Download Social Problem

Chapter 1
How Sociologists View
Social Problems: The
Abortion Dilemma
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
The Sociological Imagination
Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills):
Looking at people’s behavior and
attitudes in the context of the social
forces that shape them.
 Changes in society
 Connecting personal troubles and public
issues
 Not Using Sociological Imagination
Personal Troubles
 large-scale events of history bring
trouble to people’s lives.
 Applying Sociological Imagination
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
The Sociological Imagination
•
Social context shapes the way we look at
life on three levels
1) Broad Social Context
2) Narrow Social Context
3) Intimate Social Context
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Social Location
• The process of becoming aware
of ourselves by evaluating our
own identity in relation to other
people.
• Life experiences and
opportunities
• Exposure to different
experiences & influences
• See Table 1.1
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.1a
Continued on next slide
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.1b
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
What is a Social Problem?
•Social Problem:
Some aspect of society
that people are
concerned about and
would like changed.
•Examples of Social
Problems:






Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
Crime
Poverty
Sexual abuse
Domestic violence
War
Racism
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Elements of a Social Problem
• Objective Condition
 Measured
 Experienced
• Subjective Concern
 Concern about the social problem
 Both sides of the issue
 Dyanmic—Change in societies will cause a
change in opinions and concerns
 Relative—Culturally influenced
• Competing Views
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Objective & Subjective Concerns:
Abortion before Roe vs. Wade (1973)
• Objective
 Abortion was illegal.
• Subjective
 Women who wanted them could not get
them.
 Untrained individuals performing abortions
 Women died from botched, underground
surgeries.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
The Natural History of Social
Problems
Four Stages:
1) Defining the problem
2) Crafting an official response
3) Reacting to the official
response
4) Developing alternative
strategies
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.2
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Controversy Continues: The Supreme
Court After Roe v. Wade
•Webster v. Reproductive Services (1989)
•Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992)
•FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic
Entrances Act) 1994
•Gonzales v. Carhart (2007)
•RU486 Controversy
•No Middle Ground
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
The Role of Sociology in
Social Problems
• Tool for breaking through emotions and
defenses
• Gaining an objective understanding of
social problems:




Measure objective conditions
Measure subjective concerns
Applies the sociological imagination
Identifies different ways to intervene in a social
problem
 Evaluate likely consequences of social policies.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Sociology and Common Sense
Common sense is not
adequate for addressing
social problems.
 The grounds on which our
common sense is built may be
faulty.
 More accurately, they aren’t
always true.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Methods for Studying Social Problems
• Four basic research designs:
 Case Studies
 Surveys
 Experiments
 Field Studies
• Four methods for gathering information:
 Interviews (Structured and Unstructured)
 Questionnaire
 Documents
 Observation
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Should Sociologists Take Sides?
Problem of determining morality
 Sociology is not equipped to make judgments about values and
morality.
 On going debate among Sociologists
Should they report the facts and not take sides on the social
issues that affect our society?
You should study facts
only. You should not
promote any particular
policy or solution!
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
But you have a moral
obligation to take a
stand!
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Uncovering Values
• To fully participate in a debate, one must
be aware of the position taken by each
side, any hidden agendas, and future policy
suggestions.
• Whenever someone takes a position on a
social problem and advocates one solution
or another, values of some sort underlie
that person’s views.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Taking Sides: Divisions
and Agreement
• If sociologists want to take sides on any issue, they
should do so as private citizens, not as sociologists.
• Debate keeps sociologists sensitive to the
boundaries between objectivity and partisanship.
• Most sociologists attempt to resolve this dilemma by
separating research evidence from their own values
and opinions.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.3a
Continued on next 2 slides.
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.3b
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
Table 1.3c
Social Problems: A Down-To-Earth Approach, Tenth Edition by James M. Henslin
©2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved