SOCIAL PROBLEMS: CHAPTER 1 The Sociological Perspective

Overview  What is sociology and the sociological imagination?  If you have taken an introduction to sociology course this will look familiar!  How do sociologists define social problems?  To sociologists, nothing is inherently a problem- a social problem must be collectively defined as one by some portion of the population.  How do Sociologists study social problems?  Research methods

What is Sociology and the sociological imagination?  Sociology is the systematic study of human society  It is a social science  It uses the scientific process to collect and evaluate information.  Sociologists research a variety of social issues or problems. Many are social advocates.  Sociologists study society and how society affects the individual.  How do the groups that we belong to shape us? These “groups” are what sociologists call our social location. This includes our gender “location”, racial or ethnic “location,” and socioeconomic “location.” Our experiences in the world may vary based on whether or not we are female/male (or transgender), black or white (among various other races), rich or poor. etc.  These social locations shape the way we view the world. This is VERY significant!

What do sociologists do?  Sociologists study everything and anything that has to do with how people relate to one another.  They often look at issues that have to do with power- that is, who has a lot of power and how do they choose to exercise this power?  i.e, corporations, politicians, the media, the wealthy, etc.  they also look at who has little power in our society (the poor, homeless, minority groups).  Sociologists do many things- for example, they may be affiliated with a university and conduct ongoing research. They may work for the government collecting census data, or they may work with organizations that assist the poor, racial/ethnic minorities, or women.  Someone who studies sociology does not have to become a sociologist. Studying sociology will help you understand how society affects your own, and other people’s, behavior. This is enlightening.  When we study sociology we exercise our sociological imagination- see the next slide!

The Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills): Looking at people’s behavior and attitudes in the context of the social forces that shape them. This is a very different perspective for most of us. In our culture we tend to look at behaviors from an individualistic (or psychological) perspective. Exercising our sociological imaginations means we look at human behavior IN SOCIAL CONTEXT  We examine how changes in society have a profound influence on people’s personal lives.  Emphasis on how larger events have an impact on how we think, feel, act  We connect personal troubles and public issues  See the next two slides for examples

The Sociological Imagination: examples Going to college  Some of you may have been laid off or are having difficulty finding a decent paying job that you like. This is what we call a personal trouble. Perhaps that is why you are taking this class. You understand that in order to be competitive in a tough economic climate you need to be “marketable.” If good paying jobs were plentiful, you may have decided there was no need for a college degree.  Thirty years ago one could find a good paying job with benefits with no college education! Today, this is rare. Society has changed, so our personal decisions are affected. This public issue (a competitive job market) can create personal troubles (unemployment, juggling work and school). By looking at it this way we are exercising our sociological imaginations.  This might sound like common sense but what if you could not afford college (and many people can’t)? You may become, or remain, poor. How do we view the poor in our country? We might blame someone for being poor- as if it was an individual choice- as opposed to looking at it sociologically- like- college is really expensive! Using our sociological imaginations we can see that lack of good paying jobs and high college prices keep many people poor- NOT individual attitudes and choices (although this may play a role).

The Sociological Imagination: another example  The obesity epidemic  Why are so many Americans overweight? The 2009 Gallup-Healthways Well- Being Index shows that 63.1% of Americans are overweight or obese (up from 62.2% the previous year). That is 2/3rds of the country. Consider that in the 1950’s this number was about 40% and it has been growing ever since. What’s happening?  Certainly it’s easy to blame the individual for being overweight (and this is what we tend to do). After all we all choose what to eat. We also make the choice to either exercise or sit in front of the TV. Fair enough- but this is NOT exercising our sociological imaginations. To exercise our sociological imaginations we would consider how our society promotes unhealthy habits. What encourages people to eat more and exercise less?  Ubiquity of fast food restaurants and processed foods (and lots of ads for them)  Our national love for sedentary leisure activities such as watching TV, playing video games  Fast paced, stressful lives, that make preparing healthful meals more challenging  Desk jobs (as opposed to farming- what most people did 100 years ago)  Can you can think of other reasons?

