Sociology: the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture that

surrounds everyday life; focuses primarily on two types of problems; social and sociological problems.
There is a fine line between the two aspects.

Social problems are any condition or behavior which imposes negative consequences for large number
of people and is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed. These
problems, which create a lot of problems create a great deal of suffering for the affected population and
there’s an outcry for the solution, include crime, poverty, pandemics, discrimination and abuse.

However, a sociological problem may be any topic of concern to sociologists. A sociological problem is
an issue faced by society that still demands a valid explanation to be classified as a social problem.
Examples include divorce, marriages and effects of loud music. While all social problems can be stated as
sociological problems, sociological problems aren’t necessarily social problems. They can be, but
sociologists have no obligation to conduct research linked to a given society’s shortcomings. Sometimes,
research that sheds light on a sociological problem in the past can help explain a current social problem.

After studying these two aspects, governments and sociologists together can determine social policy
which may differ from state to state, society to society, community to community. These policies are
driven by social problems which are in turn driven by sociological problems. They are designed to
address social problems including imposing legislation conducive to human/societal welfare. For e.g. the
social problem crime will drive states to pass legislation in order to prevent it and punish criminals.