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Modernisation theories – an introduction Part - 1

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Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Process of Modernisation
  3. Daniel Lerner – mass media as proponent of modernisation
  4. Walt Rostow – Stages of Growth
  5. David McClelland – Achievement Motivation Theory
  6. Summary

Introduction

Though its roots go all the way back to the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment, modernization theory or simply modernization came into existence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It derives from the idea of progress, which holds that improvements in social structure, science, and technology can lead to an improvement in the lot of people. The modernization of society and the advancement of science and technology, also known as scientific progress, have improved people's quality of life in general, which has improved the state of humanity. Societies go through a process of social evolution, moving from one stage to the next. Simple, agrarian societies experience changes as a result of the influence of technological development and adapt as they interact with other societies that advance development. This has an effect on a society's defining characteristics and fundamentally alters it. In other words, both internal and external factors cause a society to change and adapt to its new environment.

Marx foresaw a particular future trajectory for the societies that had adopted the capitalist model of development after the Industrial Revolution. According to him, capitalism is a self-consuming and self-destructive model of development, and society will advance in a way that results in the eradication of capitalism and even the concept of private property. e. Due to the nature of capitalism, society will eventually transition from a capitalist to a communist and then a socialist system. With the advancement of society, modernization emerged as a potential alternative course of action. Modernization is the term used to describe the social and cultural advancements that follow economic expansion. The process by which a society develops and "modernizes" is known as this. Modernization as a theory seeks to explain the process of social evolution and attempts to pinpoint the social factors that influence social development and advancement. It is a model of a gradual change from a "pre-modern" or "traditional" society to a "modern" society, to put it simply.

Lauer says that the social psychology of modernisation tries to understand the following points in a broad sense. 
  • Is there a ‘modern’ person who holds attitudes and values that are distinct from those of the pre-modern individual and that are a necessary part of the modernisation process? 
  • If so, is the modern individual as result of modernisation or a necessary cause of modernisation? (Lauer 1982: 101)
Talcott Parsons' term "structural differentiation" is used to describe the beginning of modernization. In order to cope with the complexity of its environment, structural differentiation is a characteristic of contemporary society. The process of differentiation adds to the system's complexity and enables it to respond to environmental variation. According to Ritzer, increased variation made possible by differentiation not only enables better responses to the environment but also promotes socio-cultural evolution, which is a process of selection from variation; the more differentiation that is available, the better the selection. (2007: 95-96).

The Process of Modernisation

Various facets of a society are impacted by the changes that are occurring, which results in the modernization process. As a result of the changes in these social spheres, the individuals who make up the society are also directly impacted, resulting in the emergence of the modern individual in the modern society. These areas or indices are examined collectively under the social mobilization. The best indicators for studying the socio-demographic effects of modernization are those that fall under the umbrella term "social mobilization," as coined by Karl Deutsch. According to Deutsch, it is "a process in which major clusters of old social, economic, and psychological commitments are eroded and broken and people become available for new patterns of socialization and behavior. He has indicated that some of its indices are exposure to aspects of modern life through demonstrations of machinery, buildings, consumers' goods, response to mass media, change of residence, urbanization, change from agricultural occupations, literacy, and growth in the use of consumer goods.". (1973, Eisenstadt, 23).

