If they aren’t unified, society is “no more than a pile of sand” that’s vulnerable to collapse. Emile Durkheim, a major leader in the social sciences, believed that all parts of a society must be harmonious. Individual parts can’t survive on their own. The functionalist theory of social change teaches that society is like a human body. Societies can evolve in different ways and different directions. Modern theorists believe that change is multilinear. This led many sociologists to conclude that Western societies must be “superior” because of their “advanced” state.Īt first, social evolutionists asserted that all societies must go through the same sequence of progress. Societies that don’t adapt fast enough will fall behind. According to this theory, society always evolves into “higher levels.” Like organisms evolve from simple to more complex, so do societies. Auguste Comte, known as the “father of sociology,” believed in the evolutionary model. Sociologists latched on to Darwin’s theory of evolution, applying it to society. The evolutionary theory of social change gained prominence in the 19th century. There are three main theories of social change: evolutionary, functionalist, and conflict. Throughout history, sociologists have wrestled with different ideas and models. While it’s inevitable for all societies to go through some changes, why that happens isn’t obvious. What are the theories on how social change functions? What are the causes and effects? Theories of social change Consider a modern society and reflect on what it looked like hundreds of years ago. You don’t need to be an avid student of history to know that. All societies go through these types of changes at one point. There are a variety of parts and forces at work, many of which resist disruptions of the status quo. Sociologists define social change as a transformation of cultures, institutions, and functions.
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