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Social Problems 12th Edition Social Problems, 13e D. Stanley Eitzen Maxine Baca Zinn Kelly Eitzen Smith Chapter 1 The Sociological Approach to Social Problems * Sociological Approach to Social Problems CHAPTER 1 * Learning Objectives 1.1Understand how sociologists approach the study of social problems. 1.2Explain the complex nature of defining a social problem. 1.3Describe the two main types of social problems. 1.4Explain and apply the sociological imagination to different social problems. 1.5Compare/contrast the person-blame approach to social problems and the system-blame approach. 1.6Understand the four basic research designs and research methods that sociologists use to study social problems. * Introduction Immigration and the browning of America The graying of America The inequality gap The increasing power of money to influence elections and public policy The U.S. population reached 300 million in 2006. By 2043, the U.S. population could be 400 million. What effect will the increase in population have on social problems? The following are issues to consider as we move forward: [[Have students look in the textbook for more information in each of these issues affecting America.]] Immigration and the browning of America By 2042, nonwhites will surpass whites in population. The graying of America After 2030, one in five U.S. residents will be at least 65. The inequality gap The inequality gap now is at record levels, resulting in a diminished middle class. The increasing power of money to influence elections and public policy A 2010 Supreme Court decision allows corporations and other organizations to spend unlimited amounts to elect or defeat political candidates. * Introduction continued Globalization and the transformation of the economy The plight of the poor The environmental impact Growing global inequality An increasingly dangerous world As the population of the United States and of the Earth continues to grow, the scope of social problems will change. [[Keep students discussing the issues presented in the introduction.]] Globalization and the transformation of the economy Shift from manufacturing to service economy has resulted in less job security and fewer benefits for the American worker. The plight of the poor Nearly one in six Americans is poor. The environmental impact The United States, at about 4.5 percent of the world’s population, consumes one-fourth of the world’s energy. Growing global inequality Today, an estimated 1.1 billion people are undernourished. An increasingly dangerous world Higher world population has an impact on poverty, hunger, water shortages, disease, and political chaos. * The number of people seeking refuge in homeless shelters has increased dramatically in recent years. Introduction continued With the increased population in the United States and across the globe, we will see changes to problems. With economic shifts, the number of people pushed into homelessness increases. * Introduction continued Social problems in the United States have an impact on adults as well as children. Although social problems cause hardships for adults, the future seems bleak when children are affected. The textbook will consider potential solutions to social problems. * 1.1 - History of Social Problems Theory Early U.S. sociologists (absolutist) The medical model Focus on deviant individuals 1920s and 1930s Focus on conditions of society that foster social problems Modern sociologists Focus on the subjective nature of social problems Early sociologists (absolutists) and the medical model of society presumed universal criteria of normality. Social problems were the result of “bad people.” Maladjusted people were abnormal because of mental deficiency, mental disorder, lack of education, or incomplete socialization. They were assessing if a “pathology” was present and causing a social problem. Alcoholism, suicide, homicide, and theft were social problems. We might agree, but this approach leaves out the complexity of social problems. A shift away from absolutism and on to societal conditions that foster problems occurred in the 1920s and 1930s. Societies undergoing rapid change from the processes of migration, urbanization, and industrialization were thought to have pockets of social disorganization. Crime, family breakdown, and mental disorders Social problems are based on the audience or group defining them as a problem. Social problems are contextual. They vary over time and group. Example: pollution has not always been a “social problem.” Sociologists have difficulty agreeing on an adequate definition of social problems. There is continuing debate over the unit of analysis: Is the focus of inquiry on individuals or social systems? Related to the latter is the issue of numbers: How many people have to be affected before something is a social problem? * LO 1.1 The social problems addressed in the textbook focus is on the dark side of social life. Readers, it is hoped, will find the exploration of the dark side of social life intriguing, insightful, and useful, * LO 1.1 Sociologists have shifted viewpoint over time, initially defining social problems as a(an) __________ to looking at problems in context today. A.necessary evil B.subjective reality C. pathology D.indefinable situation * LO 1.1 Sociologists have shifted viewpoint over time, initially defining social problems as a(an) __________ to looking at problems in context today. A.necessary evil B.subjective reality C. pathology D.indefinable situation According to sociologists today, social problems are defined by a group or audience. A.True B.False