A society must possess a number of distinctive traits to qualify as a modern society. These are the structural traits of a society, and they are as follows:
  • There is a high level of differentiation in the society. 
  • The resources that are available to the society are not under the control of a fixed, ascriptive group. 
  • The identity of the members of the society transcends the narrower boundaries of their immediate groupings and they now identify with a wider, non-traditional, “national” or even super national group identity. 
  • The development of the various institutional spheres is marked by specialised roles and there are wider regulative and allocative roles in the economic, political and bureaucratic organisations of the society.
In today's society, structural differentiation and social mobilization coexist, and all significant social institutions undergo change. The economic, political, and cultural spheres undergo structural changes that transform the society into a modern one. Economic activities and job roles are becoming increasingly specialized, and the production objectives are shifting toward market orientation. Every commodity that can be sold today, including goods, labor, money, and other things, has a complex market. The social structure of the society under consideration is directly impacted by this economic sector structural change. Due to specialized economic, professional, and civic activities, the population of urban centers is growing at a faster rate than the national average. The breakdown of traditional ascriptive status factors like tribe, estate, or region is influenced by increasing urbanization. Social mobility, which is attained through economic, occupational, and educational means, enables the emergence of more adaptable and diverse status markers to replace these. The educational landscape of the society changes when the economic landscape does. Due to social mobility, there is more or less fluid movement between the various strata today where previously the major institutions catered to the needs and demands of the elite. The major institutions respond by going through a change in order to adapt to this change. The elite are no longer the primary target; instead, a broader social group is now the focus, and issues with social mobility and occupational mobility in particular are addressed.

In the past, only a select few people held political power, or more specifically the power to influence the political apparatus. There has been a structural change in the political landscape of the society as a result of a greater number of individuals with economic influence who are also educated and aware of their elevated position in society. The administrative and political institutions in modern society are becoming more centralized, and the legitimacy of government is no longer derived from traditional sources, such as divine right, etc. However, new political ideologies are used to restructure the political institutions, and the rulers are then held responsible for their actions while in office by the people they are supposed to represent. That is to say, those who are ruled also hold the potential for political power. This shift in the political landscape ultimately results in a democratic system in which all of the adult citizens participate in the political process. Now it is up to the rulers to keep their hold on power while attempting to match their propaganda with the demands of the populace. In order to keep themselves in positions of authority and win the support of the largest groups in a society, they attempt to appeal to the needs of the populace.

A modern society experiences structural differentiation of its main cultural and value systems, including religion, philosophy, education, and others. The old value systems fall out of favor, and new values that emerge take their place. These go hand in hand with the development of the modern society, which places a strong emphasis on literacy campaigns, secular education, and the expansion of more advanced intellectual fields in general. The advancement of specialized roles based on these intellectual disciplines is caused by an increase in the complexity of the intellectual institutional system. Overall, modernization causes a very fundamental change in the very structure of the society; it methodically eliminates the outdated and ushers in the contemporary. To keep up with the advancements brought about by the process of modernization, all the major social institutions go through change. This module focuses on three thinkers in particular and the ways in which they view modernization from either a social or an individual perspective. they are.
  • 1. Daniel Lerner – mass media, cultural products as means to promote economic and social development in post-colonial countries. 
  • 2. Walt Rostow – the stages of economic growth 
  • 3. David McClelland – the achievement oriented personality

Daniel Lerner – mass media as proponent of modernisation

American academic and author Daniel Lerner proposed a modernization theory based on the use of mass media. In the fields of media development and development communication, his work is regarded as influential as well. In his research, Lerner focused on how the media can help post-colonial nations promote their social and economic development. His modernization theory is unmistakably western-centric and places a lot of emphasis on the superiority of American cultural, social, economic, and political systems. Lerner attempts to develop a theory of social transformation and modernization through the influence of mass media in his book, "The Passing of Traditional Society: Modernizing the Middle East.". He researched the role that propaganda plays in the modernization process, including how it can be used to mobilize the public and generate opinion. He contends that the mass media can aid societies in transitioning from traditional to modern. The rationale for the change included the following justifications: "No modern society functions efficiently without a developed system of mass media," "mass media "open to the large masses of mankind the infinite vicarious universe," of modern ideas and experiences, and "media exposure produces desire dot. When many people have this desire, "a transition is under way" toward modernization. "to live in the world 'lived' only vicariously". Islam is completely defenseless against "a rationalist and positivist spirit" embodied in Western-style democratic institutions because "what the West is, the Middle East seeks to become.".

