H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)journalist, editor, critic

“For every major problem in thisnation, there is a simple solution –

The Sociological Study of Social Problems

and it is wrong.”

The Sociological Study of Social Problems

The application of a sociological perspective will help us understand

3. what factors - all apart from the severity of the problem - affect the likelihood that proposed programs will successfully reduce the extent to which the problem exists.

1. the kinds, sources, persistence, and consequences of social problems;

2. why some programs rather than others are implemented to address these problems

Socio-historical Account

. . . people,

. . . events,

. . . and especially ideas -

and how they have changed over time

Defining Social Problems

Objectivist&

SubjectivistApproaches

What is a “Social Problem”Every set of conditions that is recognized as a social problemexisted for some time before it came to be “defined” as such.

Historically, unjust conditions have been taken for granted as part of the natural and inescapable order of things - i.e., thetreatment of women, Native Americans and African-Americans.

The act of defining a phenomenon as a social problem implies that the situation is undesirable and that something should be done to remedy it.

A major process is involved in transforming an objective problem condition into one that is in the forefront of the public’s consciousness.

What is a “Social Problem”

Pro Choice OR Pro Life

organized social protest by “rabblerousers”OR

blind obedience, ignorance and/or public apathy

Is poverty a social problem or the fault of certain individuals?

Institutionalized discriminationOR

Affirmative action programs

Where does legitimate discipline end and child abuse begin?

Subjectivist position

A condition is a social problem only when it is perceived as undesirable.

A social problem exists when a significant number of people – or a small number of significant people – believe that a certain condition is in fact a problem in need of remedy.

“No condition, no matter how dramatic or shocking to someone else, is a social problem unless the values of a considerable number of people within the society define it as a problem.”

Paul B. Horton & Gerald R. Leslie

“A social problem is a condition caused by factors built into the social structure of a particular societythat systematically disadvantages or harms a specificsegment or a significant number of the society’s population.”

Daniel J. Curran & Claire M. Renzetti

Objectivist position

A social problem exists as soon as a significant number of individuals are adversely affected by a phenomenon related to social factors, even if no one recognizes it.

“A social problem exists when there is a sizable difference between the ideals of a society and its actual achievements.”

James Coleman & Harold Kerbo

Robert K. Merton1910- 2003

Objective & Subjective Elements

Social problems are not only subjective states of mind; they are also objective states of affairs

“A social problem exists when there is a sizeablediscrepancy between what is and what people think ought to be.”

manifest social problems – those that are recognized latent social problems – those that are real but unnoticed.

“A social problem is a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and that is usually a matter of public controversy.” [Page 2]

Objective & Subjective Elements

“The reality of a social problem is partly a matterof objective facts and partly a matter of howindividuals subjectively interpret these facts.”

John J. Macionis

“Social problems come into being as a concernedgroup defines an issue as harmful and in need ofchange.” [Page 1]

What is a “Social Problem”

Rarely does a complete consensus occur in society as to whether a given condition does or does not constitute a social problem.

In most instances, consensus on social problem matters is virtually impossible to obtain.

Disagreements:

What constitutes a social problem

How severe or urgent is it - priority ranking

What should be done?

Summary of Questions

What social factors affect the probability that one type of program will be implemented rather than any of the alternative competing approaches?

What social factors - all apart from the severity of the social problem - affect the probability that proposed programs will reduce the extent to which the problem exists?

What social factors affect the probability that one set of circumstances rather than another comes to be “defined” as a social problem that requires our attention and active intervention?

What types of social factors lead to the existence of social problems?

What is a “Social Problem”

“What constitutes a social problem” is the outcome of an

extended set of social negotiations between different groups

with markedly different sets of legitimate beliefs, values,

attitudes, perceptions, interests, and power.

These differences affect not only why some social circumstances rather than others come to be defined and acknowledged as social problems, but also how these social

problems, once recognized, are prioritized, and why some

proposed solutions rather than others are implemented.

