Essay: Understanding Social Change

Sample Essay

Social change is characterized by shift in the mechanisms embedded in the social structure; other features in social change are alterations of cultural symbols, standards of behavior, social organizations, and value systems (Barringer, 1965). Social change involves major alteration with the given changes in time in regard to behavior patterns and cultural values and norms.

Note that the major alterations impact profoundly in the society and this is why this issue is considered of significant importance by sociologists today.  These major alterations having a prolonged impact in the society cover industrial revolution, the era of slave-free environment and the affirmative action. In other words, growth in the industries, eradication of slavery and the feminist movement characterize social change.

It is worth noting that in the historical development of sociology as a discipline, certain models of social change have been borrowed from other academic disciplines. It is evident that evolution as a model has been used to elucidate on certain processes in Biology, especially biological changes. In this sense, the concepts in social change took an evolutionary dimension. There are however, other models that have been considered in respect to social change, but evolution has predominantly persisted as the core principle.

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