The beginning of modernization, according to Lerner, occurs when a country's rural population begins to migrate to the cities due to economic factors like better employment opportunities. This accelerates the urbanization process and creates a population in urban areas with basic needs that must be met. Better education systems, free-trade markets, and other institutions built on contemporary, democratic principles are all necessary in this regard. Additionally, the urban population's consumption of media is growing exponentially. Higher levels of political and economic participation are a result of growing literacy rates and media consumption. The population of a country's changing decision-making pattern is very receptive to the fresh concepts and principles that serve as modernization's cornerstone.

The modernization process is made to seem more appealing by the mass media, which also plays a significant role in influencing public opinion in favor of these new beliefs and ideals. The West's images and ideas are spread through the media, which aids postcolonial nations in replacing their old ways of thinking with new ones. According to Lerner, the ability and desire to project oneself into unfamiliar situations and places is known as "psychic mobility," which is promoted by the mass media. In other words, a man's ability to react to his environment with empathy, reason, and a constrained participant style is an adaptive trait. Traditional man is passive and compliant; he anticipates continuity in nature and society and does not believe that man has the power to alter or control either. Contrarily, modern man is convinced that change is both necessary and desirable, and he has faith in his capacity to exert control over it in order to achieve his goals. The desire to go through the same development and modernization as the West is cultivated in mass media's target audience. According to Lerner, any country in the world can modernize if it is willing to adopt the Western pattern of growth. This school of thought was distinct from the colonial viewpoint, which blamed backwardness and lack of development on racial inferiority and genetic predisposition. As Everett M. Rogers put it, abandoning traditional customs and beliefs that support a "subculture of peasantry" is a prerequisite for modernization. The rest of the post-colonial world is seen as greatly benefiting from the Western way by imitating them, as it is a shining example of development.

Lerner’s model of cultural and intellectual superiority is based on the process of cultural maturity that is divided into three phases. These are as following:
  • the traditional phase 
  • the transitional phase 
  •  the modern phase
The traditional phase is characterized by the adherence to and application of antiquated values and concepts that retard development. Economic, technological, or cultural innovations and practices are not made in this phase because there is no emphasis on improving or changing the status quo on a social or cultural level. Due to the feudal economic system and predominance of agriculture, outdated technology, and traditional socio-cultural values, which are demonstrated by the status of women and educational attainment, Progress is halting and the overall developmental process is stagnant.

A change in societal values and beliefs can be observed during the transitional phase. More specifically, the younger generation has undergone change as a result of mass media exposure, which has exposed them to Western ideas of socio-economic and cultural development in previously traditional societies. Older people are resistant to change and continue to hold onto their traditional beliefs and ways of doing things.

The modern era is marked by capitalism, technological development, and, on the sociocultural front, women's suffrage and the expansion of modern education. In this phase, the elites have a significant role. The elites serve as role models for the masses through the mass media as well as manifestations of what can happen when you embrace modernization and new, Western values. His modernization theory is based on Lerner's research into Middle Eastern societies, particularly Balgat Turkey. But this theory, like all theories, has some drawbacks. First off, the theory clearly favors the west and advocates a neocolonial developmental model, which does not do away with the traditional societies' dependence on their more advanced western counterparts. In a broader sense, the western modernization process is seen as development and, consequently, a superior way of life, which devalues traditional societies and their distinctive cultural traits. Second, Lerner's theory appears to only be applicable to Turkey's development process and does not appear to be applicable to other Middle Eastern societies like Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iran. The generalizations made by Lerner aren't accurate or conclusive because they are based on an insufficient sample size. The strongest criticism, in third place, comes from experts on postcolonial societies. They claim that Lerner's idea of modernization presumes the inferiority of traditional societies and sees their eradication as an inevitable outcome of modernization. It imposes Western modernization ideas on traditional societies. This is frequently violent and oppressive, and it ignores the actual needs of the societies. Despite other considerations, scientific advancement and technology are viewed favorably, and rather than changing a traditional society naturally, change is imposed on it through propaganda.

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