Starting with the name of ALLAH

Social Change Its Theory and

Its Factor

Definitions of Social changeAccording to Davis: By social change is meant only such alternative as occur in social organization that is structure and functions of society.According to Jones: Social changes is a term used to describe “variation or modification of any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction or social organiztion.

According to Horton and Hunt: Social change is meant change in the social structure or function of societal forms.

Thus we can conclude that social change is the reorganization of society in terms of time and place.

Theory of Social Change:Ibn-e-Khaldun (1332-1406 AD) Theory: His full name is Abdul Rehman Abu Zayd Ibne Muhammad Ibn-e-Khaldun. He is also called the father of socialogy. He has given his view on social change. According to him, nation or dynasties have a natural life span like individual and no matter what the circumstance are, no dynasty last more than three generation. That changes follow the clockwise pattern. He said that every generation is equal to average duration of an individual’s life

Which is about 120 years and this process is repeatedly occurring in the same society. These three stages will be growth development and decay. When the last stage i.e decay comes, it soon dies its natural death and disappears in the darkness of history, hence the rise and fall of the nations occur. Because when a nation rose to the top. it will have to fall. He has name it as the rise and fall of the nations.

Factors of Social ChangeA) Geographical Factor.1) Physical or geographical factor.2) Natural calamites and climate.3) Migration.B) Biological Factor.2) Population factor.3) Cultural Factor…..3) Technology factor.2) Diffusion.

3) Psychological factor.4) Isolation and contact.5) Social structure.6) Attitude and values.

A) Geographical factors:1) Physical factor: some times changes in the

physical environment also bring changes which are important for society. The physical changes or physical factors for example a change from greenery into desert. It means that if an area is green one and after sometime it convert into a desert, this is physical change and it effects the social change.

2) Climate or natural calamities: climate and all factors of the earth’s surface influence man’s

Livelihood heat, cold, atmospheric conditions, draught, earthquake etc. are factors whose interplay man condition.

3) Migration: many human groups throughout history have changed their physical environment through migration especially in primitive societies where the people were directly dependent upon their physical environment. Migration to different environment brings major changes in culture.B) Biological factors: plants and animals form a part of man’s non-human environment and as in the case of this geographic environment man modifies and uses it in ways that are culturally determined.

1) Population factor: human being themselves are a part of man’s biologic environment both changes in the genetic character of human beings and changes in the density composition and numbers of population can be important factor of social change.C) Cultural factor: contact with different cultures diffusion, invention, discovery and borrowing and technology etc. are sources from which some changes in society emerge. As factors in interplay with others, they are significant in the process of social change.

1) Technology factor: it is the source and stimulating factor for social change. The role of technology may be vary from society to society, often being very significant as in the U.S.A, japan and now in Malaysia and frequently setting off a series of other changes. In other societies technology may play a much less significant role in social change.

2) Diffusion: the spreading of the characteristics of one culture to another. It is suggested that all the social and cultural changes are the result of contact between different cultures that is every innovation of culture born once and then spread to other cultures. For example modern technology as computer, automobiles, electronics, TV etc are the forign innovation imported by us and adopted.

3) Psychological factor: it is consider important for social change. Psychological acceptance of change prepares one for discovering new things and new ways of life. As a result the values, mores, traditions and customs of human society would be undergoing perpetual changes.4) Isolation and contact: those societies which are located at the cross roads, but having contact with other societies and cultural groups, get some new traits of culture of other groups in contact.

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