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Social Problems

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Definition of a Social Problem
 Social problems have two
components
1. an objective component
2. a subjective component

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Textbook Definition
 when enough people in a society
agree that a condition exists that
threatens the quality of their lives
and their most cherished values, and
they also agree that something
should be done to remedy the
condition
 This definition is vague -Discuss

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Awareness of Social Problems
 Our own experience
 The Media
 social movements

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Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills (1959)
An awareness of the relationship between an individual
and the wider society
 The ability to view one's own society as an outsider
would, rather than from the limited perspective of
personal experiences and cultural biases
 our experiences are influenced by social forces
 Mills argued that the Sociological Imagination
enables us to understand the relationship between
“private problems” and “public issues”

“private problems” and “public issues”
 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. Examples include such different
problems as eating disorders, divorce, and unemployment.
Public issues, whose source lies in the social structure and
culture of a society, refer to social problems affecting many
individuals. Problems in society thus help account for
problems that individuals experience.
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“private problems” and “public issues”
 The numbers involved provide only part of the
explanation why this trouble became a public
issue. Other ‘troubles’ involving equally large
numbers of people attracted less attention and
concern. For example, the continuing rise in
rents for tenants of council housing and
housing associations, which took place at the
same time, was largely viewed as a fact of life.
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“private problems” and “public issues”
 Furthermore, despite the attempts of housing professionals
to place the issue on the public agenda, the decaying state
of Britain's owner-occupied housing stock (built before
1945) continued to be defined as a personal problem facing
those who happened to be living in older houses. They were
expected to resolve it through their own investment in
renewal and repair, rather than through any collective effort.
We might suggest that a number of other features of
negative equity helped it become a public issue.
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We might suggest that a number of other features of negative
equity helped it become a public issue:
 Who was involved? The social and political standing of
those experiencing this trouble affected its visibility. Home
owners were seen as innocent victims of a situation beyond
their control. They were the symbolic representation of
government policies designed to create a ‘property-owning
democracy’. Negative equity was thus a politically sensitive
matter.
 What was its claim on public attention? Negative equity
was seen as connected to matters of public policy – first, the
drive to extend home ownership and, second, the
contemporary management of the national economy which
was associated with an initial boom and then a slump in
housing prices. 9

We might suggest that a number of other features of negative
equity helped it become a public issue:
 What sort of problem was it? Negative equity was seen as
having significant social and economic consequences. It
was associated with mounting personal debt, a lack of
social mobility, and a fear of the future that prevented
people taking risks.
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We might suggest that a number of other features of negative
equity helped it become a public issue:
 Because Americans stress personal individualism,
we commonly think in terms of the individual
“deviant” and his or her problem.

Theory Defined:
 A general, abstract explanation
 “a statement of relationships between concepts”
 “a roadmap for organizing ideas and knowledge about the
social world”
 Some Ideas are Explicitly Expressed -precisely and clearly
expressed or readily observable; leaving nothing to
implication
 Some ideas are Implicitly Expressed-implied though not
directly expressed; inherent in the nature of something.
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Theory Parts
 Concepts
 Concept clusters
 Classification concepts (ideal types)
 Relationships-are conflicts related?
 Can be represented by a model-
connections
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Theories Have Empirical Implications
 Assume the existence of a real world
 Aim to increase understanding
 Have empirical implications
 If X, then Y, where X and Y are observables
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Causal Relations, cont’d
 So, X causes Y if by modifying X, one can
affect Y
 An explanation includes an assertion of such
a causal relation
 Correlation 0-1
 A change in X is associated with a
change in outcome Y
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Causal Relations, cont’d
 The cause must occur before the effect
 It is possible to change the value of the
dependent variable by changing the causal
variable
 In other words, if you change X, Y will
change
Cause Outcome
(x) (Y)
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The Focus Should be
 Authors/proponents of the theory
 Assumptions of the Theory
 Applications of the Assumptions
 Strengths of the theory
 Weaknesses of the theory
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SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS
 Sociological perspective tend to focus on one of
three different levels of analysis
1. Theories of society (macro theories)
2. Theories of Groups/Family (meso theories)
 3. Theories of Individuals (micro theories)

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Structural
Functionalism
Macro Theories
Conflict Theory
Micro Theories Symbolic Interaction

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FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
(Structural Functionalism)
 First used by August Comte, and Herbert Spencer.
 The central idea of functional analysis is that
society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated
parts that work together.
 It views society as something like a living
organism with the different institutions such as
the political, family and religious acting like the
brain, and the heart to maintain the body alive.