What is a “Social Problem”

Ingredients & Problematics

1. An “objective” condition: real, tangible, measurable

“a sizeable discrepancy between what is and what people think ought to be”

Who determines “what is” and how do they do so?

What constitutes a “sizeable” - as compared to asacceptable - discrepancy? Threshold?

Social scientists? Those directly affected?How accurate, robust or contentious are the findings? Lies, damn lies, and statistics.

What “ought to be?” Who decides?

What is a “Social Problem”

Ingredients & Problematics

2. A “subjective” definition of the condition as problematic

A situation will become an officially recognized or certified social problem only when people who are strategically located in a society’s power structure acknowledge its existence.

Rarely does a complete consensus occur in society as to whether a given condition should be considered a social problem.

What social factors affect the probability that one set of circumstances rather than another comes to be “defined” as a social problem that requires our attention and active intervention? --> Social Movements, resource mobilization

What is a “Social Problem”

Ingredients & Problematics

3. An “objective” condition that is “undesirable”

“. . . that adversely affects a significant number of people – or a small number of significant people”

That which adversely affects one group can and often doesprivilege another group

Manifest Social ProblemsObjectively real and empirically demonstrable

Recognized, certified and supported by government agencies

Contending Social Problems [vying for governmental validation]

Objectively real and empirically demonstrableRecognized, certified and supported by private agencies and/or organizations

Typology of Social Problems

Incipient Social Problems [initial stage; beginning to come to notice]

Objectively real and empirically demonstrableRecognized by a loose collection of individuals with similar beliefs and grievances; no organizational base.

Latent Social ProblemsObjectively real and empirically demonstrableNot recognized.

Typology of Social Problems

Pseudo Social ProblemsSpurious. Not corresponding to realityRecognized by either governmental or private agencies and/or by specified groups

Typology of Social Problems

Objective Subjectively Recognized andReality; Acted Upon by Empirically Govt. Private Collectivities;Demonstrated Agencies Groups

Manifest Yes Yes Yes Yes

Contending Yes No Yes Yes

Incipient Yes No No Yes

Latent Yes No No No

Pseudo No

Rarely Sometimes Often

What is a “Social Problem”

Ingredients & Problematics

4. They are “social” in origin

“. . . caused, perpetuated, prolonged by social factors.”

Prior to the emergence of sociology, social problems have been variously attributed to

“Original Sin” and/or the sinfulness of a particular individual, malevolent spirits, insanity, either moral or physical, the inevitable result of natural law, an inferior heredity

The “Social” Origins of Social Problems

What types of social factors lead to the existence of social problems?

The influence of other people: significant others – including parents, role models, peer groups;

Social disorganization: rapid social and technological change;

Institutional breakdowns: family, economy, polity, religion, education;

Structural strains and internal contradictions: social structure and anomie; institutional ambivalence

Unanticipated consequences of well-intentioned actions: labeling, “Matthew Effect”;

The “Social” Origins of Social Problems

“Social sadism” & “sociological euphemisms”

“Social sadism”: social structures that are so organized as to systematically inflict pain, humiliation, suffering, and deep frustration upon particular groups and strata.

unequal access to resources and opportunities;institutionalized discrimination; exploitation of weak groups by powerful ones;

“Sociological euphemisms”: analytically useful conceptssuch as social stratification, social exchange, reward system, dysfunction, symbolic interaction, etc. that, by soundingimpersonal and objective, deflect attention from the intensefeelings of pain and suffering that are the experience ofsome people caught up in given patterns of social life.

Robert Merton, “Insiders and Outsiders.”

One of the tasks of sociologists is to identify latent social problems – conditions that are at odds with current interests and values but not generally recognized as being so – thereby alerting people to pending difficulties.

Sociologists as

Social Critics

By making latent social problems manifest – by discovering unwanted consequences of institutionalized arrangements – the sociologist inevitably becomes a social critic.

Sociologists as

Social Activists

“The philosophers have only interpretedthe world in various ways; the point isto change it.”

Karl Marx, 1845

This epitaph appears on Marx’s tombstone in Highgate Cemetary, London.

1818 - 1883