Income gap has led to a new social class division during the accelerated process of implementing development plans or followed by the adoption of welfare policies, especially in countries having vast energy resources. The unbalanced formation of high, middle and lower classes is among the signs of this trend in countries in transition. Iran is a clear example of this phenomenon. This article studies the implications of economic growth – the inevitable emergence of new social classes – from a security point of view.;
The emergence of middle class has brought about many developments in various social, political and cultural institutions. This social class pursues its own demands and needs leading to special forms of resistance against the established power.;
It seeks changes in power distribution and equal political and social opportunities. The emergence of the lower class is another consequence of economic growth or income redistribution policies. This class also expresses some forms of resistance and change - seeking resulting from their dissatisfaction with their conditions (poverty, discrimination and unmet needs).;
The article studies the theories of social change and also views on security studies, especially social security. Findings show that many change – seekers belong to the lower class and also the middle class expresses resistance and dissatisfaction in the society. The article studies social unrests in Iran during the last two decades by a combination of library methods and social survey. It seems that solving security problems requires paying more attention to the long-term security implications of development plans. Taking the wealth distribution and redistribution policies into account and imposing structural constraints to integrate created classes could reduce to some extent the security implications of this trend.;
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