Concept of Social Problems

7/27/2019 Concept of Social Problems

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Concept of Social Problems

Some event or condition becomes a “problem” when reality doesn’t live up to our expectations, whenthere’s a gap between expectation and reality.

For a problem to exist, someone’s expectation has to be disappointed, thwarted, etc. Problems only existwhen there’s a gap. No gap, no problem.

We have expectations about how the social world should work. They are our images of “the goodsociety.” Social problems emerge when social reality does not live up to these expectations about qualityof life, health, opportunity, prosperity, security, etc. Social problems, then, are social conditions that havebeen identified as negatively impact people’s lives.

Things would be simple if everyone agreed about what constitutes a “good society” but no suchconsensus exists. Therefore, no consensus exists about what is or is not a social problem or how

problems should be defined and framed.

As a comparison, think about engineering problems. When it comes to machinery we can usually muster a consensus about “running properly” vs. “broken down.” It’s clear what’s expected from an air conditioner

– how much air at what temperature – so we can easily agree when one is broken. Most people couldeasily identify a “properly running” car – moves when gas pedal gets pressed, rides smoothly, gets goodgas mileage, etc. – and most would agree that car broken down on the side of the road is “a problem.”

Unfortunately we don’t have such clear cut standards of “running properly” when it comes to socialproblems. Not only do different individuals and groups have very different notions of how society shouldbe and should work, processes of power decide which of these notions carries the day. Winners in thestruggle for power get to define which standards are applied and, therefore, what social conditions areconsidered “social problems.”

To grasp this further, compare social problems to the medical concept of disease. A disease is somethingthat disturbs normal, optimal body functioning, a pathology resulting in identifiable symptoms. Socialproblems can be seen as “symptoms” indicating an underlying social disease. But in medicine there is asocially-recognized group of professionals (physicians) that set standards for “optimal functioning” and“disease” (officially it’s called the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)) and we give them thesocial power to interpret situations as “disease” according to these professionally-established standardsand apply solutions (clinical medicine) based upon these standards.

We don’t have an “ICD” for social problems or socially-recognized experts with legitimate power tointerpret when social problems occur and prescribe how to fix them. Instead, all we have are messy,inconclusive processes of labeling, struggle, and power. People struggle mightily over the power to makeclaims about whether social conditions are “problems” and how problems should be framed.

Social problems are socially constructed (we will call claims-making and framing). Studying socialproblems means studying these processes of social construction.

Before moving on we need to explore one other dimension of social problems. Sometimes a socialcondition or behavior may be labeled as a social problem because it threatens important values, even if itdoesn’t actually disrupt the social order. When is abortion a social problem? Not when a large number of abortions occur but when the very idea of abortion is proposed as socially acceptable.

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http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd9.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd9.htm



Again, compare this to medicine and engineering. Medicine talks about “health risks” as conditions thatmay not present symptoms right now but over the long run increase the likelihood of disease and illness.Engineering defines “optimal performance” as a machine’s full potential, e.g., gas mileage or tread wear,so that a car that’s not getting its best gas mileage or with tread wear below a defined safety standard(usually within 1/16th of an inch of the surface of the tire) would be defined as a problem. Like medicalrisk factors, suboptimal performance, or safety standards, social problems can be defined as “threat tovalues” even if the social order hasn’t broken down.

Constructing a “Social Problem”

Social problems are constructed when an influential group asserts (claims) that a certain social conditionnegatively affects a large number of people and may be remedied by some kind of policy, law, therapy, or other intervention. Notice two key terms used here:

• Asserts: Social problems are constructed out of and during communication, usually a mixture of

mass communication, public relations, and political lobbying

• Influential group: Social problems are constructed by people with power making claims that

certain objective conditions constitute problems worthy of social attention and political remedy

Constructing a social problem means controlling the public agenda and mobilizing political resources toremedy the social condition labeled (framed) as problematic. This process is highly competitive, asvarious claims-makers seek to have their problem definition – rather than that of a competitor – acceptedby the media and political decision makers.

Components of the public agenda- What people are talking about- Policy goals of organizations- Allocation of resources (money and people) in organizational budgets

Not all social conditions negatively impacting people’s lives become elevated to the status of "socialproblem." Some are ignored. Others are treated as “natural,” inevitable, resulting from personal or moralfailure, or unimportant. A select few social conditions get highlighted by public attention and become

transformed from “personal trouble” to “social problem.”

