Social Acceptance and Social Change

Abstract

People have a fundamental need for social acceptance that drives their behaviour in a wide variety of situations. One such situation is inspiring social change. People are motivated to join social movements to fulfil their need for social acceptance. They are more likely to become involved in social change following a depletion in their social acceptance and if they possess personality traits related to an increased desire for social acceptance. Social identity can also affect social change, specifically through the mechanism of social acceptance. People who feel a stronger sense of identity with their group, those who are more accepted, are more likely to be participants in social change movements. Finally, social acceptance seems to directly impact people’s participation in social change. Making someone feel accepted, through social affirming language or social media use, increases their participation in social change. Ultimately, there are a multitude of ways in which social acceptance increases social change.