social movement
Summary
A social movement is a sustained, organized effort by a large group to bring about or resist social change, usually through channels outside routine institutions. The MCAT tests why movements arise and succeed: relative deprivation stresses perceived grievance, resource mobilization stresses resources and organization.
Detail
Meaning: A social movement is a long-lasting, goal-directed group effort to promote or resist change in society, such as the civil rights, women's suffrage, or environmental movements. It has shared aims, leadership, and strategy, and it often uses protest, advocacy, and public persuasion. Movements may seek reform of part of a system or a revolutionary replacement of it.
On the MCAT: A passage describes a group campaigning for change, and you must explain why it formed or succeeded. Know the main accounts. Relative deprivation theory says people join when they feel deprived compared with their expectations or a reference group. Resource mobilization theory says grievances alone are not enough; success depends on money, members, organization, and leaders. Framing (frame alignment) theory says movements recruit by presenting the problem in terms that fit potential members' beliefs. New social movement theory emphasizes identity and culture rather than economic class.
Common confusion: A social movement is not the same as collective behavior. Collective behavior (crowds, panics, fads) tends to be spontaneous, loosely organized, and short-lived, whereas a movement is organized and sustained. Also, relative deprivation concerns comparison, not absolute poverty, so the worst-off group is not automatically the one that mobilizes.
Sources
- Introduction to Sociology
- Sociology: A Brief Introduction
- Essentials of Sociology
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.