Blumer (1951)
makes the distinction between ‘general’ and ‘specific’
social movements; with general social movements giving rise
to specific social movements. General social movements are
described as vague in their aims and unorganised in their
directions, yet they still derived from conditions of social
unrest. Social unrest can occur when people change their beliefs
or values, concerning what they believe they are entitled
to, or what society should be like for example. Blumer (1951)
refers to this as a ‘cultural shift’.
Individuals’ once unquestioned reality is challenged
which can lead to heightened emotions and dissatisfaction.
These feelings, together with various mechanisms, can produce
the catalyst for a specific social movement. Unlike general
SMs, specific SMs have clear objective and are organised and
structured. Members have a more collective identity, a “we-consciousness”,
and guiding philosophies, rules and expectations (Blumer,
1951). The first mechanism important to the development of
the movement is that of ‘agitation’.
Agitation works to cause a cultural shift explained previously,
and by promoting different ways of thinking, provoke restlessness.
The use of framing may feature heavily here in persuading
people they may be being treated unfairly. It is not enough
however, to merely cause people to be dissatisfied, some direction
must be given in order for individuals to act. Although a
leader of a movement may employ different techniques, what
they basically say is “you are dissatisfied and so we
– we are going to do something about it”.
Agitation produces unrest and the movement will produce
the solution. It is during these early stages of a movement’s
development that ‘elementary collective behaviour’
may occur.
This refers to behaviour normally associated with crowds
or mobs. In a crowd situation, people may not reflect on their
actions and normally self-controlled behaviour gives way to
more immediate social interaction – this can become
unpredictable and creative.
This description of behaviour is very much the line of thought
taken by researchers before the 1960s, who saw protestors
as acting abnormally and becoming swept up in a crowd. It
may be quite demeaning to activists to merely assume they
are acting irrationally or compensating for personal inadequacy
(Goodwin & Jasper, 2003). It is unclear in Blumer’s
account whether these protestors share any important common
characteristic, such as social position.
Another mechanism identified by Blumer (1951) as contributing
to a movement’s growth is the development of feelings
and closeness within the group. As personal reserve breaks
down, members will develop a sense of collective support and
belonging which, according to Blumer, make for concerted behaviour.
Please note: The above essays and dissertations were written by students and then submitted to us to display and help others. Thanks to all the students who have submitted their work to us.
