Rural Sociology and Psycology (1+0)

1.6.1.Social Change

Introduction

Change is the law of nature. Changes take place rapidly in the modern world. Changes occur in each and every walk of life over a period of time. Changes do occur in the various components of the society. Our understanding of the society will be incomplete unless we take into consideration the varying nature of the society. Social change is the change in social structure which is a web of social relationships. Social relationships include social processes, social patterns and social interactions. These include the mutual activities and relations of the various parts of the society.

Definition

Jones : Social change is a term used to describe variations or modifications of any aspect of social processes, social patterns and social interactions or organization.

K. Davis : Social change means only such alterations as secure in social organisations – that is, the structure and functions of society.

Human society is constituted by human beings. Thus, when human behaviour is in the process of modifications or change, it is an indications of social change. The extent and nature of social change can be verified by glancing at the history of any society. Since man is dynamic, society can never remain static and it undergoes constant variation. However, the rate of change varies from society to society. In a modern and developed society, the rate of social change will be faster than that of a traditional and under developed society.