Chapter 1: Understanding Social Problems

natural history

most social problems go through a natural history consisting of several stages of their development

personal troubles

refer to a problem affecting individuals that the affected individual, as well as other members of society, typically blame on the individual's own personal and moral failings

empirical

research-based evidence

marxist feminists

say that this inequality is a result of the rise of capitalism, which made women dependent on men for economic support

research on social problems

should follow the scientific method to yield the most accurate and objective conclusions possible

existing data

sometimes sociologists do not gather their own data but instead analyze existing data that someone else has gathered

public issues

source lies in the social structure and culture of a society refers to social problems affecting many individuals problems in society thus help account for problems that individuals experience

social entity

such as a social change group, the news media, or influential politicians

sociological understanding

suggests blaming the system approach is ultimately needed to help us deal successfully with the social problems facing us today

Surveys

the most common method he results of surveys of random samples may be generalized to the populations from which the samples come

subjective component of the definition of social problems

there must be a perception that a condition or behavior needs to be addressed for it to be considered a social problem

scientific method

these rules - formulating hypotheses, gathering and testing data, drawing conclusions, and so forth - help guarantee that research yields the most accurate and reliable conclusions possible research should follow scientific method

social problems

they are persistent, but they have also changed over the years, and many social problems are less serious now than in the past

three sources of change to social problems

three sources of change to social problems include social science research, the efforts of citizens acting alone or especially in social change groups, and the experiences of other nations

liberal feminists

view gender inequality as arising out of gender differences in socialization

radical feminists

view gender inequality as present in all societies, not just capitalist ones

claims-making process

A social problem emerges when a social entity begins to call attention to a condition or behavior that it perceives to be undesirable and in need of remedy. As part of this process, it tries to influence public perceptions of the problem, the reasons for it, and possible solutions to it. the social entity is making claims about all these matters

social problem

any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed This definition has both an objective component and a subjective component.

sociological imagination

according to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination involves the ability to recognize that private troubles are rooted in public issues and structural problems Mills coined the term sociological imagination to refer to the ability to appreciate the structural basis for individual problems

objectively

an overriding principle of the scientific method is that research should be conducted as objectively as possible must take care not to let the findings they expect and even hope to uncover affect how they do their research the scientific method helps reduce the potential for this bias as much as possible

secondary data analysis.

analysis of existing data its advantage to sociologists is that someone else has already spent the time and money to gather the data a disadvantage is that the data set being analyzed may not contain data on all the topics in which a sociologist may be interested or may contain data on topics that are not measured in ways the sociologist might prefer

blaming the victim

approach points to solutions to social problems such as poverty and illiteracy that are very different from those suggested by a more structural approach that blames the system if we blame the victim, we would spend our limited dollars to address the personal failings of individuals who suffer from poverty, illiteracy, poor health, eating disorders, and other difficulties

class consciousness

capitalists try to keep wages as low as possible and to spend as little money as possible on working conditions this then prompts the rise of class consciousness, or an awareness of the reasons for their oppression, among workers leads them to revolt against the bourgeoisie to eliminate the oppression and exploitation they suffer

natural history of a social problem

consists of four stages: emergence and claims making, legitimacy, renewed claims making, and alternative strategies

feminist theory

emphasize that society is filled with gender inequality such that women are the subordinate sex in many dimensions of social, political, and economic life

conflict theory

emphasizes social inequality and suggests that far-reaching social change is needed to achieve a just society conflict theory emphasizes that the various parts of society contribute to ongoing inequality conflict theory favors social change to reduce inequality believes the inequality contributing to social problems is based on social class, race and ethnicity, gender, or some other dimension of society's hierarchy

functionalism

emphasizes the importance of social institutions for social stability and implies that far-reaching social change will be socially harmful functionalist theory emphasizes the benefits of the various parts of society for ongoing social stability

symbolic interactionism

emphasizes the social meanings and understandings that individuals derive from their social interaction focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction views social problems as arising from the interaction of individuals

observation studies

enable the gathering of rich, detailed information, but their results cannot necessarily be generalized beyond the people studied

symbolic interactionists

feel that people do not merely learn the roles that society has set out for them; instead they construct these roles as they interact as they interact, they negotiate their definitions of the situations in which they find themselves and socially construct the reality of these situations they rely heavily on symbols such as words and gestures to reach a shared understanding of their interaction

objective component of the definition of social problems

for any condition or behavior to be considered a social problem, it must have negative consequences for large numbers of people, as each chapter of this book discusses

social constructionist view

in this view, many types of negative conditions and behaviors exist emphasizes that a condition or behavior does not become a social problem unless there is a perception that it should be considered a social problem

he major types of research on social problems

include surveys, experiments, observational studies, and the use of existing data

bourgeoisie

known as the ruling class in a capitalist society, the bourgeoisie, owns the means of production is interested in maintaining its position at the top of society

proletariat

known as the working class in a capitalist society, the proletariat, does not own the means of production and instead is oppressed and exploited by the bourgeoisie interest lies in rising up from the bottom and overthrowing the bourgeoisie to create an egalitarian society

blaming the system

would focus our attention on the various social conditions (decrepit schools, cultural standards of female beauty, and the like) that account for these difficulties