What is a Social Problem?  Social Problem: Some aspect of society that people are concerned about and would like changed.  Examples of Social Problems:  Violence  Poverty  Sexual abuse  Access to Medical Care  War  Racism

Top 10 Social Problems identified by Americans  Unemployment and a poor economy  Inefficient government  Danger of war  High taxes  Government over-involvement in business  Labor conflict  Poor farm conditions  Inadequate pensions for the elderly  High concentration of wealth  Drinking alcohol  The economy  Federal budget deficit  High price of gasoline and oil  The social security system  Dissatisfaction with government  Crime and violence  Access to affordable health care  Hunger and homelessness  Illegal immigration  The quality of the environment In 1935In 2010

The Characteristics of Social Problems Two Essential Elements:  Objective Condition- what are the facts ? For example: Abortion is currently legal. 63% of Americans are overweight or obese. Women can vote in the U.S. These are all objective conditions, they are facts; they are unbiased.  Subjective Concern- how do people feel about the facts, or how are they affected? Some people have a problem with the fact that abortion is legal, just as some think that there is an obesity epidemic that needs to be addressed. Just as some people are concerned about violence on TV, internet pornography, or racism. Some people think that some, or all, of these issues are social problems. Other people think they aren’t. It’s subjective- (it depends on the person, and that person’s social location). Social problems are dynamic they are always changing and responding to what is happening in society. And society is always changing Social problems are relative what may be a problem for some is a solution to others (i.e. Roe v Wade).

Example: Unemployment and Objective Conditions and Subjective Concerns:  Objective Conditions (the facts)  the unemployment rate in the U.S., as of January 2013, is 7.7%  Subjective Concerns (how people are affected)  People have lost jobs, homes  More people visiting food banks  College grads nervous about paying back loans and getting a good job!

Example: Obesity and Objective Conditions and Subjective Concerns:  Objective conditions(facts)  63% of Americans are overweight or obese  Subjective concerns(how this affects people) :  Rise in childhood diabetes  Increased illness  Soaring health care costs  Loss of self-esteem (especially in kids and teens)

Objective & Subjective Concerns: Abortion before Roe vs. Wade (1973) Objective (the facts)  Abortion was illegal.  Subjective (how the facts affected people)  Women who wanted abortions could not get them.  Untrained individuals performed abortions  Women died from botched, underground surgeries.

Defining the Problem  How we define a problem (if we think there is one) is important, and as you may suspect, people interpret facts according to their values  As you can see from the table below, language matters. People who are opposed to abortion are likely to define what is aborted as a baby, while those who are pro-choice will define it as a fetus. These words hold tremendous power because they reflect our values and shape how we define, and perceive, an issue. The video Fault Lines illustrates this well.

The Role of Sociology in Examining Social Problems Sociology is a tool for breaking through emotions and defenses There are five ways sociology penetrates emotional convictions to yield objective understanding of social problems: 1. Sociologists can measure objective conditions. 2. Sociologists can measure subjective concerns. 3. Sociologists can apply the sociological imagination. 4. Sociologists can identify different ways to intervene in a social problem. 5. Sociologists can evaluate likely consequences of social policies.

A way to measure objective conditions: SURVEYS

Notice how the responses are broken down- by sex, race/ethnicity (previous slide), age, education, and income (this is social location). Where do you see the most dramatic difference in responses? Clearly education, income, and age influence one’s perspective on this issue. This is something that sociological research can show us. But what does it mean? For example, why do you think that 27% of adults age think that abortion should always be legal- the highest of any age category? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this is the “baby boomer” generation that grew up in the 1960’s during a time of radical social change? Why do those with the most education and highest salary also tend to favor the legality of abortion? And how do we explain the opposite (that those who have the least education and earn the lowest salary oppose it?)

 More sociological data. Notice the political and regional differences!  Note that most people tend to fall in the middle (‘Legal Under Certain Circumstances’) in all categories

Principles Underlying Sociological Research  Sociologists use scientific methods to provide objective, systematic research findings  Sociologists do not base their conclusions on emotions or personal values  Sociologists use the sociological imagination  Because sociology cannot dictate that one set of values is superior to another, it provides no basis for making value decisions

Methods for Studying Social Problems  Sociologists conduct experiments, gather information via surveys, study people in “the field” (their natural setting) and also do in-depth case studies.  They gather information by administering questionnaires, conducting interviews, being a “participant observer” or doing a content analysis.  The research methods you use will depend on what you want to find out!

Should Sociologists Take Sides? Problem of determining morality  Research methods allow one to gather objective information on social problems, but do not reveal what attitude or social policy is “correct.”  Should sociologists forget their own subjective concerns and strive to remain dispassionate, detached, and value- free or should they report the facts and take sides on the social issues that affect our society? This is an issue that is intensely debated in the field! My perspective is that we should use our sociological knowledge to work for positive social change. Of course what we consider “positive” is not necessarily objective. Hence the dilemma….