LO 1.1 According to sociologists today, social problems are defined by a group or audience. A.True B.False LO 1.1 1.2 - Toward a Definition of Social Problems Objective reality of social problems Watch for definitions provided by those in power Objectivity has limits Social problems carry an objective reality. Material or psychic suffering (poverty, institutional racism) Social conditions that limit opportunities in a country that values equal opportunity Discrepancies between values and actual conditions Normative approach assumes that some kinds of actions are likely to be judged bad in any context. Therefore, it is important to identify, describe, and explain situations that are objective social problems. The powerful—the agencies of government, business, and the media—provide statistical data (such as crime rates) that may define social reality in a way that manipulates public opinion, thereby controlling behaviors that threaten the status quo (and their power). Two problems with relying on only objective definitions of social problems: Looking only at social problems defined by the powerful overlooks problems experienced by those with no power and accepts the inequities experienced by minority group members. Looking only at social problems defined by public opinion limits problems to behaviors and actions that disrupt the existing social order. — Assumes that the existing order is the “only way” — Leaves out questions about the distribution of justice, education, and power — Focuses exclusively on those who deviate — Excludes the unethical, illegal, and destructive actions of powerful individuals, groups, and institutions — Ignores the covert institutional violence brought about by racist and sexist policies, unjust tax laws, inequitable systems of healthcare and justice, and exploitation by the corporate world Chapter 1, Activity 1 How Do You Define Social Problems? This activity is a good icebreaker for the class. It also gives you an indication of why your students are taking the course, how they view social problems, and which problems concern them. Ask your students to: Individually write down the three most important social problems in society as defined by most people. Individually write down the three most important social problems to them personally. Have them break off into small groups to discuss their viewpoints. Each group must decide which social problem is the number one social problem confronting society. They must select a spokesperson from each group, and then report their highlights to the class at large. They need to justify their choice of social problem. * LO 1.2 Social problems carry both a subjective definition and a(an) __________. A.abnormality B.rationality C.creative interpretation D.objective reality LO 1.2 Social problems carry both a subjective definition and a(an) __________. A.abnormality B.rationality C.creative interpretation D.objective reality LO 1.2 Social problems are best defined by those in power. A.True B.False LO 1.2 Social problems are best defined by those in power. A.True B.False 1.3 - Types of Social Problems Norm Violations Social Conditions * LO 1.3 - Norm Violations Discrepancy between social standards and reality Examines violations of the social norm: deviant behavior Assumes that norm violators are symptoms of social problems, not the social problem Social problems are relative Sociologists examine the discrepancy between the defined social standard and reality. Those who go too far outside the social standard, or the norm, are labeled deviants. Location in the social structure (race/ethnicity, gender, class, age, occupation, role) and in space (region, size of community, neighborhood) may lead to deviant behavior. Norm violators, the “deviants,” should not be entirely blamed for their deviance. They are victims of the society that they reside in; the system is to blame. Situations affecting deviants (such as the barriers to success faced by minority group members) help explain why some categories of people participate disproportionately in deviant behavior. Social problems are culturally defined and socially labeled. Sociologists are interested in the social and cultural processes that label some acts and persons as deviant and others as normal. Sociologists are interested in the relativity of social problems. The law is an instrument of those in power. Acts labeled deviant are so labeled because they conflict with the interests of those in power. To comprehend the labeling process, we must understand not only the norms and values of society but also that interest groups that hold the power. * LO 1.3 - Social Conditions Psychic and material suffering Who benefits from the existing arrangements? Focus on the bias of the system rather than on problem individuals Focus is on who benefits and who suffers because of the organization of society. Institutionalized deviance—Societal arrangements organized in ways that are unresponsive to many human needs Examples: When healthcare is unequally distributed When poverty persists for million When tax laws permit a business to write off 50 percent of a $100 luncheon but prohibit a truck driver from writing off a bologna sandwich When government is run by the few for the benefit of the few When businesses supposedly in competition fix prices to gouge the consumer When the criminal justice system is biased against the poor and people of color Social problems—(1) societally induced conditions that cause psychic and material suffering for any segment of the population and (2) acts and conditions that violate norms and values of society The distribution of power in society is the key