Understanding Social Problems: Concepts, Nature, Types, and Causes.

1. BY
DR. VICTOR EYO ASSI (PhD.)
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
FACULTY OF SOCIAL WORK
victor.assi24946@paruluniversity.ac.in/victorassi82@gmail.com
LECTURE
ON
Understanding Social Problems: Social
problems: Concept, Nature, types, causes

2. CONCEPT OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• In understanding the meaning and concepts of social problem, it is
important to state that, when a particular social phenomenon or
condition disturbs the social order and hinders smooth working of
social institutions, that can be identified as a social problem.
• At the initial phase such conditions are neglected since they do not
have any serious adverse effects on the social system. But gradually,
they get accumulated and begin to affect normal social life.
• Then such condition is recognised as a social problem.
• Once social problem takes roots and develops beyond the bounds
of tolerance, there arises resentment against it and there is a
demand for remedy in the interest of social harmony.

3. But what is social problems?
If asked, most people have no difficulty listing some examples as:
crime, suicide, racism, sexism, terrorism, climate change.
Most people have a common sense notion of what the term means,
but actually defining the concept turns out to be much tricky.
Suppose we agree that suicide and climate change are both social
problems.
What exactly, do the two have in common?
They seem very different: we usually think of suicide as an extremely
personal act, committed by individuals who feel isolated and in
despair, whereas climate change involves physical warming across a
whole planet

4. DEFINITION OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• Social problem are problems that affect the significant number of
people in the society.
• Note, not all problem are social problem. A social problem must
significant effect on a significant number of the population. E.g:
COVID-19, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Terrorism, Maternal mortality and
infant mortality etc.
• A more precise, though broad, definition is given by E. Raab and
G.J.Selznick.
• According to them, a social problem is “a problem in human
relationship which seriously threatens society itself or impedes the
important aspirations of many people.”

5. DEFINITION OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• In regard to the first aspect they say, “A social
problem exists when organized society’s ability to
order relationship among people seems to be failing;
• when its institutions are faltering (losing strength or
not stable), its laws are being flouted, the transmission
of its values from one generation to the next is
breaking down, the framework of expectations is being
shaken”.

6. DEFINITION OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• A social problem is a condition that undermines the well-
being of some or all members of a society and is usually a
matter of public controversy” (Macionis, 2013, p. 5).
• In other words, some conditions have the characteristic of
“undermining well-being” that makes them social problems.
• A social problem is any condition or behaviour that has
negative consequences for large numbers of people and that is
generally recognized as a condition or behaviour that needs to be
addressed.

7. NATURE OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• Social problem is connected to majority of the members
of society.
• According to Bernard, the repressive and tense condition
consequent of social problems may be involving in three
types of elements:
• (i) Tension factors which challenge some values of society,
• (ii) Social values which are being challenged and
• (iii) intense reaction of individuals and groups to
challenge.

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• The following characteristics exhibit the nature of social problems :
• Disintegrative : Social problems, directly or indirectly disintegrate social system.
Social problem causes dissatisfaction, suffering and misery. It seriously affects the
values of the society. It is always disintegrating and disorganizing. It is pathological.
It is harmful for the society.
• Multiple Causes : Social problems have no single or simple cause. Each problem has
a complex history and is usually not due to one but to many causes. War, poverty,
unemployment or crimes do not offer single or simple explanation of their
occurrence. Sometimes one problem is so interwoven with other problems that it
cannot be solved apart from them.
• Inter-Connected : Social problems are inter connected due to which these become
serious. For example, unemployment, poverty and crime are inter connected.

9. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS
The following characteristics exhibit the nature of social problems
• Relative Concept : Social problem is relative in nature. What we
call a social problem in our society may not be a problem in other
society. Similarly, a social problem today may not be a problem
tomorrow.
• Functional Value : Social problem, though disintegrative, has
functional value since its cure leads to social problem and social
development.
• Social problem is unique and dynamic in nature.
• What is a social problem in Nigeria might not be a problem in
India, USA, Zambia or Canada

10. TYPES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
The following are the various types of social problem:
Poverty
Political Instability
Terrorism
Climate change
Epidemic outbreak (Ebola, Covid-19, etc)
Population increase
Caste system etc.

11. CAUSES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• The main causes of social problems in any society are:
Social change leads to social problems: All social changes do not
cause problems. Those social changes which are ordinary in nature and
do not cause any problems of adjustments for the people to carry on with
their day-to-day activities rarely trigger social problems. But when
problems of adjustment are created by social change, social problems
may creep in.
For examples, attempts by the government to introduce educational
change through a new educational policy which is basically defective,
may lead to problems such as student unrest and educated
unemployment. A sudden military revolt may push a nation towards
political instability and social insecurity.

12. CAUSES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
• The main causes of social problems in any society are:
Cultural lag causing social problems: W. F. Ogburn who introduced the
concept of ‘cultural lag’ states that changes are quick to take place in the
material culture. These, in turn, stimulate changes in the non-material
culture.
But the non-material culture may be slow to respond giving rise to a gap or a
lag between the material and non-material cultures. This lag is called the
‘cultural lag’. This lag or cultural lag may lead to problems of adjustment and
also to social problems.
For example, the process of deforestation is taking place faster to cater to the
needs of the growing paper industry, house construction,, making furniture,
etc. (material culture). But the art of conservation of forest (non-material
culture) does not keep pace with these industrial developments. The result is
the problem of the environmental population.

13. CAUSES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
Natural disasters: Nature has been bountiful to man no doubt. But man often
becomes a victim of its wrath. Floods, famines, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, tsunami, outburst of contagious diseases, etc. represent the furious
faces of nature.
Almost every year, lakhs of people in the world become the victims of these
extremes of nature. Man’s attempts to control nature and its forces have not
been complete and can never become so. Somewhere at some time some people
or the other will have to pay a great price in the form of facing the wrath of
nature.
For example, Bhuj of Gujarat in 2000, and a terrific cyclone that proved to be disastrous in Orissa
in 1999, the gigantic “Tsunami” waves of 26-12-2004 causing the death of more than 2.5 lakh
people and damaging the property worth thousands of crores of rupees in India, Srilanka,
Maldives, Indonesia, Africa. The flood havocs at Uttarakhand in 2013, and Jammu and Kashmir in
2014, etc. Natural calamities like these not only disturb the normal course of social life of the
people but also create serious social problems.

14. CAUSES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
Political and social dangers: Nature is not the only source causing
danger to man’s life; man himself creates conditions that often prove to be
not only harmful but even dangerous. Like political revolution, revolts,
communal riots, racial conflicts, terrorism, ethnic clashes, mass
movements, military rebellion, arson and loots, bomb explosions, etc.,
disturb even the society which has a well-established organization.
For example, the Godra incident at Gujarat that triggered after the
burning alive of 58 persons (Ram Sevakas) in a railway compartment in
the year 2002.
Biological causes: Serious ups-and-downs in populations, population
explosion, great imbalance in the composition of the population, the
spread of diseases, lack of supply of nutritious food and such other
biological factors disturb the social balance in the society.

15. CAUSES OF SOCIAL PROBLEM
Technological inventions: Technology has its own limitations. It has
brought both good and bad results for man. As Ogburn stated,
technology widens the gap between the material and non-material parts
of culture. Men are becoming more materialistic and less traditional.
Men are devoted more to quantity than to quality, to measurement than to
appreciation. Human beings by the use of machines have become less
human, more passive and more mechanical. There has been a movement
towards individualism and hedonism (pleasure – seekers) which has its
own adverse effects on society.

16. GOD BLESS YOU