Social Problems a Down to Earth Approach Chapter 11 the Changing Family

ane.1 What Is a Social Problem?

Learning Objectives

1. Ascertain "social problem."
2. Explicate the objective and subjective components of the definition of a social problem.
3. Understand the social constructionist view of social bug.
4. List the stages of the natural history of social bug.

A social problem is any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed. This definition has both an objective component and a subjective component.

The objective component is this: For any condition or behavior to be considered a social trouble, it must have negative consequences for big numbers of people, as each chapter of this book discusses. How practise we know if a social problem has negative consequences? Reasonable people tin can and practice disagree on whether such consequences exist and, if then, on their extent and seriousness, simply normally a body of data accumulates—from piece of work by academic researchers, government agencies, and other sources—that strongly points to extensive and serious consequences. The reasons for these consequences are ofttimes hotly debated, and sometimes, as we shall see in sure chapters in this book, sometimes the very existence of these consequences is disputed. A current example is climate modify: Although the overwhelming majority of climate scientists say that climate change (changes in the globe's climate due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the temper) is real and serious, fewer than two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) in a 2011 poll said they "think that global warming is happening"(Leiserowitz, et. al., 2011).

This type of dispute points to the subjective component of the definition of social problems: There must be a perception that a status or behavior needs to be addressed for information technology to be considered a social trouble. This component lies at the centre of the social constructionist view of social bug (Rubington & Weinberg, 2010). In this view, many types of negative conditions and behaviors be. Many of these are considered sufficiently negative to learn the status of a social problem; some do not receive this consideration and thus do non become a social problem; and some go considered a social problem but if citizens, policymakers, or other parties call attending to the condition or beliefs.

Sometimes disputes occur over whether a particular condition or behavior has negative consequences and is thus a social trouble. A current example is climate change: although almost all climate scientists retrieve climate change is real and serious, more than i-third of the American public thinks that climatic change is non happening.

The history of attention given to rape and sexual assault in the United States before and after the 1970s provides an example of this latter situation. These acts of sexual violence against women have probably occurred from the beginning of humanity and certainly were very common in the United States before the 1970s. Although men were sometimes arrested and prosecuted for rape and sexual assault, sexual violence was otherwise ignored by legal policymakers and received little attention in college textbooks and the news media, and many people thought that rape and sexual assault were just something that happened (Allison & Wrightsman, 1993). Thus although sexual violence existed, it was not considered a social trouble. When the contemporary women's movement began in the late 1970s, it shortly focused on rape and sexual assail equally serious crimes and every bit manifestations of women'southward inequality. Thanks to this focus, rape and sexual assault eventually entered the public consciousness, views of these crimes began to change, and legal policymakers began to requite them more attention. In short, sexual violence against women became a social problem.

Before the 1970s, rape and sexual assault certainly existed and were very mutual, but they were generally ignored and not considered a social problem. When the gimmicky women's movement arose during the 1970s, information technology focused on sexual violence against women and turned this behavior into a social trouble.

The social constructionist view raises an interesting question: When is a social trouble a social problem? According to some sociologists who adopt this view, negative atmospheric condition and behaviors are non a social trouble unless they are recognized as such by policymakers, large numbers of lay citizens, or other segments of our society; these sociologists would thus say that rape and sexual assail earlier the 1970s were not a social problem considering our society equally a whole paid them niggling attending. Other sociologists say that negative weather condition and behaviors should be considered a social trouble even if they receive little or no attention; these sociologists would thus say that rape and sexual assault before the 1970s were a social problem.

This type of fence is probably akin to the age-old question: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is in that location to hear it, is a sound made? As such, it is not piece of cake to reply, simply it does reinforce i of the key beliefs of the social constructionist view: Perception matters at least as much as reality, and sometimes more so. In line with this belief, social constructionism emphasizes that citizens, interest groups, policymakers, and other parties often compete to influence popular perceptions of many types of weather and behaviors. They endeavor to influence news media coverage and popular views of the nature and extent of whatever negative consequences that may be occurring, the reasons underlying the condition or behavior in question, and possible solutions to the trouble.

Sometimes a condition or behavior becomes a social problem even if in that location is little or no basis for this perception. A historical instance involves women in college. During the tardily 1800s, medical authorities and other experts warned women non to go to college for two reasons: they feared that the stress of college would disrupt women'south menstrual cycles, and they thought that women would non do well on exams while they were menstruating.

Social constructionism'southward accent on perception has a provocative implication: Just every bit a condition or behavior may non exist considered a social problem even if in that location is potent basis for this perception, so may a condition or behavior be considered a social trouble even if in that location is niggling or no ground for this perception. The "issue" of women in college provides a historical example of this latter possibility. In the late 1800s, leading physicians and medical researchers in the United States wrote journal articles, textbooks, and newspaper columns in which they warned women not to go to college. The reason? They feared that the stress of higher would disrupt women's menstrual cycles, and they also feared that women would non do well in exams during "that time of the calendar month" (Ehrenreich & English, 2005)! Nosotros now know better, of course, but the sexist beliefs of these writers turned the idea of women going to college into a social problem and helped to reinforce restrictions past colleges and universities on the admission of women.

