Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 1: The Study of Social Problems

What is a social problem? Can you come up with 10 examples? Who defines a social problem? Are social problems the same over time? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

What Is a Social Problem? Social Problem – Issue that negatively affects a person’s state of being in a society Sociology – The study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination – Ability to look beyond the individual as a cause for success and failure and see how one’s society influences the outcome – To accomplish this we must look for the – Macro (large-scale) point of view – Micro (small-scale) view Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sociological Imagination – To accomplish this we must look for the – Macro (large-scale) point of view – Helps to understand how history and social structure affect people – Micro (small-scale) view – Understanding the biography of the situation – Seeing social issues from personal viewpoints – Interpreting actions at face value Example: – Why is the man on the corner?

The Essential Elements of a Social Problem The Objective Condition – Any aspect of society that can be viewed without bias – (number of violent crimes, number of mass layoffs, facts that are not arguable) Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Subjective Concerns A judgment based on personal feelings and opinions rather than external facts (welfare queens living on the system)

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Objective Conditions versus Subjective Concerns Take for example – Unemployment – Poverty – Bullying

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Factors that Define a Social Problem What is and is not considered a social problem can vary over time Other factors influence how we define social problems Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors that Define a Social Problem - History Changes the definition of social problems - Cultural Values Values A part of society’s nonmaterial culture that represent standards by which we determine what is good, bad, right, or wrong. Women’s education

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Factors that Define a Social Problem – Cultural Universals Any aspect of one’s social life that is common to all societies – Births, deaths, crime, war, and a host of other issues Social problems are also cultural universals – Every society has social problems, but how societies deal with these problems can vary a great deal from place to place. – Note—Social problems are dealt with differently from place to place Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Awareness – Awareness The ability of a person or group to bring a problem into public recognition. Happens after years of conflict (women’s suffrage) Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Movements Awareness can lead to: Social Movements – Activities that support or protest social change (civil rights movement) Charles Tilly, 20th-century American sociologist – Three elements common to all social movements

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 3 Elements common to Social Movements Campaigns: organized and ongoing efforts Repertoire: actions used to promote interest and participation Worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitments (WUNC) of individuals involved

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The Three Major Paradigms of Sociology Paradigms: – The theoretical frameworks through which scientists study the world Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Functionalism Functionalism: Theoretical framework that defines society as a system of interrelated parts – Believes best way to understand society as a whole is to understand how parts of society are interrelated

Functionalist Thinkers – Herbert Spencer (1820– 1903) Society can be considered a living organism Social Darwinism: Are some societies superior to others? – Emile Durkheim (1858– 1917) Social integration and social control hold society together What keeps us “in line” and “together”? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Functionalist Thinkers – Talcott Parsons (1902– 1979) Society is a grand interrelated system in which each individual is instrumental in keeping the system functional Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Functionalist Thinkers – Robert Merton (1910–2003) Every action in society has manifest functions (intended, foreseen) and latent functions(unintended, unforeseen) Can we ever perfectly predict the future of our actions?

Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Manifest versus Latent functions The “manifest” function of antigambling legislation may be to suppress gambling, its “latent” function to create an illegal empire. Or, Christian missions in parts of Africa “manifestly” tried to convert Africans to Christianity, “latently” helped to destroy the indigenous tribal cultures. Other examples?

Conflict Theory – Theoretical framework that views society as being in a constant struggle over a limited amount of resources – Also uses a macro approach because it deals with interaction of multiple groups fighting to gain power Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Conflict Theory – Conflict theory can be applied to many institutions, not just social class Any social construct in which inequality can be viewed as a social problem

Conflict Theorists – Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) Society’s actions are often quite different from the values expressed by that society How are American values different than our actions? – Karl Marx (1818–1883) Capitalism breeds conflict between the rich and the poor Who benefits from inequality of wealth? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Conflict Theorists – W. E. B. Du Bois (1868– 1963) Social equality is impossible to achieve in corrupt social systems How do those with power protect their positions? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Conflict Theorists – John Bellamy Foster (1953–present) Social unrest is a result of unequal distribution of power and wealth How does the U.S. exploit the less fortunate?

Symbolic Interactionism – How individual interactions between people influence their behavior and how these interactions can impact society – This paradigm is a micro approach because it deals with individuals, not groups or institutions Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic Interactionism – Analyzes how social interactions influence, create, and sustain human relationships Believes that symbols such as body language, words, gestures, and images affect communication Humans interact with one another according to the meanings of these symbols – (asking for directions, saying hello, sitting next to someone)

– George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) Society is made up of symbols that teach us to understand the world How do symbols get their meaning? – Herbert Blumer (1900–1987) Individual’s behavior depends on meanings already created through experience and interaction How do your values get reinforced or challenged by social interaction? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

– Erving Goffman (1922–1982) Social interactions are the building blocks of society – How do our actions influence others’ perception of us? – Howard Becker (1928–present) Social interactions can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies that limit a person’s outcomes – How is your self-perception affected by labels attached to you? Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Emerging Paradigms Feminist Theory – Female-centered, interdisciplinary approach that seeks to demonstrate how women fit into the social world – Three prominent feminist theories: Gender-inequality theories: – Women’s experiences of the social world are not equal to those of men Theories of gender oppression: – Men purposefully maintain control over women Structural oppression theories: – Women’s oppression is rooted in capitalism Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Methods – Scientific procedures that sociologists use to conduct studies and develop knowledge about a particular topic (why do research?) Objectivity – The ability to conduct research without allowing the influence of personal biases or prejudices (Is this possible?) Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Methods Variables – Things we want to know about – Independent Variables Factors that are deliberately manipulated in an experiment – Dependent Variables The response – Control variables Factors that are kept constant to accurately test the impact of an independent variable Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Six Steps of Social Research Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Concepts Cause and Correlation – Causal Relationship One in which a condition or variable leads directly to a certain consequence – Causation Relationship between cause and effect – Correlation An indication that a factor might be connected to another factor Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Concepts Correlations exist in three forms: – Positive Correlation Involves two variables moving in parallel Variables must increase or decrease together – Negative Correlation Occurs when the variables move in opposite directions – Spurious Correlation Occurs when two variables appear to be related, but actually have separate causes Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethical Concerns – Ethics A system of values or principles that guide one’s behavior – Researchers must be professionally competent – All sociologists have a professional and scientific responsibility – Show integrity and never coerce their subjects – Scientists need to show respect for people’s rights, dignity, and diversity Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative and Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods – Quantitative Data Refers to data based on numbers and used for macro analysis Qualitative Methods – Qualitative Data May include interviews, pictures, photos, or any other type of information that comes to researcher in a non- numerical form – Data tends to be used for microanalysis Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Triangulation/ Social Policy and Statistics Triangulation – The process of using multiple methods to study a phenomenon Social Policies – Refers to deliberate attempts on the part of society to solve social problems Statistics – People on all sides of an issue seem to have statistics to back up their points of view Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pitfalls of Statistical Analysis Five Pitfalls of Statistical Analysis – Be cautious of headlines – Double-check the definition of terms – Investigate the source – Beware of selective causes – Watch out for hidden agendas Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.