Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 The Study of Social Problems This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What is a Social Problem? C. Wright Mills distinguished between personal troubles and public issues Personal troubles are things that affect individuals and their immediate surroundings Public issues have an impact have an impact on large numbers of people and are matters of public debate

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Objective Elements of Social Problems Awareness of social conditions through life experiences and through reports in the media. – We see the homeless, hear gunfire in the streets, and see battered women in hospital emergency rooms. – We read about employees losing their jobs as businesses downsize and factories close.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Subjective Elements of Social Problems The belief that a particular social condition is harmful to society or to a segment of society and that it should and can be changed. We know crime, drug addiction, poverty, racism, violence, and pollution exist. – These are not considered social problems unless a segment of society believes these conditions diminish the quality of human life.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. What is a Social Problem? A social problem exists: – when an influential group defines a social condition as threatening its values – when a condition affects a large number of people – and when the condition can be remedied by collective action

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Social Context of Social Problems Social conditions that can lead to the emergence of social problems – Deviation from group values & norms – A decline in the effectiveness of social institutions – Extensive social & cultural diversity – The exercise of power

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Types of Social Norms Folkways - customs and manners of society. Laws - formal norms backed by authority. Mores - norms with a moral basis. Situational – norms that change according to a given situation.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Social Institutions An institution is an established and enduring pattern of social relationships. The five traditional institutions are: – Family – Religion – Politics – Economics – Education

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Culture Culture is defined as the meanings and ways of life that characterize a society including beliefs, values, norms, sanctions, and symbols.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Elements of Culture Beliefs are definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true. Values are social agreements about what is considered good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Elements of Culture Norms – Socially defined rules of behavior. Sanctions – Consequences for conforming to or violating norms. Symbols – Language, gestures, and objects whose meaning is commonly understood by the members of a society.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Theoretical Approaches on Social Problems A theoretical perspective provides some fundamental assumptions about the nature and operation of society. – Macrosociological perspectives focus on large groups, social institutions and society as a whole. – Microsociological perspectives focus on the intimate level of everyday interactions between people.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Functionalist Perspective Society is a system that is made up of a number of interrelated elements, each performing a function that contributes to the operation of the whole. – Robert K. Merton distinguished between manifest functions, latent functions, and dysfunctions.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Conflict Perspective Society consists of different groups who struggle with one another to attain the scarce societal resources that are considered valuable, be they money, power, prestige, or the authority to impose one’s values on society. – Karl Marx provided the framework based on the class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Conflict Theories of Social Problems There are two general types of conflict theories of social problems: – Marxist theories focus on social conflict that results from economic inequalities. – Non-Marxist theories focus on social conflict that results from competing values and interests among social groups.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Marxist Conflict Theories According to Marxist theorists, social problems result from class inequality inherent in a capitalistic system. Marxist conflict theories also focus on the problem of alienation. Conflict can create positive change

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Non-Marxist Conflict Theories Concerned with conflict that arises when groups have opposing values and interests. – These value positions reflect different subjective interpretations of what constitutes a social problem. – Ultimately, conflict is, and always will be, inevitable.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Interactionist Perspective Interactionism focuses on everyday social interaction among individuals rather than on large scale societal structures. – William and Dorothy Thomas stated that “If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” – The definition of the situation refers to people’s perceptions and interpretations of what is important in a situation and what actions are appropriate.

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Research on Social Problems Science is a method of obtaining objective and systematic knowledge through observation. – Hypotheses are tentative statements that can be tested regarding relationships between two or more factors, and that act as links between theory and research.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Stages of Conducting a Research Study 1. Formulating a research question. 2. Reviewing the literature. 3. Defining variables. 4. Formulating a hypothesis. 5. Design research method 6. Collect and analyze data 7. Form conclusion and publish results

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Variable Any measurable event, characteristic, or property that varies or is subject to change. Researchers must operationally define the variables they study. – An operational definition specifies how a variable is to be measured. Operational definitions are particularly important for defining variables that cannot be directly observed.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Hypothesis A prediction about how one variable is related to another variable. The dependent variable is the variable that the researcher wants to explain. The independent variable is the variable that is expected to explain change in the dependent variable.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Four Types of Sociological Research Direct observation – The social scientist sees or hears something him or herself Surveys – People are asked questions Archival research – Information collected by some other agency for reasons other than research Experiments – Controlled methods of collecting evidence

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Assessing Data Sampling problems – Upon whom or what were the observations made? – Samples should be representative. The three criteria to establish causality – Observe associations or correlations – Ensure time sequence – Avoid spurious relationships

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Future Prospects Solutions to social problems can fall into one of the following categories. – Prevention – Intervention – Social reform – Reconstruction – Alleviating consequences

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Who Provides Solutions? “Collective action” means that people work together toward a solution. – A social movement is a collective, organized effort to promote or resist social change through some noninstitutionalized or unconventional means.

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Should we solve the problems? Can we accept the costs of the solution? Does a solution to one problem create yet other problems? Is a particular solution feasible?

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. International Perspectives Reasons to look at other societies and cultures – Because we can gain additional insight into problems and their solutions when we observe different cultures – Because nations today are intertwined in a complex relationship in which we all depend on one another – Because some social problems are inherently global