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FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
(Structural Functionalism)
 Societies represent an intricate system of
interrelated parts (social structures) whose
activities have consequences (social functions)

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FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
(Structural Functionalism)
 Functionalists see a common set of norms and
values as the glue that holds groups, institutions,
and whole societies together.
 Thus, one of the major sources of contemporary
social problems is the weakening of the social
consensus
 Functionalists theorists assume that human
beings work together through common consensus
to collectively preserve society.

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FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
(Structural Functionalism)
 social disorganization involves a
breakdown of social structure, so that
its various parts no longer work
together as smoothly as they should

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Conflict Theory
 This perspective is associated with the writings of
Karl Marx
 Conflict perspective assumes that social behavior
is best understood in terms of conflict or tension
among competing groups
 It views societies as being composed of diverse
groups with conflicting values and interests

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Conflict Theory - continued
 Conflict theorists see a diverse collection of social
groups all struggling for wealth, power and
prestige
 Marx stressed that there are two social classes
with competing interest:
1. The bourgeoisie and 2. the proletariat
 Conflict sociologists see social problems as the
inevitable byproducts of power

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Conflict Theory - continued
 social problems are in large part the result of the
intentional exploitation of weak groups by
powerful ones
 Sociologists use the conflict model not only on
economic conflicts but also on conflicts that have
no clear economic basis, conflicts over values,
ethics, and behavior

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Value Conflict Theory
Value Conflict Theorists define social problems as
conditions that are incompatible with group values.
 According to this theory, social problems occur
when groups with different values meet and
compete.
 From this perspective social problems need to be
understood in terms of which groups hold which
values and have the power to enforce them against
the wishes of other groups.

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Feminist Theory
 not really a single theory but a group of theories
that share a concern with the same basic
questions
 Many feminists believe that the exploitation of
women by their male counterparts is the original
and most basic form of social exploitation

Feminists Assumptions
 Feminist theory often focuses on
analyzing gender inequality. Themes
often explored in feminist theory
include discrimination, objectification
(especially sexual objectification),
oppression, patriarchy, stereotyping,
art history and contemporary art, and
aesthetics
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SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVES
 George Herbert Mead American Sociologist
(1863-1931) is the founder of this perspective
 Social psychology is concerned with the
behavior of single individuals and small groups,
and their relationships with the larger society
 Symbolic interactionists view symbols- things
that we attach meaning- as the basis of social life.

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SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVES
 A symbol is something representing something
else; symbols range from words and language to
nonverbal gestures and signs
 According to symbolic interaction, people attach
meanings to each others words and actions
 To understand individual behavior, the interactionist
tries to look at the world though the eyes of the
actors involved

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SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVES
 This understanding of the of the conditions in
which we find ourselves, known as the definition
of the situation
 Symbolic interactionism explains our behavior in
terms of the patterns of thoughts and beliefs we
have, and in terms of the meaning we give our
lives

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Social Construction Of Social
Problems
 This approach argues that some social problems
become dominant and others remain weak or
unheeded.
 The activities of individuals and institutions in
society shape our consciousness of the social
world.
 Journalists, television commentators, editorial
writers, professors among others.

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Labeling: An Interactionist View
 This theory focuses on the impact of labels
applied to those who deviate.
 Power differences result in an inconsistency in
labeling.
 Labeling theorists argue that social problems are
conditions under which certain behaviors or
situations become defined as social problems.

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An Interactionist View
 Who benefits from labeling homosexuals deviant?
 Terrorists vs Freedom fighters, looters vs
desperate survivors.
 According to labeling theory, the way to solve
social problems is to change the definition of what
is considered deviant.