SOCIAL PROBLEMS

• Social problem


  A condition of discontentment resented by many people in a society who consider it undesirable and want to correct through collective action
• The concept of social problems was first developed by sociologists
• Social problem (definition)


  A range of conditions and aberrant behaviours which are manifestations of social disorganization, that most people in a society consider undesirable and want to correct by changing through some means of social engineering or social planning
• Fuller and Myers in 1941 defined social problems as 'those conditions or situations which members of the society regard as a threat to their values'
• Elements of a social problem


  • They cause physical or mental damage to individuals or society
  • They offend the values or standards of some powerful segment of society
  • They persist for an extended period of time
  • They generate competing proposed solutions because of varying evaluations from groups in different social positions within society
• Sources of social problems


  • Modern society is so complex and intricate that it generates strains and social tensions
  • Modern society is highly productive and rewarding but also has a dark side
  • Social change continually alters social structure and disrupts established relations among social groups, redefines social roles, and renders some beliefs and behaviour patterns outmoded or dysfunctional
• Stages of social problems


  1. Emergence and claims making

  2. Legitimacy

  3. Renewed claims making

  4. Development of alternative strategies
• Types of social problems


  • Problems of social organization (e.g. communalism, casteism, regionalism, poverty, gender discrimination, population, environmental imbalance)
  • Problems of deviance (e.g. delinquency, drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness, various forms of sexual behaviour, bigamy, prostitution, vandalism)
• Social problems in youth


  • Homelessness
  • Teen parenting
  • Substance abuse
  • Suicide
• Social problems in school


  • Vandalism
  • School violence
  • Dropout rate
  • Classroom Size
  • Poverty
  • Bullying
  • Student Attitudes and Behaviors
• Examples of social problems


  • Unemployment
  • Poverty
  • Rapid population growth
  • Lack of education
  • Gender discrimination
  • Homelessness
  • Child abuse
• Symbolic Interaction Theory


  A microlevel theory that focuses on meanings attached to human interaction, both verbal and non-verbal, and to symbols. Social problems arise from the interaction of individuals.
• Conflict Theory


  Society is characterized by pervasive inequality based on social class, race, gender, and other factors.
• Structural Functionalism


  Social stability is necessary for a strong society, and adequate socialization and social integration are necessary for social stability. Social problems weaken a society's stability but do not reflect fundamental faults in how the society is structured. Solutions should take the form of gradual social reform rather than sudden and far-reaching change.
• Systems Theory


  Looks at how each part contributes to the ways an individual functions within society, and how those parts might interact and compound issues.
• Rational Choice Theory


  Individuals use their self-interests to make choices that will provide them with the greatest benefit. People weigh their options and make the choice they think will serve them best.
• Disengagement Theory


  Over time, elderly people withdraw, or disengage from, the social roles and relationships that were central to their life in adulthood.
• Critical Theory


  A family of theories that aim at a critique and transformation of society by integrating normative perspectives with empirically informed analysis of society's conflicts, contradictions, and tendencies.