Chapter 1- Sociology and the Study of Social Problems

Exam 1

What were the main social problems in 2025?

35%- economy——15% in 2024

26%- government/poor leadership——-20% in 2024

Different views & solutions about social problems are based on what?

Based on opinions and life experiences, or they are just good guessers

What is the main idea of sociology

How do our personal problems relate to the larger social problems in our

society & around the world?

• C. W. Mill’s “ sociological imagination”

• ‘Personal troubles/ problems’ -

• ‘Public issues’ - command public interest & attention or require public

responses

C. W. Mill’s “ sociological imagination”

Ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society

‘Personal troubles/ problems’

Causes and solutions lie within the individual and his/her immediate environment

Public issues

command public interest & attention or require public responses

• Attract public interest

• often require public recognition

• problems go beyond individuals

What does this represent; Ex. I didn’t study so I didn’t do well on the exam

Personal troubles/problems

What does this represent; Ex. Noise prevening you from study or 100 million jobs but 450 million people

Public issue

What are the four definitions to social problems?

a. Causes and solutions lie outside the individual

b. are societal induced conditions that harm any segment of the population.

c. acts & conditions that violate the norms & values

ex. unemployment frightened out economy. If you work hard, you will succeed, but if there are no jobs then you cannot achieve

d. negative consequences for individuals and social world

What are the basics of social problems?

1. SPs- is seldom harmful to everyone

2. SPs- Sparks public controversy

3. SPs overtime: The public’s view of problems change over time

SP are seldom harmful to everyone

Examples: low wages, war

• Company: you are working for someone, low wage, doesn’t affect the boss (profit and save money) but affects the workers

• Soldiers are killed/injured, doesn’t affect us the same way it affects the soldiers and the soldier’s families. The companies that make money are profiting

SPs- Sparks public controversy

Ex: Hurricane Katrina and Maria

Katrina: killed more than 800 ppl, destroyed houses; affected Louisiana and MIssissippi (the public was upset that the government was not taking care of these people)

Maria: Puerto Rico, Trump said he was going to pull out resource thus the public criticized him

Two components of SP

Objective reality and Subjective reality

Objective Reality

• comes from unbiased acknowledgment that a particular social condition exists (you can see it)

• It can be measured

Ex. Poverty. We see it through government statistics and status

Subjective Reality

• SPs exist only in so far as people judge tgen as problems

• Are socially constructed

-People define them; problems for some people and not for others

Ex. abortion, climate change

Subjective reality is based on what?

Social Constructionism

Social Constructionism

Also called (Social Construction of Reality): SPs become social problems when we perceive them to be.

-If you believe something is real, it becomes real to you

Ex. Kids believe santa is real to them because they get presents from him

SPs arise as people define conditions are what?

a. undesirable

b. in need of change

What do sociologists combine for SPs?

combination of objective facts & subjective perception (Partly a matter

of objective facts & partly a matter of subjective perception)

Examples of SPs?

• Homicide

Object: It kills people

Subject: People think its a problem

• Motor Vehicle Accidents

-are more harmful than homicide; we don’t hear much about it because we need cars

• School Shootings

-Social problem but not in high status

• Immigration

(4 Stages) Spector and Kitsuse 4 stages

1. Transformation process

2. Legitimation Process

3. Conflict stage

4. Developing alternative strategies

1) Transformation

Transforming a provate toruble into a public issue

• Requires public recognition (try to convince public; what do you think)

• Convinces them that action is needed

** Nothing will get done if its a personal problem

Ex. MADD-1980s (mothers against drunk drivers)

• Some mothers that lost children n car accidents by drunk drivers (Private to Public)

(2) Legitimation Process

Acceptance by official agencies (the government)

• by creating & implementing a formal response

• Can pass law/bill

(3) Conflict state

Activists express dissatisfaction with the official response

• Leads to readjustment, renegotiation, and reorganization

• Criticize their response and renew their demands

(4) Developing alternative strategies

When activists are frustrated, they develop alternative, parallel, or counter-institutions and develop their own strategies for addressing the social problem

Perspectives

—

Theoretical Perspective

• Functionalist: Durkheim

• Sps- stem from the distribution. Failure of some part, interferes with society’s smooth functioning

Rapid change=instability (the change is gradual/slow change)

Rapid change threatens social order, norms, and values because it disrupts the balance of society

This leads to anomie or normlessness. During this stage, society is prone to social problems

Example of Theoretical Perspective

cut my finger, my whole body reacts; organs work together to stay alive. Society is like this

Solution to Theoretical Perspective

• at the societal level

Restore the social order, repair the broken institutions, avoid rapid change

Conflict Perspective

• Marx

Sps arise:

a) b/c of social, economic, or political inequalities

b) from the unequal distribution of wealth, which may lead to large-scale conflict

• from conflict between different groups & the powerful people win

c) of the exploitation & oppression of one group by another

Conflict Perspective who blames?

Blame on the system itself (capitalism) & the inequality it creates

What does Conflict Perspective say about capitalism?

Capitalism alienates humans from their species being

• Capitalism promotes competition

Workers are alienated from what?

1) The objects s/he produces; ex. person doesn’t feel pride for the product they produce bc the owner makes money off of them

2) the process of production; ex. they cannot control the work that is done, its repetition by orders or factory

3) themselves; ex. they are doing the same thing over and over, very boring, lack of creativity & cannot express themselves

4) the community of his/her fellows; ex. workers compete with each other for wages, jobs

Workers have what?

False consciousness

False consciousness definitions

Meaning they fail to recognize their true class interests because they are exploited

What will workers achieve?

Will achieve a class consciousness

Class consciousness definition

an awareness of their social position & oppression

• Once they achieve it back, battle between workers and capitalism and workers will win! No more social problems

What is a solution on the Conflict Perspective?

Radical reconstruction of society—Get rid eof capitalism and achieve communism

Feminist Perspective

Social problems through the lenses of gender inequalities

Under the Feminist Perspective; what is Feminism?

Political movement that seeks social equality for men and women

• Gender inequality lead to social problems

• Patriarchal society- basis of social problems

Patriarcal

Where men are in control

What is the Goal of the Feminist Perspective?

Eliminate it & establish a gender free society

What are problems to solutions?

• Social policy

• Social advocates

• Social innovation

Social policy

Formal strategies or the enhancement of a course of action through a formal law/program

Social advocates

Is about supporting a specific group or addressing a societal problem

Ex. Campaign, research, working with policy makers

Social innovation

Finding new ways to meet unmet needs through the development of new products, services, and organizations

• They can take the forms of a policy, a program, or advocacy, but features an untested or unique approach Ex. making affordable housing, local volunteers to build houses