Finally, reformers are needed — those who work within official political and legal systems to incorporate solutions into laws and government policies and make them part of everyday common sense.

It can be challenging to value and embody all four roles, as they often appear to be in conflict with one another, and individuals are naturally drawn to one role more than another. That’s why it's important to understand how these roles relate to the different phases of a social movement.

1. Citizen 

Promotes positive shared values (says YES to what’s positive) Gains credibility/legitimacy from ordinary citizens Resists attempts by those in power to discredit the movement Engages with those in power from a place of credibility and shared values 

Ineffective Citizen: Ineffective citizens buy into the dominant narrative of how things should be. And if they do admit that something is wrong, they tend to see it as an isolated incident rather than recognizing the underlying contradictions or conflicts of interest.

2. Rebel

• Brings specific issues to the public agenda
• Creates creative tension — showing the gap between what is and what should be
• Clearly says NO to violations of positive values

Ineffective Rebel:
Negative rebels resort to insults and aggressive actions against those in power. They support militant protest actions driven by intense feelings of anger, hostility, and frustration. They preach change where the end justifies the means, including disruption and "destruction." Their activities are often focused on tactics and are frequently counterproductive. They tend to see themselves as part of the margins of society and the movement, viewing the world as a battle between good (themselves) and evil (the enemy).

3. Organiser 

• Contributes to a new public consensus
• Works as an open system, meaning they inform the public and learn from dialogues with the public and those in power, keeping their ideas open to change
• Plans and works for the long term
• Brings people and groups together and builds coalitions

Ineffective Organiser:
Proclaims utopian ideas without engaging in grassroots struggles to achieve them. Sometimes attempts to address symptoms without seeking systemic change or a paradigm shift.

4. Reformer

• Uses official channels (legal, electoral, lobbying) to bring about change
• Takes the lead in dialogue with those in power
• Moves between the movement and the broader public

Ineffective Reformer:
Maintaining the organization becomes the top priority. They may adopt the vision of those in power and pursue only so-called “realistic” small reforms. They become disconnected from the grassroots movement and the general public. They act as if they represent the entire movement.

Citizen

Reformer

Ineffective

+ Naive Citizen: Believes in the “Official Policy.” Is not yet aware that those in power and institutions serve the interests of an elite, at the expense of less powerful minorities and the common good.
-or-
+ Super-Patriot: Blind obedience to those currently in power.

Effective

+ Proclaims positive national values, principles, and symbols such as democracy, freedom, justice, and nonviolence.
+ Ordinary citizen
+ Rooted in the center of society. Shields the movement from excessive criticism.

Ineffective
+ Parliamentary: Uses official systems and institutions, such as courts, members of parliament, local governments, and businesses, in order to have the movement’s goals, values, and alternatives incorporated into official laws, policies, and common sense.
+ Uses a wide range of tools: lobbying, lawsuits, referenda, official meetings, electoral candidates, etc.
+ Professional Opposition Organizations (POOs) are the main levers of the movement.
+ Safeguards victories to ensure consolidation and expansion, and protects against backlash.

Effective

+ "Realistic policy": advocates for small-scale reforms that are more acceptable to those in power.
+ POO limitations: patriarchal and hierarchical organization, leadership, and structure; maintaining the organization becomes more important than the needs and goals of the movement, which they undermine and disempower at the grassroots level. 
+ Co-optation: POO staff identify more with official powerholders than with the movement’s grassroots base.
+ Does not promote paradigm shifts and is satisfied with minimal change.

Rebel

Organiser

Ineffective

+ Anti-nation, anti-authority, anti-organizational structures.
+ Identification with the radical militant, a lone voice on the margins of society.
+ The ends justify the means: disruptive tactics and violence when “necessary.”
+ Tactics without a realistic strategy.
+ Isolated from the mass movement's grassroots base.
+ Victim mentality: angry, aggressive, biased, dogmatic, powerless…
+ “Politically correct,” claims of absolute truth, moral superiority. Offensive behavior: driven by intense personal unresolved emotions, needs, and freedom, disconnected from the needs of the movement.

Effective

+ Protesting: Saying NO! to the violation of positive national values.
+ Nonviolent direct actions and attitudes, including civil disobedience.
+ Target: official powerholders and institutions.
+ Brings issues and policies into the spotlight and onto public agendas.
+ Strategy and tactics.
+ Exciting, courageous, risky.

Ineffective

+ "People power": forming, convincing, and engaging the majority of ordinary citizens and society as a whole in the process of change.
+ Mass movements, grassroots networks, activists.
+ Putting issues on the political agenda.
+ Promoting strategies and tactics for a long-term social movement.
+ Nurturing role: strengthening the grassroots base.
+ Establishing permanent organizations and supporting and caring for activists.
+ Advocating for alternatives and a paradigm shift.

Effective

+ Utopian: promoting visions of perfection or alternative lifestyles in isolation from everyday political and social struggles.
+ Aiming only for small-scale changes.
+ Leadership within the movement operates in a patriarchal, oppressive way, denying the personal concerns and needs of activists.
+ Tunnel vision: advocating a single specific approach and undermining those who take a different path.