STIMULANTS and BARRIERS of

Social Change

Janu – Lee C. Tarnate

Barriers and Stimulants:
Cultural
Social
Psychological
Physical
Cultural Factors:
1. Values and Attitudes

2. Motor Patterns and Customary

Position
 CULTURE
refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge,
experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings,
hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles,
spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and
material objects and possessions acquired by a
group of people in the course of generations
through individual and group striving.
culture is the systems of knowledge shared by a
relatively large group of people (Bodley, 2005).
 1. Values and Attitudes Barriers
Traditionalism
Cultural Ethnocentrism
Norms of Modesty
Bahala na attitude
Pride and Dignity
Regionalism
*Traditionalism predisposes
the society to believe that
anything happens is the will
of some supernatural force
and cannot be modified by
human effort.
*Ethnocentrism often
expressed in the doctrine of
absolute values, upholds the
universal superiority of
one’s culture.
Norms of modesty/humility specify
what may be refined or vulgar in
society, and innovations are judge as
either appropriate or inappropriate,
refined or vulgar by such norms.
As a result, people tend to restrains
trying new things to avoid losing face.
RELATIVE VALUES
Cannot eliminate people’s prejudice
to change.
Judge the result of an undertaking
based on their own established
tradition. So, no matter how good the
change people have the tendency to
see certain flaws in it (Garcia, 1985).
2.Motor Patterns and
Customary Body Position
These set of patterns, the manipulation of
body in varied situations that are formed in
childhood, are relatively harder to change
since they are already set of patterns in adult.
Example:
Eating
Sleeping
Gestures
Holding and using mechanical tools or
equipment
Social Barriers to Change:
1. Patterns of Cooperation
2. Patterns of Competition
2. Authority Patterns
3. Characteristics of the
Social Structures
1. Patterns of Cooperation

*Patterns of Cooperation
may entail rigid reciprocal
relationships among
members of the kinship
group, like compadres, of
friendship of friend circles,
and other primary groups.
2. Patterns of Competition

*Competition or conflict
resulting from factionalism
and vested interests
prevented communities
from unifying to work for
the common good.
Authority Patterns

*Authority patterns within

the family and the political
structure and those
exceptional individuals may
also retard social change.
 Characteristics of the Social
Structures
•All institutions in the society are
channels through which social and
cultural change can be effected or
stability maintained.
Economy, government, and
educational systems are more
significant in initiating and
directing change.

*Caste and Class Divisions

The Industrial Revolution created giant
firms and corporation, the assembly line,
standardization, mass production which,
in turn, caused other changes throughout
societies. Further, the government may
not only accelerate changes through
guided programs and laws within itself,
but also in other systems in the society.
Elementary and secondary schools
prepare individuals for the world of
work, marriage, and assumption of
the general rules of society has in
store for them. College sharpens their
attitudes and makes them more
conscious for their general socio-
economic-cultural environment.
Caste and Class Divisions
the caste and class divisions within
the society may retard social change.
For eaxample, in facilitating in
handling down orders from superior
on one hand, they may limit the flow
of ideas from the subordinates and
thus retard change (Panopio, 1994).
Barnett and Mandelbaum
identify leaders as “marginal man” and the
“prestige-laden individual.”
They classify the “marginal man” as
dissatisfied with tradition, so he readily
accepts changes or new things within the
community. The “prestige individuals” are
the one, who has social position and wealth,
and may reject or accept innovation because
he does so.
Psychological Barriers

1.Difference in Perception

2.Problems of Communication
 1.Differences in Perception
The phenomenon of social change entails
participation of a great number of people,
including the administrative officials and
those in the bureaucratic ranks. Thus,
participants may have different perceptions
regarding the function of the agency, rules,
or behavior of expectations of each and the
value of activities which usually involve
the exchange of goods and services
 2.Problems of Communication
Communication problem may
revolve around language/dialect
difficulties. Some words, phrases,
and sentence which mean good in
one society may have bad
meanings in another society.
Thus, administrators and technical
experts, such as political scientist, the
doctor, lawyer, accountant,
agriculturist, sociologist,
psychologist and the like have their
own technical jargon or lingo. Hence,
the jargon of one expert may not
have its equivalent in that of another.
</, Fin . . .

Merci Beaucoup!