Sociology

Temporary gathering of people who are in close proximity to interact

An emotionally charged collectivity whose members are united by a specific destructive or violent goal

Collection of people who erupt into generalized destructive behavior, the result of which is social disorder.

Spontaneous and uncoordinated group action to escape some perceived threat

Unfounded anxiety shared by people who can be scattered over a wide geographic area

Enthusiastic attachments among large numbers of people for particular styles of appearance or behavior

Unconventional object, action, or idea that a large number of people are attached to for a very short period of time

Unverified piece of information that is spread rapidly from one person to another

Story that teaches a lesson and seems realistic but is untrue

Collection of differing attitudes that members of a public have about a particular issue

Hypnotic power of a crowd encourages people to give up their individuality to the stronger pull of the group

people in a crowd are often faced with a situation in which traditional norms of behavior do not apply

explains crowd behavior as a process that moves from step to step

Surrounding social structure that makes it possible for a particular type of collective behavior to occur

Social conditions that put strain on people and thus encourage them to seek some collective means of relief

People identify the problem, form opinions about it, and share ways of dealing with it

Triggering mechanisms that set off the behavior

Mechanism used to control or minimize a situation

Try to prevent a type of social change and return society to a past way of being; often use fear and violence; example: Ku Klux Klan

Try to protect prevailing values from what are seen as threats to those values; examples: the religious right

Try to improve some part of society through social change; usually use legal methods and focus on a single issue; example: women’s suffrage movement

Seek a total radical change or existing social structure, overthrow existing government and replace it with their own version; often involve violent or illegal methods; example: the American Revolution

Initial stirrings of a movement

Movement viewed as more respectable

Structure of movement more formal

Established part of society

People join social movements because they feel deprived relative to other people or groups with whom they identify

Not even the most ill-treated group with the most just cause will be able to bring about change without resources