Contemporary Social Issues Chapter 1
Theoretical Approach
A basic image of society that guides theory and research
Social Problem
A condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy
Political Spectrum
A continuum representing a range of political attitudes, from "left" to "right"
Social Pathology Theory
A model that treats social problems as a disruption in society's normal operation
Interview
A more personal survey technique in which a research meets face to face with respondents to discuss some issues
Sociological Imagination
A point of view that highlights how society affects the experiences we have and the choices we make
Feminism
A political movement that seeks the social equality of men and women
Experiment
A research method for investigating cause and effect relationships under tightly controlled conditions
Field Research
A research method for observing people while joining them in their everyday activities
Survey
A research method in which subjects respond to items on a questionnaire or in an interview
Secondary Analysis
A research method that makes use of date originally collected by others
Questionnaire
A series of items a researcher presents to subjects for their response
Labeling Theory
States that the reality of any particular situation depends on how people define it
Society
People who live within some territory and share many patterns of behavior
Economic Issues
Political debates about how a society should produce and distribute material resources
Social Issues
Political debates involving moral judgments about how people should live
Social Disorganization Theory
Problems arise when society breaks down due to social change that occurs
Social-constructionist Approach
The assertion that social problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change
Conservatives see...
The family as religion as important social institutions transmitting the moral traditions that guide people to live good lives
Decline stage
Public interest in claims go down
Liberals seek...
Reform rather than radical change in social institutions
Social policy is also...
Shaped by cultural values
Sociologists describe the main parts of the structural functional approach as...
Social institutions
Conflict theories claim that...
Social problems arise form the fact that our society is divided into "haves" and "have-nots"
The social-constructionist approach states that...
Social problems have a subjective foundation, reflecting people's judgments about their world
To Marx, social problems are...
The inevitable result of the normal operation of a capitalist economy. Therefore, the industrial technology of modern societies has the productive capacity to end human suffering
The second type of structural functional theory is...
the "Chicago School"
To evaluate a policy we must answer the following
1. how do we measure success? 2. what are the costs of the policy or program? 3. who should get the help?
Tips to make you a more critical reader
1. Check how researchers define their terms 2. Remember that research is never perfect 3. Researchers may "spin" their statistics
Four most common social issues
1. Economy 2. Unemployment 3. Income inequality 4. Dissatisfaction with government
Stages in Social Movements
1. Emergence 2. Coalescence 3. Formalization 4. Decline
Numbers are not always truthful for 2 reasons
1. Numbers must be interpreted 2. Organizations, politicians, and even sociologists often present statistics that support some preferred conclusion
Eight Assertions about Social Problems
1. Social problems result from the ways in which society operates 2. Social problems are not caused by bad people 3. Problems are socially constructed as people define a condition as harmful and in need of change 4. People see problems differently 5. Definitions of problems change over time 6. Problems involve subjective values as well as objective facts 7. Many-but not all-social problems can be solved 8. Various social problems are related
The most widely used theoretical models
1. Structural-functional approach 2. Social-conflict 3. Feminist 4. Symbolic-interaction
4 Research methods used by sociologists
1. Survey 2. Field Studies 3. Experiment 4. Secondary Analysis
The view that the structural functional approach looked on society as if it were a living organism led to...
A social pathology theory
Theory
A statement of how and why specific facts are related
Structural- functional Approach
A theoretical framework that sees a society as a system of many interrelated party
Social Conflict Approach
A theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict
Symbolic-interaction Approach
A theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another
Culture
A way of life including widespread values (about what is good and bad), beliefs (about what is true), and behavior (what people do every day)
By about 1950 the structural-functional approach had changed its emphasis from...
Activism to scientific analysis
Capitalism
An economic system in which businesses are privately owned by people called "capitalists" who operate them for profit
Class conflict theory aka Marxist theory
An explanation of social problems guided by Karl Marx's theory of class struggle
Social Movement
An organized effort at claims making that tries to shape the way people thank about an issue in order to encourage or discourage social change
Marx devoted his life to...
Analyzing capitalism. He believed that capitalist is a system that does not serve the people but only seeks profit for the small share of people who own factories and other productive property
The feminist approach aka the gender-conflict approach
Another type of social conflict approach in sociology. Explains social problems in terms of men's dominance over woman
Condition
Any situation that at least some people define as troublesome
Radical Right
Claims that the most serious problem our society faces is the growth of big government, which threatens individual freedoms
Formalization stage
As they become established players on the political scene. Claims are recognized as part of political debate
Conservatives
Claim that social problems arise form the shortcomings of particular individuals or the bas choices people make about how to live
Liberals
Claim that social problems arise from the operation of society, including patterns of social inequality that prevent categories of people from having equal opportunity
Feminists
Claim that women suffer from poverty and many other social problems because society places men in positions of power over women
Learning theory
Claims that people learn troublesome attitudes and behaviors from others around them
One important dimension of claims making is the...
Deliberate use of language
Multicultural Theory
Explains social problems in terms of racial and ethnic inequality.
Social Policy
Formal strategies that affect how society operates
Questionaires offer the chance for...
Greater breadth of opinion, and interviews can provide greater depth of understanding
The "Chicago School"
Linked problems not to deficient people but to social disorganization
Social institutions
Major spheres of social life, or societal subsystems, organized to meet a basic human need
Sociology's key insight is that...
Many of the personal troubles people face are really social issues within their roots in the operation of the larger society
Because early functionalists saw society as good and healthy...
Many were quick to assume that pathologies must be caused by bad or weak people
Radical Left
Marxists claim that social problems result from the operation of the capitalist economy
Coalescence stage
Occurs as a new organization begins holding rallies and demonstrations, making public its beliefs, and engaging in political lobbying. Claims are publicized
Emergence stage
Occurs when people come together sharing their concern about the status quo and begin to make claims about the need for change. Initial claims are made.
Statistics
The numerical results that researchers often include when they report their findings
Success in claims making is often marked by...
The passing of a law
Claim making
The process of convincing the public and important public officials that a particular issue or situation should be defined as a social problem
From the viewpoint of the radical left
The solution to social problems requires radical change to our society's institutions, beginning with the economy
Sociology
The systematic study of human societies
The first step in claims making is...
To create controversy, beginning the process of change by convincing others that the existing situation is not acceptable
Some people on the radical right...
Withdraw from society altogether to live as "survivalists" in remote areas