In a related dynamic, diverse parties tin misconstrue sure aspects of a social trouble that does exist: politicians can requite speeches, the news media tin can use scary headlines and heavy coverage to capture readers' or viewers' interest, businesses can utilize advertising and influence news coverage. News media coverage of violent crime provides many examples of this dynamic (Robinson, 2011; Surette, 2011). The news media overdramatize violent crime, which is far less common than belongings crime like burglary and larceny, by featuring so many stories most it, and this coverage contributes to public fear of criminal offense. Media stories about violent crime as well tend to be more mutual when the accused offender is black and the victim is white and when the offender is a juvenile. This type of coverage is thought to heighten the public's prejudice toward African Americans and to contribute to negative views about teenagers.

The Natural History of a Social Problem

Nosotros have just discussed some of the difficulties in defining a social problem and the fact that various parties ofttimes try to influence public perceptions of social bug. These issues aside, nearly social problems go through a natural history consisting of several stages of their development (Spector & Kitsuse, 2001).

Stage 1: Emergence and Claims Making

A social problem emerges when a social entity (such as a social change group, the news media, or influential politicians) begins to call attention to a condition or behavior that it perceives to be undesirable and in need of remedy. As part of this procedure, it tries to influence public perceptions of the problem, the reasons for information technology, and possible solutions to it. Because the social entity is making claims about all these matters, this attribute of Stage 1 is termed the claims-making process. Not all efforts to turn a status or beliefs into a social problem succeed, and if they do not succeed, a social problem does not emerge. Because of the resource they take or do not accept, some social entities are more than likely than others to succeed at this stage. A few ordinary individuals have petty influence in the public sphere, but masses of individuals who engage in protest or other political activity have greater ability to help a social problem emerge. Because politicians accept the ear of the news media and other types of influence, their views about social problems are often very influential. Near studies of this phase of a social problem focus on the efforts of social modify groups and the larger social motion to which they may belong, equally almost social bug brainstorm with bottom-up efforts from such groups.

A social trouble emerges when a social change group successfully calls attention to a condition or behavior that it considers serious. Protests like the one depicted here have raised the ecology consciousness of Americans and helped put pressure on businesses to be environmentally responsible.

Phase 2: Legitimacy

Once a social group succeeds in turning a condition or behavior into a social trouble, it ordinarily tries to persuade the government (local, state, and/or federal) to accept some action—spending and policymaking—to accost the trouble. Every bit part of this try, information technology tries to convince the authorities that its claims about the problem are legitimate—that they make sense and are supported by empirical (enquiry-based) evidence. To the extent that the group succeeds in convincing the authorities of the legitimacy of its claims, authorities action is that much more than likely to occur.

Phase 3: Renewed Claims Making

Even if government action does occur, social alter groups often conclude that the activeness is too limited in goals or scope to be able to successfully accost the social problem. If they reach this decision, they oftentimes decide to press their demands anew. They exercise so by reasserting their claims and by criticizing the official response they have received from the government or other established interests, such equally big businesses. This stage may involve a fair amount of tension between the social change groups and these targets of their claims.

Stage 4: Development of Alternative Strategies

Despite the renewed claims making, social change groups often conclude that the regime and established interests are not responding adequately to their claims. Although the groups may continue to press their claims, they even so realize that these claims may fail to win an adequate response from established interests. This realization leads them to develop their own strategies for addressing the social trouble.

Key Takeaways

• The definition of a social problem has both an objective component and a subjective component. The objective component involves empirical bear witness of the negative consequences of a social condition or behavior, while the subjective component involves the perception that the condition or beliefs is indeed a problem that needs to exist addressed.
• The social constructionist view emphasizes that a condition or behavior does not become a social problem unless there is a perception that information technology should be considered a social trouble.
• The natural history of a social problem consists of four stages: emergence and claims making, legitimacy, renewed claims making, and alternative strategies.

For Your Review

1. What practice you lot call up is the most important social problem facing our nation right at present? Explicate your respond.
2. Do you agree with the social constructionist view that a negative social status or behavior is not a social problem unless there is a perception that it should be considered a social problem? Why or why not?

References

Allison, J. A., & Wrightsman, L. South. (1993). Rape: The misunderstood crime. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Ehrenreich, B., & English, D. (2005). For her ain good: Two centuries of the experts' advice to women (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Anchor Books.

Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Smith, North. (2011). Climate modify in the American heed: Americans' global warming beliefs and attitudes in May 2011. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Alter Communication.

Robinson, Grand. B. (2011). Media coverage of crime and criminal justice. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Printing.

Rubington, Due east., & Weinberg, K. S. (2010). The study of social problems: Seven perspectives (7th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Printing.

Spector, M., & Kitsuse, J. I. (2001). Constructing social problems. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

Surette, R. (2011). Media, criminal offense, and criminal justice: Images, realities, and policies (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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Source: https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/1-1-what-is-a-social-problem/

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