Social Problems

1. Social Problems John J. Macionis Prentice Hall

2. Chapter 1Sociology: Studying Social Problems

3. Seeing Patterns: The Sociological Perspective • People experience social problems in very personal ways • Sociology shows that the problems we face are not only the results of personal choices but reflect the operation of society itself • C. Wright Mills used the sociological imagination to show thatour personal troubles are really social issues that affect many people – ourselves included

4. Defining Social Problems • A social problem is • a condition that undermines the well being of some or all members of society • is usually a matter of public controversy • Determining social problems can be controversial • subjective and objective realities may actually end up being quite different

5. Defining Social Problems • One indication that people recognize an issue as a social problem is the formation of a social movement • Social movements progress through four distinct stages: • Emergence • Coalescence • Formalization • Decline

6. Ten assertions that form the foundation for the analysis of social problems: 1. Social problems result from how society operates 2. Social problems are not caused by bad people 3. Social problems are not abnormal – they are structural in nature 4. Solving social problems requires change. 5. People see problems differently

7. Ten assertions that form the foundation for the analysis of social problems: 6.Definitions of problems change over time. 7.Problems involve values as well as facts 8.Many – but not all – problems – can be solved 9.Various social problems are related. 10. Sometimes, solving one problem creates a new problem

8. Analyzing Social Problems: The Role of Theory Theory: a statement of how and why specific facts are related Theoretical Paradigm: a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

9. The Structural-Functional Paradigm • A theoretical framework that sees society as a complex system of inter-related parts that work together • Social Institutions: the main parts of this system • education • family • economics • politics • religion

10. The Structural-Functional Paradigm • Early Functionalism: Problems as Social Pathology • The “Chicago School”: Problems as Disorganization • More Recent Functionalism: Problems as Dysfunctions

11. The Social Conflict Paradigm • A theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict • Social problems arise because our society is divided into “haves” and “have-nots”

12. The Social Conflict Paradigm • Marxism: Problems and Class Conflict • Multiculturalism: Problems of Racial and Ethnic Inequality • Feminism: Problems and Gender Conflict

13. The Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm • A theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another

14. The Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm • Learning Theory: Problems and the Social Environment • Labeling Theory; Problems and Social Definitions

15. Survey Research: Asking Questions A researcher asks subjects to respond to items in a questionnaire or interview. • A questionnaire is a series of items a researcher presents to subjects for their response • In an interview, the researcher meets face to face with respondents to discuss a particular issue • While questionnaires offer a chance for greater breadth of opinion, interviews can provide greater depth of understanding

16. Field Research: Joining In • Also called participant observation • Involves researchers observing people while joining in their everyday activities

17. Experimental Research: Looking For Causes • Experiment: a method by which a researcher investigates cause-and-effect relationships under highly controlled conditions • Most experiments are carried out in specially designed laboratories

18. Secondary Analysis: Using Available Data • A common major research method that is based on collection of data originally collected by others

19. Truth and Statistics • Check how people define their terms • Remember that numbers are subject to error • People often “spin” their statistics

20. Responding to Social Problems: Social Policy • Social policy refers to formal strategies to shape some dimensions of social life. • Social policy tends to be shaped by existing cultural values

21. Responding to Social Problems: Social Policy • The evaluation of social policy is difficult • there is more than one way to measure the “success” of any policy or program; • success is often accompanied by certain costs; • and because of the lack of specific guidelines for who a policy should target for assistance

22. Policy and Politics • Conservatives: seek to limit the scope of societal change • Liberals: favor more sweeping change in society • Radicals: support policies that go beyond mere reform • can be either ultra liberal or ultra conservative

23. Looking Beyond Ourselves: A Global Perspective • A global outlook shows • that many problems affect people around the world • that many of the problems that we in the U.S. face are more serious elsewhere

24. Politics: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions • The Political Spectrum: a continuum representing a range of political attitudes • Social Issues: political debates involving moral judgments about how people should live • Economic Issues: political debates about how a society should distribute material resources

25. Who Thinks What? • Two good predictors of political attitudes are education and wealth – both of which are elements of social class • The fact that social class affects social and economic attitudes differently means that most people have some combination of liberal and conservative attitudes