Social Problems Exam #1

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globalization

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- the process of increasing transborder connectedness
- poses new challenges and opportunities for understanding and solving social problems
- economically, politically, environmentally, socially

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sociology

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the study of groups, individuals, and social structures

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sociologist

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studies the relationships between individuals and society (includes family, military, economy, and education)

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sociological imagination

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links our personal lives and experiences with our social world
- learn to distinguish between personal trouble and public issues
- a way of recognizing the links between our personal lives and experiences and our social world

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social problem

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a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world

1. may negatively affect a person's life and health along with the well-being of that person's friends and family
2. can threaten social institutions
a. family (spousal abuse)
b. education (rising cost of college tuition)
c. economy (unemployment/underemployment)
3. can threaten physical and social worlds
a. urbanization (lack of affordable housing)
b. environment (climate change)

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objective reality

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acknowledging that a particular social condition negatively affects human lives
- can be confirmed by collection of data

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subjective reality

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addresses how a problem becomes defined as a problem

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social construction of reality

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refers to how our world is a social creation
- originating and evolving through everyday thoughts and actions

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social constructionism

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social problems are not objectively predetermined
1. social problems become real when they are subjectively defined or are perceived as problematic
3. social problems are "in the eye of the beholder"

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Identifying social problems: Stage 1

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- Transformation process
- transforming a private trouble into a public issue

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Identifying social problems: Stage 2

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- Legitimization process
- formalizing the manner in which the social problems or complaints generated by the problem is handled

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Identifying social problems: Stage 3

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- Conflict stage
- readjusting renegotiating, and reorganizing the formal response system

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Identifying social problems: Stage 4

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begins when groups believe that they can no longer work within the established system

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Emile Durkheim

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- Society is like the human body
- the body: organs with specific functions all work together in balance to maintain as a whole
- society: institutions (family, politics, religion) all work together in balance to meet societal needs
-rapid change threatens social order because it disrupts the balance of society

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anomie

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- state of normlessness
- society

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functionalism: macro perspective

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focuses on how society creates and maintains social order
- Social problems are caused and must be solved at the societal level

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Robert Merton

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- 1957
- allowed for the negative consequences of social structures-dysfunctions

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manifest functions

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consequences that are intended and recognized

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latent functions

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consequences that are unintended and often hidden

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theory

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a set of assumptions and propositions used for explanation, prediction, and understanding

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the conflict perspective

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considers how society is held together by power and coercion for the benefit of those in power
- social problems emerge from conflict between groups

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Karl Marx

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a. conflict emerged from the economic substructure of capitalism

b. focused on the conflict between proletariat (workers) and bourgeoisie (owners)

c. capitalism alienates humans from species being, or the true human potential

d. workers must achieve a class consciousness, an awareness of their social position and oppression, if they are to organize to seek change

e. alienation occurs on multiple levels:
1. man becomes increasingly alienated from his work
2. from the product of his work
3. from other workers
4. from his own human potential

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C. Wright Mills

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suggests a "power elite", a small group of political, business, and military elite control our society

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Ralf Dahrendorf

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conflict of interest is inherent in any relationship since the powerful always seek to maintain their dominance
- "Dissension and conflict at every point in the social system" and "many societal elements as contributing to disintegration and change"

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Lewis Closer

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suggests a functional aspect
- conflict creates and maintains group solidarity by...

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feminist theory

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defines gender as a source of social inequality, group conflict, and social problems
- the patriarchal society is the basis of social problems

key perspective: patriarchal structure (basis of social problems is male dominance)

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Interactionist perspective

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focus on how we create and maintain our social reality through language, words, and symbols
- highlights what we take for granted: the expectations, rules, and norms that we learn and practice without even noticing.
- highlights the role of human agency, the active role of individuals in creating their social environment and how social problems and their solutions are created and defined

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George Herbert Mead

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society is the organized and patterned interactions among individuals

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Herbert Blumer

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coined "symbolic interactionism"
- emphasized how the existence of mind and self emerges from interactions and the use of symbols
- people interact with each other by interpreting or defining each others actions instead of merely reacting to each others actions

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How do social problems emerge from interactions?

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1. Problem behavior is learned from others
2. Social problems emerge from the definitions themselves
3. Solutions to problems also emerge from definitions

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incorrigable propositions

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a belief that cannot be proved wrong and has become so much a part of common sense that one continues to believe it even though it is wrong
ex. women as nurturers

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basic research

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expands our understanding of the causes of and consequences of a social problem

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applied research

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the pursuit of knowledge for program application of policy evaluation

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variables

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a property of people or objects that can take on two or more values

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hypothesis

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tentative statement about how the variables are related to each other

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independent variable

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the variable expected to account for the cause of the dependent variable

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dependent variable

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the variable to be explained

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quantitative research

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rely on the collection of statistical data
- require the specification of variables and scales collected through surveys, interviews, or questionnaires

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qualitative research

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designed to capture social life as participants experience it
- methods involve field observation, depth interviews, or focus groups

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survey research

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collects data based on responses to a series of questions

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forms of survey

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self-administered mail survey, group surveys, in-person interviews, telephone

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secondary data analysis

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involves the analysis of previously collected data that are used in a new analysis

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qualitative research

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1. conducted in the field
2. emphasize observations about natural behavior as experienced or witnessed by the researcher

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methods of qualitative research

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participant observation, focus groups, intensive (depth), interviewing

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Historical methods

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focus on one historical period (historical events research) or traces a sequence of events over time (historical process research)

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social policy

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the enactment of a course of action through a formal law or program

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social advocates

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people who use their resources to support, educate, and empower victims and their communities

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social innovation

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may take the form of a policy, a program, or advocacy but features an untested or unique approach

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patriarchy

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a society in which men dominate women and justify their domination through devaluation

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human agency

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the active role of individuals in creating their social environment and in defining and addressing social problems

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functionalist perspective

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examines the functions or consequences of the structure of society
- use a macro perspective which focuses on how society creates and maintains social order

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conflict perspective

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according to karl marx:
- emerged from the economic substructure of capitalism which defined all other social structures and social relations

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comparative research

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comparative research involves multiple cases or data from more than one time period