English Class - Social Work Program

Teacher: Lina Moncada.

THE SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

What is a Social Problem?

There are some issues, such as crime or racial discrimination that everyone in society would
agree are social problems. But there are other issues, such as online gambling or steroid use
in sports where there is much more disagreement over whether these issues are social
problems at all. The big question then is how do we determine what is a social problem and
what is not?

C. Wright Mills made a distinction when trying to define a social problem that looked at
personal problems versus public issues. Personal problems are things that affect individuals
and those around them. If someone in a family attempts suicide, that is a problem for the
family. Public issues, on the other hand, involve much larger numbers of people. Although
some public issues might intersect with personal problems, not all personal troubles are a
public issue.

For an issue to become a social concern, it needs to have an influential group define it as so.
An influential group is a group that can have a significant impact on public debate and social
policy. For example, some groups such as MAD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) have been
able to mount successful campaigns, whereas groups such as PEATA (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals) have not been able to generate significant debate over the abusive
treatment of animals.

Another factor that defines an issue as a social problem is that it needs to be produced by
social conditions and it needs to be remedied by collective human action. Natural disasters
such as tornados are not social problems because they are not produced by society and
cannot be prevented by collective action.

The values and norms of a society or culture play an important role in defining a social
problem. Values are a group’s ideas about what is acceptable or not acceptable behavior.
Norms are more specific. They are rules of conduct that guide people’s behaviors in social
situations. Taken together, values and norms serve as a script for how to behave in society.
Most people willingly adhere to their culture’s values and norms.

Thus, values and norms offer stability and order to a society. Not everyone conforms to the values
and norms of society. Some people engage in behavior that is rejected by the larger society. This
means they are engaged in “deviant” behavior. When people engage in deviant behavior that
violates the values and norms of the larger culture, it can create a strong reaction. Some social
problems such as prostitution and drug abuse are examples of how some people are unwilling to
conform to the norms of the larger society.

As more and more people travel and disperse around the globe, societies become more diverse.
This diversity means that people in culturally diverse societies come in contact with norms and
behaviors that differ from their own. The values of one group may clash with the values of another
group. This means that society needs to look at social issues and see if they meet the criteria to
be labeled as a social problem or are they just a problem to a particular subculture.

Another element to defining an issue as a social problem is the concept of power. Power refers
to the ability of one group to realize its goals even over the resistance of other groups. The
exercise of power is related to social problems in that it is a necessary component in either
creating social problems or solving them. Which solutions are settled on in solving social problems
often depends on which groups can utilize the power available to them.

Finally, the mass media plays an important role in defining an issue as a social problem. The
mass media is especially influential in the modern, global world. People’s perceptions of social
problems are often fashioned and influenced by the mass media. Groups that have access to the
mass media are going to have a better chance at influencing public opinion than groups that do
not.

Taken from: http://instruction.blackhawk.edu/ghoffarth/social%20problems/socunit1.htm