Factors Hindering the Process of Social Change

Related: Factors Promoting Social Change

Social change is a continuous process that brings about changes in societal patterns, behaviors, norms, traditions, and cultural values, promoting growth and innovation in society .

Factors hinder the process of social change

Conservative Mindset- A major obstacle in the process of social change

archaic societies are very resistant to social change. Because most members of this society share a common ethnic and sociocultural background and social institutions are strictly enforced. They are unable to think creatively or adapt to changes in their social lives because of their conservative mindset.

Poverty

The largest obstacle to any form of social change in society is poverty. Because those who are struggling financially are reluctant to try new things. Their social mobility and chances for a better life are restricted by this lack of bravery. As a result, they put their basic needs first, excluding any deviations from their daily routine.

Overpopulation

People oppose social change when a nation’s resources fall short of its population and the government is unable to provide for its citizens’ basic needs. For instance, environmental concerns are among the most prominent issues of our time, yet discussing them is considered absurd in South Africa.

Vested Interests hinder the process of social change

In every society, some groups, like landlords, have particular rights. These groups oppose social change because they see it as a danger to their privileges, vested interests, self-imposed leadership, and personal safety. They actively oppose alterations to the current social order. Because people are very poor, they have no resources to afford its cost even if they have a desire to improve it.

Socio-Psychological Reasons- Significant factors hindering the process of social change

Social workers, reformers, planners, and other interested parties must make deliberate and coordinated efforts to introduce new approaches in various spheres of society. However, because people are socio-psychologically attached to their old ways of thinking and doing things, it is typically difficult to change their habits, motivations, and value systems.

Social Issues

In any society, social ills impede the advancement of social change. Social issues that disrupt social harmony and cause disarray in the social structure include child abuse, human trafficking, drug addiction, prostitution, gambling, and more.

Trend of Non-Acceptance of Inventions

Every invention causes disruptions to the current social order, which cause people to become confused in their day-to-day interactions. For example, the invention of a labor-saving device that could work as hard as ten people in a day would undoubtedly lead to ideological disputes and/or underemployment and/or unemployment in the nation. As a result, people typically do not accept inventions easily. The example in this regard is the implementation of agricultural technology in rural regions.

Ideological conflicts

Some fundamental differences prevent certain ideas from being accepted in a culture. The people’s mindset is so twisted that they are unable to embrace other cultures right away. Islam, for example, forbids its adherents from accepting capitalism and its application in day-to-day affairs. Therefore, in a strictly Islamic state, we cannot introduce capitalism and the application of this ideology to day-to-day life.

Lack of education and illiteracy

In general, these two issues pose the biggest obstacles to implementing social change. In such a society, people believe that their traditional material and non-material cultural patterns are more appropriate than adopting new and enlightened approaches in both material and non-material domains.

Defective communication methods

If a society’s transportation and communication systems are inadequate, the agents of diffusion and acculturation cannot function effectively and efficiently. Many people struggle to understand how others live and succeed in their social, political, and economic lives. Therefore, the process of social distancing change is always slowed down by their ignorance.