Social Problems – Intro
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Social structure
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The patterned social arrangements in society
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Macro-level social structures
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Institutions, class structures
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Meso-level social tructures
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Social networks, relationships between people and organizations
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Micro-level social structures
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Norms that shape behavior, social interaction
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Sociological imagination
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Looks at people's behavior and attitudes in the context of the social forces that shape them
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What is the essential distinction made by using the sociological imagination?
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\"The personal troubles of milieu\" and \"the public issues of social structure\"
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What are personal troubles of milieu?
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Troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his immediate relations with others
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What are public issues of social structure?
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Issues have to do with matters that transcend these local environments of the individual
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Social location
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Refers to where individuals and groups are located in society
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What are social problems?
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Conditions that undermine the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy
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Norm violations
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act/condition that violates norms in our society (e.g., alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, physical/mental health)
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Social inequality
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socially induced conditions that cause suffering to various segments of the population (e.g., class, race, gender, aging)
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Social change and global problems
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Changes in social institutions (e.g., family, marriage, religion) or large-scale social problems (e.g., population growth, globalization, environment, war, terrorism)
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What are the characteristics of social problems?
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Objective facts, subjective values, dynamic (change over time), relative, visible
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According to the constructionist perspective, how are social problems constructed?
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Socially constructed through the claimsmaking activities of individuals or groups that locate the problem's cause and recommends solutions
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The social-constructionist approach states that social problems have a subjective or objective foundation?
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Subjective; reflecting people's judgements about their world
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What is claims making?
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The process of convincing the public and important public officials that a particular issue or situation should be defined as a social problem
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What is an example of ordinary people making claims more powerful by joining together?
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving
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What role does mass media play in claims making?
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Information and mobilization
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How is success marked in claims making?
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Passing legislation, a clear statement that some behavior is defined as wrong
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As claims gain public attention, it is likely to prompt what from opponents?
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Counterclaims about what should and should not be defined as social problems
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Why do we treat some claims more seriously than others?
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It is based on plausibility of the claim or the status of the claims maker
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How is claims making reinforced?
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Typification and horror stories
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What are the flaws of objectivist definitions of social problems?
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- Minimize or even ignore the subjective nature of social problems, - Not all harmful conditions are regarded as social problems - The objective conditions that people define as social problems have relatively little in common
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What are sociology's eight assertions about social problems?
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1. Social problems result from 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 involved subjective values and objective facts 7. Many, but not all, social problems can be solved 8. Various social problems are related
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Theory
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A statement of how and why specific facts are related
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Sociological Theory
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Provides a framework for thinking about a social issue from a perspective that we might otherwise neglect
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What does sociological theory focus broadly on?
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structure, inequalities, and interaction
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3 main sociological theories
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Structural-functionalism, social-conflict, symbolic-interaction
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What is structural-functionalism?
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A macro-level theory that states society is a system of many interrelated parts, all of which contribute to its operation (or dysfunction)
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What \"parts\" make up the system of society according to structural-functionalism?
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Social institutions that are major spheres of social life, organized to meet a basic human need
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What is the social-conflict theory?
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A macro-level theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict
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How do social problems arise according to the social-conflict theory?
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Problems arise from inequality in terms of class (Marxism), race (multiculturalism), and gender (feminism)
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What is symbolic-interaction?
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A micro-level theory that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with each other
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What does the symbolic-interaction theory explore about social problems?
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How people may or may not define situations as problems.
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What are the strengths of structural-functionalism?
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It views society as a cohesive structure, emphasizes the connectivity of systems
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What are the weaknesses associated with structural-functionalism?
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It explains effects but not causes, unable to account for change or breakdowns, ignores agency and lived experiences
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What are the strengths associated with social-conflict theory?
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Highlights the importance of social divisions and inequality in society, integrates perspectives on class, race, and gender
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What are the negatives associated with social-conflict theory?
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May overstate significance of social divisions moving into the 21st century, favors political activism over scientific objectivity, ignores lived experiences
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What are the strengths of symbolic-interaction theory?
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Can navigate and explain the subjective values of social problems, examines how people construct reality and provides a \"real world\" view of social problems
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What are the weaknesses associated with symbolic-interaction theory?
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Micro-level analysis overlooks influence of social structure on people's lives
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What are three general approaches to social problems?
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1. Problems involving changes in social systems 2. Problems involving power struggles 3. Problems involving the individual and society
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What is the main factor in choosing a research method?
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The questions you wish to appear
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What are three ways to help prevent misleading statistics?
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1. Check how researchers define their terms 2. Remember that research is never perfect 3. Be aware that researchers may \"spin\" their statistics
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Representative sample
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A subset of statistical population that accurately reflects the members of the entire population
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Leading questions
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Presented in data collection in order to promote bias responses
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Where is manipulation of data statistics most likely to occur?
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The presentation of results
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Social policy
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Formal strategies that affect how society operates
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What are policies shaped by?
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Cultural values and political leanings
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Conservatives stand on social change?
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Seek to limit the scope of societal change
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Where do conservatives focus on for social change?
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Focus on shortcomings of individuals, not society
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Do liberals favor progressive social change in society?
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Yes
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Where do liberal see problems in society?
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The organization of society
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What kind of social change do radicals support?
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Sweeping change that goes beyond mere reform
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Social issues
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Political debates involving moral judgement about how people should live
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Economic issues
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Political debates about how a society should distribute material resources
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What are two good predictors of political attitudes?
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Education and wealth
