Download What Is a Social Problem?

Introduction to the Study of Social Problems
Joel Charon of Iowa State University makes a simple case for justifying the use of public
expenditures to identify, understand, and suggest policies to reduce social problems:
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From a moral standpoint, social problems harm people.
From a democratic standpoint, social problems harm the well-being of citizens.
From a societal standpoint, social problems threaten the productive functioning of
society.
He proposes we should ask four questions about social problems:
1. What makes a problem a social problem?
A social problem is said to exist:
o to the extent that some "malfunction" is observed in society. This malfunction
might be an inequality (e.g., with the same education and experience women
earn only about 80% of what men earn in the labor force), a poor allocation
of resources (e.g., poor environmental stewardship), violence (e.g., domestic
violence, rape, violent crime), or an inefficient organizational system (e.g.,
too much or too little being spent on social services).
o to the extent that the cause of this malfunction is social,
o to the extent that the problem seriously harms a large number of people in
the society,
o to the extent that the problem threatens the continuation of the society,
o and to the extent there is widespread agreement that the condition is wrong
and must be changed.
Sociologists can identify many aspects of society that might be considered to be
social problems (e.g., In most states in the U.S., marijuana remains illegal). The
values held by the majority of citizens (in a democracy) define what is a social
problem (e.g., Is consuming or selling marijuana a problem?). Social problems are
identified as such partly with respect to their perceived effect on the productive
functioning of society (e.g., Would legalized marijuana threaten the productivity and
efficiency of American industry, politics, education, etc.?). Social problems can be
difficult to identify (e.g., What is the scientific evidence that legalizing marijuana will
harm society?). Sociologists use the consensus, conflict, and interactionist
perspectives to examine these conditions of potential social problems.
What causes a social problem?
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Do personal choices cause social problems?
Do evil people cause social problems?
Are social problems caused by biological, physical, or psychological
phenomena?
From the sociological perspective, social problems are caused by the nature of
society. Structure and culture create the conditions for social problems and
establish the belief and value systems that define situations and events as
Adapted from Joel M. Charon, Iowa State University
problems. Personal choices, biology, psychology, and so forth cause individual
problems, but not social problems.
o
2. What can be done about a social problem?
o Believing that social problems can be solved is a myth and the myth
sometimes is harmful if we become discouraged by our inability to make
problems go away entirely.
o The definitions of problems change as we learn more about them.
o Society is always changing, bringing about new problems to be addressed.
o Social problems are highly complex.
o Societal consensus does not exist about what constitutes a social problem and
its solution.
In summary, Charon states that social problems are socially constructed; their causes are
social, their identification depends upon culturally-defined beliefs and values, and policies
aimed at reducing their negative effects reflect consensus within the population.
The purposes of your extended analytical research assignment are to describe the social
conditions of an issue in Owensboro specifically but may also be evidenced in the U.S.
and/or globally. Discuss conditions identified as social problems, and provide a way of
approaching social problems so we can better understand and deal with them.
The challenge for you is to remain analytical, not judgmental or argumentative. This
assignment is not a classical argument or any other traditional form of argument. Remain
unbiased in your approach as you research the diverse aspects associated with any social
issue.
Be mindful of diction and avoid using judgmental or argumentative words or phrases unless
you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing a source.
Adapted from Joel M. Charon, Iowa State University