Contemporary Social Issues Chapter 1

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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


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