Rural sociology needs a conceptualization of social change and its implications for the discipline. Scientifically adequate conceptualization would enable rural sociologists to understand their own and others' social roles as activities which are aspects of social change. With this understanding the rural sociologist could conceive of his practical experience not just as effort to implement policy or achieve goals but as raw evidence pertinent to generalizations about social change and significant for the discipline of general sociology as well as for his own degree of success or failure as a rural sociologist. Five related orders of social change have relevance to the performance of rural sociologists. First order changes pertain to bases for motivation viewed from a psycho-social perspective on individuals. Second, third, and fourth order changes encompass aspects of relationship between and among people in the context of a society. Fifth order changes embody changes in systems of symbols used to legitimize behavior. This conceptualization of social change is relevant for rural sociologists insofar as they use it to take perspective both on their participation in social change while contributing to the achievement of imperative functions and on change which they engender in others whom they influence. (JHZ)