Folk theory of social change

Abstract

People have a folk theory of social change (FTSC). A typical Western FTSC stipulates that as a society becomes more industrialized, it undergoes a natural course of social change, in which a communal society marked by communal relationships becomes a qualitatively different, agentic society where market‐based exchange relationships prevail. People use this folk theory to predict a society's future and estimate its past, to understand contemporary cross‐cultural differences, and to make decisions about social policies. Nonetheless, the FTSC is not particularly consistent with the existing cross‐cultural research on industrialization and cultural differences, and needs to be examined carefully.

Vegetarian Utopias: Visions of dietary patterns in future societies and support for social change

“…However, the notion that individuals will become more community-oriented and collective in plant-based future societies is also a potentially useful concept for advocates of plant-based diets. Kashima et al (2009) suggest that individuals who expect the future to be less communal (and who believe that policies can bring about social change), are more favourable to social policies that are likely to increase communality in society.…”

“…If plant-based futures are viewed as simpler, more communal societies, perhaps this could be part of the reason why many participants described these futures as unlikely (i.e., perhaps plant-based futures do not fit within Western folk expectations of how the future is likely to develop; see Kashima, et al, 2009). However, the notion that individuals will become more community-oriented and collective in plant-based future societies is also a potentially useful concept for advocates of plant-based diets.…”

“…More specifically, there is a perception that traditional societies tend to display more interpersonal warmth, but less competence, whereas modern societies are perceived as more competent, but less warm. Kashima et al (2009) identified that, for individuals who believed that policies can influence society, the perception that a future modern society would be less communal was associated with greater support for policies that promoted communality. Increasing theoretical developments such as the work by Kashima et al (2009) and Bain et al (2013) have contributed to our understanding of when and why visions of the future can motivate current support for social change across different contexts.…”

“…In addition to positive visions of future society, beliefs about the way that society is most likely to develop also appear to play a role in motivating support for social change (Kashima et al, 2009). Individuals in Western societies generally understand social change as the linear development from traditional society to modern society; a belief that has been labelled the "folk theory of social change" (Kashima et al, 2009, p. 227).…”

Vii. Gender in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries: Reflections, Limitations, Directions, and Implications

“…Educating girls would therefore have positive cascading effects on human development and national economies (at least in the long-term) because more educated girls delay marriage and childbearing, are less likely to be poor, have children with fewer health and growth problems, and ensure that their offspring become educated as well (ILO; 2009;Leinberger-Jabari et al, 2005). Economic development and schooling are especially influential in positive cultural change (Kashima et al, 2009;Inglehart & Baker, 2000). In short, the affirmative characteristics of caregiver (especially maternal) education vis-à-vis child development are profound and pervasive.…”