The notion of social change implies the modification or transformation of various types of structures belonging to a population group. This social change can be expressed in numerous ways, from superficial and constantly developing elements, as well as in structures of deep-rooted tradition. The reasons for which social change can take place are of various kinds and can also be explicit or implicit, voluntary or involuntary according to the type of population and external elements.
Matured by the first sociologists in history, led by Auguste Comte, the concept of social change has always fascinated students of societies since it has to do with the capacity of a given population or of several populations acting at the same time. , to vary structures of diverse importance to accommodate different historical moments of its existence.
Social change can be applied to many aspects of a society. Although it is normally related to economic-political issues, it can and should also be applied to cultural, ethical and identity issues of a community. For example, the changes in the forms of government, the evolution of the economic programs, the variation in the systems of customs, the modifications in the ways of representing reality culturally, the alteration of the behavioral values and the intrinsic identity changes of a society are all clear patterns of social change, even though some develop more easily and are more visible than others.
It can be said that the idea of social change has in most cases a positive connotation since it implies the evolution and adaptation of a society to the particular needs of each historical moment. In this sense, progressive and modernist social groups will always welcome social change towards new structures. However, for many sectors of the population, those who are called conservative or reactionary, social change can be seen as something negative since it means leaving behind certain values, rules of conduct and ways of understanding the world traditionally accepted as the most correct regardless of the development of the social group.
