Value-added theory (also known as social strain theory) is a
sociological theory
A sociological theory is a that intends to consider, analyze, and/or explain objects of social reality from a sociological perspective,Macionis, John and Linda M. Gerber. 2010. ''Sociology'' (7th Canadian ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson ...
, first proposed by
Neil Smelser in 1962, which posits that certain conditions are needed for the development of a
social movement.
[Kendall, 2005]
Overview
Smelser porter considered social movements to be the side-effects of rapid
social change
Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations.
Definition
Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or socio ...
.
[Porta & Diani, 2006] He argued that six things were necessary and sufficient for
collective behavior to emerge,
and that social movements must evolve through the following relevant stages:
[Sztompka, 2004]
* Structural conduciveness: the structure of society must be organized in such a way that certain protest actions become more likely.
* Structural strain: there must be a
strain
Strain may refer to:
Science and technology
* Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes
* Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule
* Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...
on society that is caused by factors related to the structure of the current
social system
In sociology, a social system is the patterned network of relationships constituting a coherent whole that exist between individuals, groups, and institutions. It is the formal structure of role and status that can form in a small, stable group. A ...
, such as inequality or injustice, and existing power holders are unwilling or unable to address the problem.
* Generalized belief: the strain should be clearly defined, agreed upon, and understood by participants in group action.
* Precipitating factors: event(s) must occur that act as the proverbial spark that ignites the flame of action.
* Mobilization for action: participants must have a network and organization that allows them to take
collective action.
* Operation (failure) of social control: authorities either will or will not react. High levels of
social control by those in power, like politicians or police, often makes it more difficult for social movements to achieve their goals.
In academia
The concept of
value added
In business, total value added is calculated by tabulating the unit value added (measured by summing unit profit sale price and production cost">Price.html" ;"title="he difference between Price">sale price and production cost], unit depreciation ...
is also utilized in the field of
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
; in this case it refers to the total value of the revenue created by a product minus intermediate consumption.
Criticism
Critics of value-added theory note that it is overly focused on the
structural-functional approach because it views all strain on society as disruptive.
See also
*
Value theory
In ethics and the social sciences, value theory involves various approaches that examine how, why, and to what degree humans value things and whether the object or subject of valuing is a person, idea, object, or anything else. Within philosophy ...
*
Relative deprivation
Relative deprivation is the lack of resources to sustain the diet, lifestyle, activities and amenities that an individual or group are accustomed to or that are widely encouraged or approved in the society to which they belong. Peter Townsend, ''Po ...
*
Framing
*
Political opportunity
Political opportunity theory, also known as the political process theory or political opportunity structure, is an approach of social movements that is heavily influenced by political sociology. It argues that success or failure of social movements ...
*
Resource mobilization
Notes
References
*
Piotr Sztompka
Piotr Sztompka (born 2 March 1944, in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish sociologist known for his work on the theory of social trust. He is professor of sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and has also frequently served as vi ...
in ''Shaping sociological imagination: The importance of theory'',
Jeffrey C. Alexander
Jeffrey Charles Alexander (born 1947) is an American sociologist, and a prominent social theorist. He is the founding figure in the school of cultural sociology he refers to as the "strong program".
Career
He was born May 30, 1947, in Milwauke ...
, Gary T. Marx, Christine L. Williams (ed.), ''Self, Social Structure, and Beliefs'', University of California Press, 2004,
Google Print, p.254* Diana Kendall, ''Sociology In Our Times'', Thomson Wadsworth, 2005,
Google Print, p.530*
Donatella della Porta, Mario Diani, ''Social Movements: An Introduction'', Blackwell Publishing, 2006,
Google Print, p.7
Further reading
*
Neil J. Smelser
Neil Joseph Smelser (1930–2017) was an American sociologist who served as professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an active researcher from 1958 to 1994. His research was on collective behavior, sociological the ...
, ''Theory of collective behavior'', various, 1962
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Social movements
Sociological theories