
- Interests- economic/religious/political etc  
 
Positive consequences of conflict – Coser- 
- social solidarity of a given group is increased within 
- improving understanding of opponent, and creating new avenues of interaction 
- may give rise to some unchartered areas of co-operation between parties,for example the 
emergence of the Red Cross during World War-I. 
 
Randall Collins 
- Struggle over legitimacy of authority relations 
- conflict theorists view conflict as constant 
- change as inevitable result between groups of diverse interests. 
 
 Dahrendorf 
- social conflict ubiquitous 
- social change ubiquitous 
- every element in society renders contribution in disintegration & change 
- every society based on coercion by few members, thus, change inevitable 
- because authority relationships are pervasive & thus conflict. 
 
Criticism-conflict theories 
- Doesn’t explain all change- infact at times, conflict impedes change & fight for status quo 
- There are many dysfunctions of conflict as well 
 
Page 5


 
TOPIC-10- Social Change in Modern Society 
 
Sociological theories of social change 
 
Definitions: Social change:  
- variations overtime in relationships among individuals, groups, cultures and societies 
- need not always be drastic, subtle like voting patterns, crime rate etc 
 
Horton and Hunt:  
- Changes in social structure and social relationships of a society.  
- Differentiate b/w cultural change and social change even though both overlap at many times. 
 
The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) – 
- Change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action 
and interaction in societies. 
 
Three aspects of social change:  
(i) Process of alteration (no reference to quality of change) 
(ii) link b/w culture & change  
(iii) can vary in scope (expanse of change) and speed 
 
Social change & other closely related terms- 
 
- Evolution: expresses continuity & direction of change. Not just change in size but structure 
- Growth: implies direction of change but essentially only size and quality  
- Progress: Direction towards some desired goal. Involves value judgement 
 
  
 
Theories of Social Change:  
 
Cyclic Theory: 
 
Conceptualizes change as an ongoing series of cycles rather than a process with direction.  
To study ancient civilizations like Greece, China, India, etc. 
 
Pritrim Sorokin- Book- ‘social and cultural dynamics’ 
Cyclic theory of change:  
Three kinds-  
- Sensate: realm of science and of direct sensory experiences. 
- Ideational: Ideational culture is spiritualistic, mystical and 
indeterminate 
- Idealistic: In between. characteristic of both the ideational and sensate 
 
Ideational ?idealistic ? sensate ? idealistic ? ideational 
Alters by virtue of own forces and properties 
Linked to principle of limited possibilities of change: limit to number of alternations that can develop in 
a system.  
When all combinations complete,repetition 
Saw societies changing instead of progressing/decaying 
 
Oswald Spengler - (Decline of West) and Toynbee (studied 21 civilizations) 
Similar= all civilizations birth, grow, decay and death 
 
Pareto-Book ‘The mind and society, ’Study of circulation of elites.  
‘history is graveyard of aristocracies’.  
Rests upon biological diff and little supported by evidence 
Asserted that political changes especially with regard to rule of elites tends to take place in a cycle. 
 
Criticism of cyclic theories: 
Horton and hunt: Not convincing. Doesn’t explain why diff societies respond diff to change. 
Ritzer: doesn’t consider socio-psychological factors. Cast men as virtual pawns.  
 
  
 
Evolutionary/Linear theories: 
Consistent in direction; when final stage reached->evolution ends 
 
Herbert Spencer: Applies social Darwinism – simple to complex 
August Comte-Explains change as the outcome of man’s intellectual development. He said that this 
intellectual dev is accompanied by moral dev, esp, the growing predominance of altruism over egoism. 
Law of 3 stages: theological, Metaphysical & Positive. Criticism- deterministic character and totalitarian 
implications 
Durkheim- Complexity & from mechanical to organic solidarity 
Karl Marx- Primitive communism-> ancient slavery-> feudal -> capitalism -> communism. 
LH Morgan- 7 technological stages from savagery to civilization  
Hobhouse- 5 stages in intellectual history of mankind. 
- Preliterate 
- Proto science- ancient east- Babylon, china etc 
- State of reflection in ancient east – 4-5th cent BC in china, India)  
- Stage of critical and systematic thought- Greece 
- Dev of modern scientific thought from about 16th cent.  
Lenski and Lenski –  
- Some changes cyclic, unpatterned, but evolutionary process of cumulative change is 
predominant pattern.  
- Cumulative changes- 2 ways 
o Innovation and selection.  
o Innovation produces new variations & selection decides which variation should lead. 
- Both processes happen at 2 levels- @ level of individual society and at world system. 
- Portray course of evolution as progressive- freedom, justice, equality, happiness etc 
  
Criticism: 
- May explain long term rends but not change on smaller scale 
- Don’t explain significant differences between societies at same level of evolution 
- Stages of evolution not fixed in reality- leapfrogging possible 
- There can be no final stage. It is always value laden  
- Lacks data support. 
 
  
 
Neo-evolutionary:  
Suggest general trend towards more elaborate form of DOL  
 
Conflict Theory: 
Marx- Dialectical materialism: 
- Law of Unity and Conflict of Opposites 
- The Law of Negation of the Negation 
- The Law of Transition of Quantity into Quality 
 
Elements of social conflict: 
- Opposition b/w 2 or more social categories- can be class/caste/family/proffesional orgn 
- All situation of conflict have element of power  
- May involve hostile sentiments and attitudes 
- Need to differentiate b/w objective (eg resources) & subjective (eg: hatred) basis of conflict 
- Interests- economic/religious/political etc  
 
Positive consequences of conflict – Coser- 
- social solidarity of a given group is increased within 
- improving understanding of opponent, and creating new avenues of interaction 
- may give rise to some unchartered areas of co-operation between parties,for example the 
emergence of the Red Cross during World War-I. 
 
Randall Collins 
- Struggle over legitimacy of authority relations 
- conflict theorists view conflict as constant 
- change as inevitable result between groups of diverse interests. 
 
 Dahrendorf 
- social conflict ubiquitous 
- social change ubiquitous 
- every element in society renders contribution in disintegration & change 
- every society based on coercion by few members, thus, change inevitable 
- because authority relationships are pervasive & thus conflict. 
 
Criticism-conflict theories 
- Doesn’t explain all change- infact at times, conflict impedes change & fight for status quo 
- There are many dysfunctions of conflict as well 
 
 
Functional perspective 
Parsons: 
Despite emphasis on social order and stability, Parsons did not deny the possibility of social change. 
 
Parsons viewed social change at two levels 
1) Change which emerges from processes within the social system 
2) The processes of change of the social system itself. 
 
A primary factor related to processes of change within the social system is increase in population, its 
density and aggregation.  
 
Factors causing strain towards change:  
- change in demographic factors,  
- change in physical env,  
- change in tech,  
- new cultural configuration  
Eg development of new religious ideas. Not exclusive but work in independent plurality. 
 
Cultural factors bring about changes within the social system through acontinuous process of 
“rationalisation” and “traditionalisation” of values and beliefs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parsons illustrated the processes of social change within the social system by drawing examples from 
the family system.  
The family undergoes changes inherently through the life cycle of the persons who are its members.  
The processes of birth, maturation, adulthood, old age and death are internal to the family system, each 
giving rise to social consequences which call for change and new adjustment in family roles, occupation, 
authority, status, as well as values and beliefs of its members.