Social Problems Quiz 8/27

Sociological Imagination

Objectivism

a school of thought that defines social problems in terms of objectively measurable characteristics of conditions

Subjectivism

a school of thought that defines social problems in terms of people’s subjective sense that something is or isn’t troubling

Social Construction

the process by which people continually create- or construct- meaning

Social Problems Process

the process through which particular troubling conditions come to be constructed as social problems

Constructionism

a sociological approach that focuses on the process of social construction

Claim

an argument that a particular troubling condition needs to be addressed

Claimsmaking

the process of making claims, of bringing a troubling condition to the attention of others

Claimsmakers

people who seek to convince others that there is a troubling condition about which something ought to be done

Troubling conditions

a condition that becomes a subject of claims

Natural History

a sequence of steps or stages often found in a particular process

Activists

members of a social movement organization who make claims about social problems

Experts

People- such as physicians, scientists, lawyers, and officials- who have special knowledge and claim to speak with special authority

Policymaking

the process of devising policy to address a particular troubling condition

Social Problems Work

the application of constructions of a troubling condition or social policy to practical situations

Policy Outcome

the result of how a particular social policy is implemented