Social Change- Meaning, Definition, Characteristics, Types and Factors

# Meaning of Social Change

The term social change refers to changes taking place in human society. Social change is nothing but a change in social relationship.

Society is a web of social relationships. Hence social change is a change in social relationships. Social change can be observed in every society.

For example- Abolition of child marriage, inter-caste marriage, high status to Indian women, etc.

# Definition of Social Change

1. According to Majumdar:- “Social change may be defined as a new fashion or mode, either modifying or replacing the old, in the life of a people or in the operation of a society.”

2. According to Jones:- “Social change is a term used to describe variations in or modifications of any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction or social organization.”

3. According to Jenson:- “Social change may be defined as modification in ways of doing and thinking to people.”

4. According to Alvin Toffler:- “Change is the process through which future invades our life.”

5. According to Davis:- “By social change is meant only alterations as occur in social organization i.e., structure and functions of the society.”

6. According to Koening:- “Social change refers to the modifications which occur in the life patterns of a people.”

# Characteristics of Social Change

1. Universality:- Change is universal law, an eternal law and invariable law of nature. Social changes take place in all societies of the world. Therefore, social change is universal in character.

2. Continuity:- Social change is continuous process. It does not take place at one point of time only. It takes place all the time at all the places. However we can predict some direction of change.

3. Variation:- Social changes is relative in time and according to a specific period of time, its rate may be high or low. The rate and quantum of change varies from one society to another depending upon the prevailing conditions.

4. Inevitable:- Change is inevitable. It is the human nature that desires change and also it is his tendency to bring change and to oppose or accept change. Human wants are unlimited which always keeps on changing. To satisfy these wants social change has become a necessity not only to him but also to the society.

5. Criteria of larger population:- Only those changes are considered as social change that affects larger population. Social change is accepted as such only when the majority of individuals in a society accepts, it in their life, behavior and beliefs.

6. Planned as well as unplanned:- There was a time when changes were unplanned and undirected. But in the modern time changes can be planned to achieve the goals of the society.

7. Structural or functional:- Any change in the social structure or its function is social change.

8. Change is social:- Social change means a change in the system of social relationship. Social relationship is understood in terms of social process, social interactions and social organizations. In any variation of social process, social interactions and social organizations social change takes place.

9. Degree or rate of change is not uniform:- Social change varies from society to society and even in the same society from time to time. Sometimes the degree of change is high and sometimes low depending upon the nature of society like open and close, rural and urban and traditional and modern etc.

10. Social change is multi causal:- A single factor may cause a particular change but it is always associated with a number of factors. The physical, biological, demographical, cultural, technological and many other factors interact to generate change. This is due to mutual interdependence of social phenomenon.

# Types of Social Change

(1) Evolutionary changes:- Evolutionary changes occur in course of a long period slowly and gradually and through evolutionary process. Such changes are not very drastic or remarkable. They proceed gradually like the process of conditioning and people learn to adjust with such changes gradually.

For example, the shift from agrarian societies to industrial ones did not take place within a short period of time, it takes gradual processes and time for society to completely shift to one that is based around industrial jobs. Another example of an evolutionary change would be regarding women’s rights. It took a long and arduous fight to bring women to where they are now in terms of politics, social and financial standing.

 
(2) Revolutionary changes:- It is the opposite of evolutionary change. When the changes in various sectors of our social system occur suddenly, drastically and sufficiently so as to differentiate it from gradual, slow change, it is called revolutionary social change. They occur very quickly and within a short period or short duration.

For example, the changes in social structure and social system which occurred after various famous revolutions like the French, the Russian, the Chinese and the American Revolution and more recently the revolutionary changes that occurred are the case of revolutionary movement.

# Factors of Social Changes

1. Demographic factor or population factor:- Population plays a very vital role in social change. Due to increase or decrease in population, the possibility of social change is also influenced. Population is governed by death and birth rate, immigration etc.

2. Biological factor:- Biological factors of birth and death rate are also responsible for social change, racial mixtures also causes certain social changes. An ordinarily biological factor refers to those which are concerned with the genetic constitution of the human beings.

3. Cultural factor:- Human culture is a process of change. Any change in cultural order is accompanied by a corresponding change in the whole social order.

4. Technological factor:- Technology is very much responsible for social change. As a result of technological developments, the mode of living, the means of production and the way of life are changed. Apart from this, it exercise an impact on social institutions and in that manner also, it brings about social change.

5. Environmental factors or physical factors:- Environment factors or geographical factors such as land, natural calamities, discovery of minerals and important wealth brings about various types of social changes.

6. Psychological factors:- Psychological factors are important elements in social change. Man by nature is a lover of change. He is always trying to discover new things in every sphere of his life and is always anxious for a new experience. As a result of this tendency the mores, traditions, customs, etc. of every human society are undergoing perpetual change.

7. Other factors:- In addition to above mentioned factors other elements such as wars, ethnic tensions, competition for resources, trade unionism, banking system, human rights movement, enhanced environmental awareness, etc. have resulted in wide spread social variation and modification.

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