Chapter 5

Learning Objectives 

After reading this chapter, one should be able to answer the following questions:    

1. What is social change?  
2. Why is an understanding of social change important to community psychology?  
3. How might social change occur?  
4. What are some differences between planned and unplanned change?  
5. How might social change be difficult?   

Test your knowledge of this chapter with this quiz!  

Question 1

Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (1974) believed that ________ order change brought about systems change.

first order

second order

third order

fourth order

None

Question 2

Which of the following issues is unlikely to cause pressure for social change?

Declining resources

Community conflict

Increased calls for accountability

Homogenous populations

None

Question 3

Brown versus Board of Education is an example of social change that…

occurred as a result of population changes

was brought about by violence

took several generations to accomplish

brought immediate national change

None

Question 4

One of the guiding values in community psychology is:

Conservation of resources

Attention to detail

Respect for tradition

Social justice

None

Question 5

According to Alinsky, who wrote Rules for Radicals, confrontative change efforts should:

use ridicule where possible

do whatever it takes to get the public’s attention

convey a sense of strong threat

all of the above

None

Question 6

Which of the following is not a good exampole of technology changing society?

The car

Smart phones

The internet

all of the above

None

Question 7

The Swampscott Conference leading to a community psychology is given as an example of

Accountability leading to change

Technology leading to change

Dissatisfaction leading to change

Conflicts leading to change

None

Question 8

Gregory, Henry, Schoeny, (2007) found that of the following, ___________ was NOT important to the adoption of change.

administrative leadership

fluidity

context

supportive climate

All of the above

None

Question 9

Capacity building is

Organizational strengths and abilities

Aimed at increasing the size of storage facilities

Used to establish fiscal worth

Believed to be related to financial growth

None

Question 10

The text believes that the resistance to social changes might be based on

the inability to empathize with those who would be positively affected by the change

behavioral tendencies to resist change

cognitive tendencies to resist change

All of the above

None

Time’s up

Study Questions 

1. Provide some examples of social change and how it has brought new ways of thinking or behaving.  
2. Compare and contrast planned and unplanned changes in your community. What might have helped during these times?  
3. What have you heard about A.I. and how it could impact your life? 
4. Explain community psychology’s interest in social change.  
5. What is “capacity building” and how does it fit into community psychology practice?   

Additional Resources 

• US Census: https://www.census.gov/  
• Videos 
  • “Inspiring social change through community organizing” (Dara Frimmer, TEDxUCLA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DtILpmsCcA  
  • Arthur Brooks “Happiness” YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGuyFRjJQFGCKzfHTBvWM6A