Sociology 432: Social Movements

Mobilization: causes of social movement participtaion

• Micro (which individuals join social movements?):
• attitudes: psychological predisposition towards movement
• discontent with society & sympathy with movement goals
• identity: participation reaffirms self concept
• efficacy: belief that participation will affect outcome:
• belief that movement actions will have an effect
• free rider problem: belief that own participation will help movement
• networks: contacts and friendships in the movement
• costs and barriers
• costs imposed by opponents
• barriers because of people's other commitments
• Macro (what social conditions make a movement more likely?)
• historical: crisis that threatens status quo
• structural: prior organizations that facilitate collective action
• cultural: changes in popular culture