Intro to Social Problems

There is a difference between a “personal trouble” and a “public issue.” Personal troubles affect individual people and others who are a part of their lives. A public issue affects a large number of individuals, are typically part of public debate, and require collective solutions. Public issues are social problems.

A social problem is indicated when: a society’s values are being questioned, a large number of individuals are affected, the problem persists for an extended time period, and the solution must be obtained through collective action. (Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Defining what is a social problem is complex as each society varies in terms of values, beliefs, and behaviors; therefore, what may be considered a social problem in one society or a specific time in history (social forces) may not be considered a social problem in another society or different time in history.

Culture plays a major role in defining what is considered a social problem. For those of you who have already taken Sociology 1 (Introduction to Sociology) think back to what you learned on deviance. Something is considered deviant when the “expectations of behaviors” (norms) of a particular group or society are broken. In terms of culture, each culture has extensive, very specific, and different cultural norms; therefore, what is considered deviant in one culture quite often is not considered deviant in another. The United States is very diverse, therefore, what is considered deviant to one cultural group may not be deviant to another group, even if the groups are just a block away from one another or just in the house next door. Think about the cultural norms you have learned from your family. Do you know another family that breaks your family’s expectations of behaviors, yet it is not deviant to them?

Due to the differences in the ways that we are socialized and our social location there is controversy in terms of what is deemed a social problem. For instance think about these issues: is physician-assisted suicide a social problem or a solution to a social problem? Is abortion a social problem or a solution to a social problem? Is affirmative action a social problem or a solution to a social problem?

Our major social institutions in our society (family, education, religion, politics, and economics) are responsible for teaching us the important values, norms, beliefs, and behaviors of our society. These social institutions also give us group membership. We each belong to several different groups: a family group, educational group, religious group, political party, and social class. These institutions also are responsible, or should be responsible, for the collective action that is required to solve the social problems our society endures.

What Are the Major Social Problems In Our Society Today? What Are the Causes of These Social Problems? (complete the following exercises)

1) What do you think are the major social problems in our society today?
On a piece of paper make a list of the top six social problems our society is facing today.

2) Individual Beliefs about Social Problems
1) Complete the “Individual Beliefs about Social Problems worksheet”
2) When you have completed the worksheet open the “Individual Beliefs about Social Problems – Results” document to see how your answers compare to the national sample surveyed in the United States.

3) Did you find that your answers were similar to what the majority of citizens in the United States noted as social problems.?

Influence of the Mass Media
The mass media plays a key role in what we define as a social problem. Oftentimes when we are asked “What are the major social problems in our society today?” we will respond according to what the media has portrayed as our major social problems. Go back to your list (exercise#1) and review what you have on your list as the top six social problems our society is facing today. Now think about what you have recently seen on the news or read in the newspaper or online (headlines or front page of the newspaper)…do you see a correlation between the two?

In a study of college students (representative, national sample) the question was posed, “What are the major social problems facing humanity today?” The responses from the college students mirrored those highlight by the mass media within the past week. The most frequent answers were: AIDS, child abuse, poverty, war, famine, racism, sexism, crime, riots, the environment, homosexuality, affirmative action, euthanasia, and the state of the economy.

Solutions to Social Problems
This semester we will not only discuss social problems but discuss possible solutions. A societal goal should be to be proactive in our approach to social problems rather than reactive. Our society has taken a reactive approach in most instances. What this means is that our society reacts to social problems rather than being proactive to ensure that a particular problem does not become a social problem.

Several times this semester you will be required to provide suggestions for alleviating the social problems we are discussing.

Social Research Methods
Key terms: methods, research design, case studies, surveys, experiments, field studies, participant observation interviews, questionnaires, secondary data, documents, observation, objectivity, and replication.

Each time a sociologist conducts research he or she goes through specific steps which are noted as the “Research Process.” The following are all of the steps in the “Social Research Process”:
1) Choose a topic
2) Literature Review (review all of the previous research on the specific topic)
3) State the hypothesis (tentative statement; relationship between two or more factors)
4) Choose a research method (method for doing the research; observation, survey, secondary data, documents, experiment, case study)
5) Sampling (gathering individuals to be part of the study; oftentimes representative and random sampling)
6) Gather the data
7) Analyze the data collected
8) Report the findings
9) Share the findings with others (publish article, presentation of the findings)

Causality
Most of the time in terms of researching social problems a researcher is looking for cause and effect relationships. Causality means that one factor has some type of effect on another factor or produces a change in some other factor. In some instances we have found that two factors are correlated or associated with one another and that one of the factors is not causing a change in the other factor. The two factors are affecting one another, this is not causality.

Social Research and Solving Social Problems
Research leads us in the direction of solutions. The goal is that research will help us to understand a social problem, which will then lead to prevention, and will result in intervention.

Social Research Affects Social Policy
Social research helps in the advancement of social change. For example administrative procedures and laws can be and have been revised or changed due to noteworthy social research. A good example is the Minneapolis Experiment. Visit the following websites and read about the “Minneapolis Experiment” What research methods were used in this experiment? What were the findings of the experiment? How did this study affect social policy or law?

Should We Solve the Social Problem?
With each solution to a social problem there are costs. Some things to consider are: Will there be fewer resources available to solve other social problems? Does a solution to one social problem create yet other problems? Is a particular solution feasible?

Example:
If we effectively eliminate prostitution and drug dealing what would happen to the people who earn a living that way? Would they turn to other crimes? How could solving a social problem in this instance create other problems?

SOCIAL THEORY
Questions to ask:
What is a social theory? What is the importance of explaining cause and effect relationships? What is the relationship between social theory and social research?

In the next sections we will be discussing our three main social theories and how each of them specifically relate to the sociological study of social problems.

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