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According to (Smelser, 1962), state the six basic conditions for collective behavior.

      

According to (Smelser, 1962), state the six basic conditions for collective behavior.

  

Answers

Francis
a) Structural Conduciveness
Structural conduciveness refers to the surrounding social structures that make it possible for a particular type of collective behavior to occur. In schools, for example, the boating and hurting of a student by a class teacher can cause uproar, particularly if the beating was severe and done publicly. Students will tend to support a colleague. This can set in motion a chain of events that can culminate in a strike. Griffins (1996) gives a case in Kenya where, for ten years, a school had been charging its pupils money to buy a school bus yet the purchase was never made. There was a sole and in less than six months, the bus was, bought.

b) Structural strain
Structural strain refers to social conditions that put strain on people and so encourage them to seek some collective means of relieving the strain. In schools, structural strain can be produced by conditions such as extreme harshness and harassment from the administration, teachers and prefects, discrimination and favoritism, and poor school amenities.

c) Growth and Spread of a Generalized Belief
The growth of a generalized belief makes the structural strain personally meaningful. Individual students begin to identify the problem, form opinions about it and share ways of dealing with it. For example, students may feel that a certain teacher is extremely cruel and should leave the school, yet at the same time doubt if the principal will transfer the teacher, particularly if he is close to the principal. They will there-fore collectively think of ways to have the teacher leave.

d) Precipitating Factors
Precipitating factors refer to some kind of trigger mechanism that sets off the collective behavior. These factors are usually quite dramatic and provide evidence for the generalized belief. The evidence then adds to the structural strain felt by students. If the principal tells them that after thorough investigations he found their allegations un-founded, this can precipitate a student strike.

e) Mobilization far Action
The first four preconditions set the stage for students to act. Students may express their collective anger and frustration through random acts of destruction, demonstration to the District Education Office and absconding classes.
Collective behavior can be controlled if mechanisms exist to prevent and minimize the situation. Griffins (1996) points out that, good and efficiently administered schools are very few but poor schools are numerous. Some schools may perform well academically though their systems of managing pupils are poor.
francis1897 answered the question on August 19, 2022 at 12:28

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