Neil Smelser

Who is Neil Smelser?

Neil Joseph Smelser is an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an active researcher from 1958 to 1994. His research has been on collective behavior.

He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1952. From 1952-54, he was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University where he studied economics, philosophy, and politics. At 24, he co-authored Economy and Society with Talcott Parsons. He earned his Ph.D in sociology from Harvard in 1958, and was a junior fellow of the Society of Fellows. He was the fifth director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences from 1994-2001. He retired in 1994 and is now an emeritus professor.

His value added theory argued that six elements were necessary for a particular kind of collective behaviour to emerge:

Structural conduciveness - things that make or allow certain behaviors possible

Structural strain - something must strain society

Generalized belief - explanation; participants have to come to an understanding of what the problem is

Precipitating factors - spark to ignite the flame