Social change: innovation or conformity?

The external elements (soc images) which influence planned soc change & their effects on soc action are examined. Theoretical works & empirical studies referring to European countries are cited, in particular some studies of the soc aspects of industr conversions in France. It is pointed out that this reference material refers only to industr societies which have the particular traditional Western mode of apprehending the world in terms of time. The following aspects of soc change are considered: imitation & invention with regard to reference models; the need for a powerful model; sensitivity to change; the conflict between traditional & new models & images; & the need to create a new time perspective which is expressed by utopian plans & calculated programs which contribute to changing a backward-looking & myth- or tradition-based view of time to a forward-looking conceptualization. The interaction of the diff images of the change process held by individuals & the illusions & maneuvers implied as well as the conflicts of interests, approaches, & opposing forces which appear are analyzed re their influence on the actual process. Resistance to official pressures to change may be due to lack of information or traditional images. Those who resist change may attribute the most sinister machinations to those who attempt to institute change. The role of 'stripped-down' images in reassuring the people subjected to the change is emphasized. A clarification of intentions is necessary. Images may be considered as the necessary modulators of the acts of individuals drawn, on their own initiative or by reaction, into a current of transformations. These images help to dispel the uncertainties which determine many of the reactions of the actors. The success of change depends on the extent to which it is independent of external models while inspiring imitation & actions designed to bring about change. There is rigidity in the reciprocal perceptions of the opposing partners. Limited but tangible objectives & the clarification of antagonism will help to overcome this rigidity. M. Maxfield.