SOCIAL PROBLEMS- its conceptualisation and theorisation
Download as PPTX, PDF0 likes84 views
The document explores the concept of social problems, emphasizing that these issues evolve over time and vary across societies, highlighting examples such as discrimination, poverty, and deviant behavior. It discusses criteria for defining a social problem, including public perception, a gap between social ideals and reality, collective concern, and the potential for solution through action. The influence of media and ideology on identifying and framing social problems is also addressed, with a focus on how societal perceptions can shape responses to these issues.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS- its conceptualisation and theorisation
- 1. Understanding and conceptualising “Social Problems”
- 2. Social Problem Discrimination – technology- face detection or colour of skin detection sensors not detecting dark colours. Discrimination can occur in ways we don’t realize. We think we do not discriminate BUT an experiment conducted outside a bank showed people clutching to their belongings more protectively when a black man approached them but didn’t have the same reaction when white men approached them. (All claimed to be absolutely non-discriminating in their behavior)
- 3. In the late twentieth century a list of current social problems might include poverty, homelessness, child abuse, disaffected young people and non-attendance at school, school discipline, the treatment of vulnerable people in institutional care, vandalism, road rage, lone parenting and divorce. That fact – the capturing of public interest, anxiety or concern – is probably the best place to start this discussion, since it suggests that one answer to what is ‘social’ about a social problem is that such problems have gained a hold on the attention of a particular society at a particular time.
- 4. There is a point in stressing the word ‘particular’ here. Other societies may be preoccupied by other problems: what commands public attention in Germany, the USA or China is likely to be different in at least some respects to what is a current social problem in Nepal. It is also true that if we looked back at earlier historical periods, only some of the list of current social problems would be visible then.
- 5. Social problems change with time - One is that social problems change. If in the late nineteenth century there were no homeless people, then we would not expect homelessness to have been discussed as a social problem. The second reason is that what is perceived as a social problem may change.
- 6. Writing in the 1950s, the American sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959, pp. 7–10) drew a distinction between ‘personal troubles’ and ‘public issues’. He suggested that although there were many ‘troubles’ or ‘problems’ that individuals experienced in their lives, not all of these emerged as ‘public issues’ which commanded public interest and attention or which were seen as requiring public responses (‘what can we do about X?’). Mills's use of the term ‘personal’ may be slightly misleading, since it implies that it is the difference between individual and collective experience that matters.
- 7. For us, however, the important distinction is between issues that are ‘private’ (that is, to be handled within households, families or even communities) and those which are ‘public’ (that is, to be handled through forms of social intervention or regulation). One factor that may make a difference to whether things are perceived as private troubles or public issues is scale or volume. If only a few people experience some form of trouble, then it is likely to remain a private matter and not attract public concern. If, however, large numbers of people begin to experience this same trouble – or fear they might – it may become a public issue.
- 11. Essential medicines are not luxury goods, reserved for the wealthiest of the world… …but are too often priced like them, causing preventable suffering and death.
- 12. What is ‘social’ about a social problem?
- 13. Defining social problem- A generic term applied to the range of conditions and aberrant behaviours which are held to be symptoms of social disorganisations and to warrant changing via means of ‘social engineering’. Typically, these problems include many forms of deviant behaviour. Such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, mental illness, drug addiction, suicide, ethnic tensions, domestic violence, industrial strife and so forth. Reference- OFDS
- 15. Nature of ‘Social Problems’ Society’s ability to order relationships among people seems to be falling. Its institutions are faltering its laws are being flouted, the transmission of its values is breaking down. The framework of expectations are being shaken.
- 16. Social Problems Social Disorganisation Deviant behaviour Collective Actions Individual Actions When deviant behaviours such as theft, kidnappings, substance abuse, increases in numbers and leads to social disorganisation. What happens when there is increase in the number of homeless people?, when number of school dropouts increases?, when the gap between the haves and haves not keep increasing?
- 20. Determining a Social Problem How do we define a social problem? How do we identify a social problem? What is done to maintain social order and solve social problems? - Invest on security, police, weapons etc. or A more equitable society. (human security approach FREEDOM IS JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE
- 22. How do we define a social problem? How do we identify a social problem? Not all social conditions become elevated to the status of “ social problem” For example, some objective conditions which exist today not all of them are considered social- problems.
- 23. Social Problems vary in time and space. There is a general agreement that four conditions must be met before an objective reality in the greater society becomes elevated to the special status of ‘social problems’ They are as follows-
- 24. 1- The objective condition must be perceived to be a social problem publicly. i.e. There must be some public out cry. People must become actively involved in discussing the problem. Public attention becomes directed towards that social condition.
- 25. 2- The condition must involve a gap between social ideals and social reality. i.e. The condition must run counter to the values of the larger society. Suppression of women under Taliban, Alcohol use – Social problem? Marketing cigarettes? Gender discrimination
- 26. 3- A significant proportion of the population must be involved in defining the problem ( a large proportion of the people must be concerned about the condition). It has national attention. If only a small segment of the population gets involved you have an interest group pushing for the general public to do something about the condition – not a social problem.
- 27. 4- The condition must be capable of solution through collective action by people. If no solution is perceived possible, people will resign themselves to their fate. Bureaucracy-
- 29. GENDER DIVISIONS OF TIME PATTERNS IN SRI LANKA PEAK SEASON SLACK SEASON Male Female Male Female HOUSEHOLD TASKS FETCHING WATER/WOOD SOCIAL/RELIGIOUS TASKS LEISURE/SLEEP AGRICULTURAL LABOUR 90 199 30 50 8 12 294 160 298 299 60 220 30 60 15 15 370 190 245 235
- 30. Gender, work and time allocation
- 31. The process of commoditisation of health is closely tied to the “free market ideology” of globalization. In today’s rapidly globalizing world,
- 32. Some other factors leading to perceiving a phenomenon as a social problem If people affected by a condition are influential or powerful the condition is more likely to be considered a social problem than if those affected are not influential- Terrorism- for whom, Rambo, Drug addiction- for whom Malnutrition-
- 33. A condition affecting a relatively small segment of the people is less likely to be considered a social problem than if it has adverse effects on a much larger segment of society. A rapid increase in the number of people affected by a social condition is also important-perhaps even as important as the number of people affected.
- 34. The mass media also plays an important role in the selection and definition of social problems. It gives selective attention to certain conditions. The liberal press will highlight certain issues while the conservative press will select others.
- 35. Ideology plays an important role in determining which conditions are singled out as social problems. Ideology also determines how a social problem is defined.
- 36. Population growth seen from two People have many children so they are poor. People are poor so they have many children.
- 37. I am against poverty , but I am not really bothered by inequality.
- 38. The dominant paradigm of proliferating blame the victim ‘life-style’ theories which emphasize individual’s responsibility to choose so called healthy life-styles and to cope better with stress is paramount.
- 39. Poverty results from inability or weak character is still abounded and this thought process has affected the think tanks, consultants and policy makers.
- 40. “How much good does it do to treat people’s illness only to send them back to the same conditions that made them sick ?”.