Psychological processes underlying normative transformation and social change

There have been widespread social changes in the past decade, including changes in gender norms, increases in political polarization and populism, and noticeable shifts toward sustainability. In this Review, we analyse the psychological processes that drive social change, considering factors at the group and individual levels of analysis. We centre our analysis around the concept of social norms — socially shared views of what is common or desirable — and argue that the processes that trigger social change often begin when there is a substantive tension between norms within society. Normative tension can occur vertically between norms at the societal level and the norms that emerge at the group level, or between individuals’ normative preferences and the norms of their groups. Normative tension can also occur horizontally between the norms that different groups have regarding their values, preferences and behaviours. We explain how normative tension mobilizes individuals to engage in collective action and how conflicting social norms are contested at the group level. We also highlight individual differences that predispose people to challenge or defend existing social norms. Together, our Review highlights the complex interactions between societal, group and individual-level variables in societal transformations. Social norms are the formal and informal rules that define acceptable and desirable group member behaviour. In this Review, Gonzalez et al. explain how tensions between societal and group norms, between individual and group norms, and between norms of different groups mobilize collective action and promote social change.