Social dynamics

Social dynamics is the analysis of social systems and behavior. Social dynamics, or more specifically situational dynamics in social systems is not a new area of study. What is surprising to some is the proliferation of its influence on multi-disciplinary studies of living social systems.

In a recent content analysis, sociologists, ethnologists, economists, social psychologists, criminologists, anthropologists and (given our expanded knowledge of complex social interactions among animals and insects), biologists are utilizing situational dynamics in their studies of systems and behavior.

Social dynamics originated in the social sciences. Social psychology at its simplest definitive level may be what writers at Trinity University define as involving "the ways in which both social and mental processes determine action." [1]

Situational dynamics is more complex. It may have started with W. I. Thomas' (1928) definition of a situation "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences." (pp. 571-2)

The Dictionary of Terms and Terminology of Sociology defines a definition of a situation as: "The determination of status and roles relevant in a social situation." [2]

Professor Conway of Texas A&M University has another definition. He uses many modern theories to amend Mr. Thomas' earlier work: "If you define a situation as real, it is real to you in its consequences. However, your definition of a situation may be influenced by how others perceive the same situation." (1980) [Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas Lecture]

This is the basis upon which social dynamics functions. Situations determine action based on complex social, biological and psychological processes. Stanley Milgram, Leon Festinger, and others have spent their careers studying these interactions. Now a host of other theorists in many disciplines have joined them.

For further reading:

• COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IN POST-SOVIET RUSSIANS. MIRONENKO, Irina A.; Humanitarian University of TU, St. Petersburg, Russia.

• Mermaids and Ethics: The Role of Women in Organisations. Eva E Tsahuridu. Edith Cowan University, Faculty of Business & Public Management Pearson Street, Churchlands, Western Australia 6018

• THE JOURNAL OF JAPANESE STUDIES Abstract Takeyuki Tsuda The Stigma of Ethnic Difference: The Structure of Prejudice and "Discrimination" toward Japan's New Immigrant Minority, Volume 24, Number 2 (Summer 1998)

• Jill Harries, Law and Empire in Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. ix, 235. ISBN 0-521-41087-8 Reviewed by Charles Pazdernik, Emory University] [Drs. Thomas Petee and Janice Wittekind of Auburn University presented a talk called, "Mass Murder in America: Copycat Effects and Other Situational Dynamics."]

• Scientifically Dissecting Violence Canela-Cacho, MacCoun Are Part of an International, Interdisciplinary Consortium to Develop Theories on Violence by Fernando Quintero. Copyright 1996, The Regents of the University of California. Produced and maintained by the Office of Public Affairs at UC Berkely.

• CRIME PROFILES The Anatomy of Dangerous Persons, Places, and Situations Second Edition Terance D. Miethe, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Richard C. McCorkle, University of Nevada, Las Vegas ISBN: 1-891487-54-X]

References:

W.I Thomas and D.S. Thomas. (1928). The Child in America: Behavior Problems and Programs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

[W.I. Thomas, The Unadjusted Girl . Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1923.]

External links

• www.propaganda101.com/cognitiv.htm

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Social dynamics can be roughly defined as mathematics applied to sociology. Since life and societies are systems of information dealing with genes or culture, we can try to describe them by signals modified by transmission functions. Some examples follow.

If a society is small, its individuums can come to a fine consensus in a short time, that means that its amplitude error is small and its frequency bandwidth is high. But its absolute amplitude is small, so this society is still dependant from the big amplitude of nature, from the forces of nature. A big society can overcome hunger, disease and poverty, but its political media are hogs; high but lagged and distorted output signal.

Let´s advance to back-propagation. Feedback can have a negative or a positive sign. Negative feedback reduces amplitude and linearizes the information transmission, positive feedback does the opposite. Feedback polarity can change over frequency, that is the phase. Negative feedback is often used to diminish amplitude errors, but as the signal sign changes at high frequencies due to reaction delays a resonance can occur, leading to all kind of wicked phaenomenons, in the worst case catastrophic failure of the transmission line.

An example for a social resonance is the cyclus between economic boom and recession, the resonance frequency is mostly ~2-5 years. The strength of a resonance is measured by the parameter Q (for quality).

Signal theory knows some more interesting parameters as for example great-signal bandwidth and small-signal bandwidth, maxiumum output swing, noise floor, and more. If you incidentally are in statistical physics or op-amp electronics you are common with this stuff.

External links:

• http://139.142.203.66/pub/www/Journal/vol3/iss2/art4/

• http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~read/connectionism_preface2.html

See also: Sociobiology, Memetics

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