10.3b Types of Social Movements

Sociologists categorize social movements based on the kind of change they want (micro-level or macro-level change) and their use of existing social institutions to bring about or resist change. Individual social movements may not fit neatly into a particular social movement category and share characteristics with multiple categories. Broadly, there are several types of social movements, including reactionary, reform, revolutionary, alternative, redemptive, and transnational.