Lecture Ch01

No Slide TitleSocial Problems, Fourth Edition by John J. Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Social Problems, Fourth Edition by John J. Macionis
Seeing Patterns:
Sociology is the systematic study of human societies.
Society is a term referring to people who live within a territory and share many patterns of behaviors.
Culture refers to a way of life including widespread values, beliefs, and behavior.
Further:
People experience social problems in very personal ways
Sociology shows that the problems we face are not only the results of personal choices but reflect the operation of society itself
C. Wright Mills used the sociological imagination to show that our personal troubles are really social issues that affect many people – ourselves included
Defining Social Problems
A social problem
is a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of society
is usually a matter of public controversy
Determining social problems can be controversial
subjective and objective realities may
actually end up being quite different
what people identify as the most serious
social problems varies over time
Table 1-1
Social Constructionist Approach
As undesirable
Claims Making
Process of convincing the public that a particular issue or situation should be defined as a social problem
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Figure 1-1
The Objective and Subjective Assessment of Social Issues
Defining Social Problems
One indication that people recognize an issue as a social problem is the formation of a social movement
an organized effort at claims making that tries to shape the way people think about an issue in order to encourage or discourage social change
Stages in Social Movements
Emergence
Coalescence
Formalization
Decline
Eight assertions that form the foundation for the analysis of social problems:
Social problems result from the ways in which society operates.
Social problems are not caused by bad people.
Social problems are socially constructed as people define a condition as harmful and in need of change.
People see problems differently.
Further:
Problems involve subjective values as well as objective facts.
Many – but not all – problems can be solved.
Various social problems are related.
Figure 1-2
Four Stages in the Life Course of a Social Movement`
Looking Beyond Ourselves:
A Global Perspective
Harmful conditions often cross national boundaries
Many of the problems that we in the U.S. face are more serious elsewhere
Analyzing Social Problems:
facts are related
thinking and research
The Structural-Functional Approach
a system of many interrelated parts
Social Institutions: the main parts of this system (organized to meet basic human needs)
education
family
economics
politics
religion
Global Map 1-1
The Structural-Functional Approach
Manifest versus Latent Functions
The Social Conflict Approach
A theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict
Social problems arise because our society is divided into “haves” and “have nots”
The Social Conflict Approach
Capitalists
Proletarians
The Symbolic-Interaction Approach
A theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another
The Symbolic-Interaction Approach
Labeling Theory:
A researcher asks subjects to respond to items in a questionnaire or interview.
A questionnaire is a series of items a researcher presents to subjects for their response
In an interview, the researcher meets face to face with respondents to discuss a particular issue
While questionnaires offer a chance for greater breadth of opinion, interviews can provide greater depth of understanding
Survey Research: Asking Questions
Field Research: Joining In
Also called participant observation
Involves researchers observing people while joining in their everyday activities
Experimental Research:
researcher investigates cause-and-effect relationships under highly controlled conditions
Most experiments are carried out in
specially designed laboratories
Secondary Analysis:
Using Available Data
A common major research method that is based on collection of data originally collected by others
Truth, Science, and Politics
The “value commitment” approach
Truth and Statistics
Figure 1-3
Responding to Social Problems: Social Policy
Social policy refers to formal strategies to affect how society operates.
Responding to Social Problems: Social Policy
The evaluation of social policy:
How is success defined?
What are the costs?
Policy and Culture
Social policy tends to be shaped by existing cultural values
Policy and Politics
Conservatives: seek to limit the scope of societal change (focus is on shortcomings of individuals, not society)
Liberals: favor more sweeping change in society (see problems in the organization of society)
Radicals: support policies that go beyond mere reform
can be either ultra liberal or ultra conservative
Table 1-2
Politics: Constructing Problems and Defining Solutions
The Political Spectrum: a continuum representing a range of political attitudes from “left” to “right”
Social Issues: political debates involving moral judgments about how people should live
Economic Issues: political debates about how a society should distribute material resources
Who Thinks What?
Two good predictors of political attitudes are education and wealth – both of which are elements of social class

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Lecture Ch01