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01 - Social Problems - Introduction

This document discusses social problems and introduces key concepts for understanding them from a sociological perspective. It defines social problems, explores objective and subjective elements, and examines disagreements around definitions. The document also outlines social structure, culture, institutions, groups, status, roles, and theoretical perspectives as frameworks for analyzing and explaining social problems.

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82 views15 pages

01 - Social Problems - Introduction

This document discusses social problems and introduces key concepts for understanding them from a sociological perspective. It defines social problems, explores objective and subjective elements, and examines disagreements around definitions. The document also outlines social structure, culture, institutions, groups, status, roles, and theoretical perspectives as frameworks for analyzing and explaining social problems.

Uploaded by

Felix blay
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COURSE:

GPD231D: SOCIAL PROBLEMS

INTRODUCTION, DEFINITIONS & BASIC CONCEPTS


Ayine Akolgo
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION, DEFINITIONS & BASIC CONCEPTS
§ What Is a Social Problem?

§ Objective and Subjective Elements of Social Problems

§ Disagreements in Definitions of Social Problems

§ Elements of Social Structure and Culture

§ The Sociological Imagination


Defining Social Problem?
§ No single definition

§ Objective and Subjective Elements of Social Problems

§ Objective Elements of Social Problems: the existence of a social condition that


we become aware of through our own life experience, the media, and education.

§ Eg. We see the homeless, gunfire in the streets, battered women in hospital emergency
rooms, read about employees losing their jobs, businesses downsize and factories close.

§ 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.

§ Eg. We know that crime, drug addiction, poverty, racism, violence, and pollution exist.
What Is a Social Problem?
A social problem is a social
condition that a segment of
society views as harmful to
members of society and in
need of remedy.
(Mooney, Knox & Schacht, 2011)
Disagreements in What is a Social Problem?
§ It is normal that people don’t agree on what constitute a social problem
and what is not.
§ This is because:
1. values, beliefs, and life experiences differ.
2. Social problems may vary across societies and historical time periods.
3. Social problems can be complex

§ There is therefore, need for a framework to understand and explain them.


§ This framework is what sociologists refer to as the Sociological
Perspective.
Basic Concepts in Understanding Social Problems _1
§ Social structure and culture
§ 1. Structure – refers to the way society is organized. Society is organized into different
parts: institutions, social groups, statuses, and roles.
§ 2. Institutions – established and enduring patterns of social relationships.
§ Six traditional institutions are family, religion, politics, economics, education and health.
P R E M E H – Politics -> Religion -> Economics -> Marriage/Family -> Education -> Health.
§ Some sociologists argue that other social institutions, such as science and technology,
mass media, medicine, sports, and the military, also play important roles in modern
society.
§ Many social problems result from problems or inadequacies in/with these institutions.
Basic Concepts in Understanding Social Problems _2
§ 3. Social group – two or more people who have a common identity, interact, and form a
social relationship. Eg. the family in which you were reared is a social group that is part
of the family institution.
§ Primary or Secondary groups:
§ Primary groups: involve small numbers of individuals, are characterized by intimate and
informal interaction.
§ Secondary groups: involve small or large numbers of individuals, are task-oriented and
are characterized by impersonal and formal inter- action.
§ 4. Status is a position that a person occupies within a social group. The statuses we
occupy largely define our social identity. The statuses in a family may consist of mother,
father, stepmother, stepfather, wife, husband, child, and so on.
§ Ascribed or Achieved status:
Basic Concepts in Understanding Social Problems _3
§ Ascribed status – one that society assigns to an individual on the
basis of factors over which the individual has no control.

§ Achieved status – assigned on the basis of some characteristic or


behavior over which the individual has some control.

§ 5. Roles – or the set of rights, obligations, and expectations


associated with a status. Roles guide our behavior and allow us to
predict the behavior of others.
Elements of Culture _ 1
§ Whereas social structure refers to the organization of society, culture
refers to the meanings and ways of life that characterize a society.

§ 6. Elements of culture – include beliefs, values, norms, sanctions, and


symbols.

§ 7. Beliefs – refer to definitions and explanations about what is


assumed to be true.

§ The beliefs of an individual or group influence whether that individual


or group views a particular social condition as a social problem.
Elements of Culture _ 2
§ 8. Values – are social agreements about what is considered good
and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

§ Social conditions are viewed as social problems when the


conditions are incompatible with or contradict closely held values.

§ Values play an important role not only in the interpretation of a


condition as a social problem but also in the development of the
social condition itself.

§ Absent or weak values may contribute to some social problems.


Elements of Culture _ 4
§ 9. Norms – Socially defined rules of behavior including folkways, mores, and laws.

§ Norms serve as guidelines for our behavior and for our expectations of the
behavior of others.

§ There are three types of norms:


1. Folkways – refer to the customs and manners of society.
2. Laws – norms that are formalized and backed by political authority.
3. Mores – norms with a moral basis.

§ All norms are associated with sanctions, or social consequences for conform- ing
to or violating norms.
Elements of Culture _ 5
§ 10. Sanctions – Social consequences for conforming to or violating norms.

§ 11. Symbol – Something that represents something else.

§ 12. Sociological imagination – A term C. Wright Mills (1959) developed,


refers to the ability to see the connections between our personal lives and
the social world in which we live.
Indicate whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:
Statement
1. The Ghana military spending should be increased.
2. The Ghana government is not doing enough to control environmental pollution.
3. There is too much concern in the courts for the rights of criminals.
4. Abortion should be legal.
5. The death penalty should be abolished.
6. Undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education.
7. Marijuana should be legalized.
8. It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships.
9. Colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers.
10. The Ghana government should do more to control the sale of handguns.
11. Racial discrimination is no longer a major problem in Ghana.
12. Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about changes in our society.
13. Wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes than they do now.
14. Affirmative action in college admissions should be abolished.
15. Same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status.
Theoretical Perspectives
§ Three major theoretical perspectives:
1. The Structural- functionalist perspective,
2. The conflict perspective, and
3. The symbolic interactionist perspective.

§ Each perspective offers a variety of explanations about the


causes of and possible solutions to social problems.

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