Investigating the Role of Relative Deprivation in the Formation of Collective Behavior among the Young in Kermanshah City based on Blumer's Interactionism Theory

This paper aims to investigate the role of relative deprivation in the formation of collective behavior among the young in Kermanshah based on Blumer’s interactionism theory. He is one of the outstanding figures concerning studies done about collective behavior in the field of sociology. He believed that collective behavior develops through five stages: social motivation, formation of connective behaviors, commitment to integrity, ideology, and operational tactics. The instrument used in the present study is a questionnaire. The population of the study includes people from 19 to 35 years old in Kermanshah. Through systematic random sampling, 400 people were chosen. The construct and face validity of the present questionnaire have been tested and the reliability is ensured through Cronbach’s Alpha. The statistical methods used in the study are Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Logistic Regression. The findings of the study show that relative deprivation is a key element in forming collective behavior among the young people. Other factors like value expectations are influential in creating relative limitation and consequentially in forming collective behavior. The results of the study show that elements like relative deprivation, value abilities, and value expectations could predict 51.74 percent of young people’s tendency for participating in collective behaviors.