Abstract
Smelser's theory of collective behavior was applied to a case study of fifty karate students to get an indication of whether or not the recent rise in popularity of karate instruction should be considered a craze that is likely to decline in the future. For comparative purposes a small sample of health spa members were also questioned, since spa participation can provide some of the same physical conditioning benefits at a comparable cost. Compared with spa members, karatekas showed greater evidence of a wish‐fulfillment generalized belief that would lead to learning karate as a means of self‐defense. Karatekas showed a greater fear of criminal victimization and a stronger belief in the effectiveness of karate. All six determinants, including social control, were found, leading to the conclusion that karate instruction is likely to follow a crazelike pattern and decline in popularity, but not completely disappear.
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