Rural Sociology and Psycology

1.6.4.Barriers to social change

These barriers are the obstacles for social change in a society. All the institutions, political, social economic and industrial, create barriers to social change while insisting upon perpetuation of traditions. Besides customs and traditions, lack of innovation and the inability to accept them is an important barrier to social change. The following are some of the barriers to social change.

1. Lack of invention and innovation

By means of inventions, human beings find out new ways and modes of adjustment with their natural and social environment. Man’s cultural development depends upon invention. It is due to various inventions made by man, human race has evolved out of the primitive stage to modern society. If the frequency of inventions are slow, then the pace of social change will also become slower. This is illustrated by the differences in the social life of developed, developing and under developed countries.

2. cultural barriers

By nature, man tends to preserve tradition, customs and old ways of life. These cultural barriers affect social change. Therefore people resist social change unless they are educated to favour it.

3. Social barriers

Conservation of social institutions is an obstacle to social change. In India, caste system is a serious obstacle to social change as true democracy cannot be realized if the caste system prevails.

4. Political barriers

This includes institutions such as forms of state, nature of government power, policies, etc. The nature of these institutions affect social change. Feudal Lords and monarchy are against social change.

5. Economic barriers

Poverty, unemployment, destitutes are serious obstacles to social change. Rich people and capitalists also resist social change out of fear that this may be against their interest. Therefore neither poverty nor richnets are suitable conditions for social change.