Final answer:
The emergent norm theories of social change suggest that crowds are able to develop their own definition of the situation, highlighting new norms that are accepted within the context of a crowd interaction and guiding behavior accordingly.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic that is consistent with the emergent norm theories of social change is that crowds can develop their own definition of the situation. According to Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian, emergent norm theory suggests that individuals in a crowd may start with divergent norms, but as they interact within the crowd, new norms emerge and are accepted that are fitting to the situation. This means that in a crowd, behaviors are not simply irrational or impulsive, but rather they are guided by newly established norms that make sense in the specific context of the crowd gathering. Therefore, the answer to the given multiple-choice question (5) is c. able to develop their own definition of the situation. This process is a reflection of a symbolic interactionist perspective, which focuses on individual interactions and the meanings they create.