Common pattern of this transformation

1. People perceive a gap between their expectations for a “good society” and actual social reality

Some social condition or pattern of behavior seen as incompatible with the quality of lifeexpected to exist in society (the condition or behavior results in undesirable outcomes or consequences for themselves or others)

Some social condition or behavior seen as incompatible with values or ideology that, for them,describe the “good society” [e.g., flag burning, gay marriage]

Sometimes the perception emerges more or less “spontaneously” and other times it is orchestratedby specific groups or organizations

To qualify as a candidate as a social problem, the social condition or behavior must satisfy threenecessary conditions:

A. Negatively affects large number of people (extent)

Two qualifications on this condition: If the people impacted are powerful or important or from a “morally sensitive” (e.g., the disabled, children), then the number of peopleimpacted can be smaller

B. Impacts persist over a long period of time (duration)

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C. People believe it’s possible to solve the problem through collective action (capability)

This is why the weather or death aren’t considered a social problems, at least not at our present level of technology, or why

2. The gap is labeled a “social problem” and framed using values, language, assumptions, andevidence supporting the expectations for a “good society”

Framing has four parts:a. An image (vision) of the “good society”b. Causal explanations for why the society deviates from the path to the “good society”c. Descriptions of how the social problem negatively impacts on people’s livesd. Solutions for getting the society back to the path to the “good society”

3. The “problem” receives public attention, becomes part of the public agenda, and enters into thepublic dialogue/debate

Public agenda and dialogue take place in the political arena and the media

Some attention and dialogue occurs more or less spontaneously while other gets orchestratedby groups and organizations

Part of the dialogue is moral (what constitutes a “good society”) and part is practical (how the

social problems impact on people’s self-interests)

The public agenda is a highly competitive arena so each claim must fight for attention. Someclaims wither on the vine, never making a significant ripple in the public agenda, and, therefore,don’t become social problems.

4. Groups and organizations advocating for claims about the social problem struggle for resources inthe political arena

The political arena is highly competitive so each claim must fight for scarce resources. Someclaims lose the fight and, therefore, don’t become social problems.

This struggle has three dimensionsa. Struggle to set and control the public agendab. Mobilization of supportersc. Formation of coalitions and negotiations over compromises

Conditions Amplifying or Dampening the Construction of Problems

Certain factors amplify or dampen the degree to which something gets perceived as a social problem.

Power – Adverse effects on influential or powerful people

When a condition begins to affect whites or upper and middle classes, particularly those able toinfluence government policy, or the content of the mass media, the chances of it being considered asocial problem increase substantially, compared to impacts on minorities or lower classes.

Example – Hard drug addiction had been a lower class, black problem for some time before it

reached the suburban white middle class. But when it began to affect middle class kids, we see theemergence of a new social problem!

Extent – Adverse effects on a large segment of society for long period of time

The more people affected and the longer the duration, the more likely the condition or behavior willbe labeled as a “problem.”

Example – Poverty among Native Americans has received much less attention than the poverty of Black Americans.

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Strong or Sudden Trend – Rapid increase in the number of people affected

The more the condition or behavior is unexpected, a surprise, or seen as a sudden surge in a scarytrend, the more likely it will be considered a “problem”

Examples – People become accustomed to the prevailing levels of crime, pollution, and urban

congestion, but a sharp increase in the intensity of any of these leads to elevated public concern.One airline crash every year is grounds for concern, but not for the definition of a social problem.But, five crashes in one month will get the public's attention!

Dangerous or Immoral

Conditions or behaviors that seem to pose a serious danger or are seen as immoral are more likelyto be labeled as “problems.”

Dangerous – Conditions or behavior seen as threatening to life and limb, personal safety andsecurity, or a major disruption of social order

Examples – crime, terrorism, global warming

Immoral – Conditions or behavior seen as violating important values or seriously threatening themoral order

Examples – prostitution, child abuse, fraud of the elderly

Publicity – Attention by mass media

Conditions or behaviors that grab the headlines are more likely to be considered “problems.”

Example – Monica Lewinsky affair. The liberal press lamented it, but maintained that the larger issue was the quality of the job that the President was doing. The conservative press saw it as abasic flaw in the moral fabric of the presidency and counter to the values of the larger society.

Political Fit – Championed by groups with political power

Conditions or behaviors that fit the political agenda or ideology of powerful interest groups are morelikely to be considered “problems.”

Example – PovertyConservatives: Poverty = caused by personal characteristics of those who are poor (stupid,lazy, instant gratification, etc.); defend the system, dismantle the "welfare state"Liberals: lack of opportunity and structural factors in the system; system must be reformedadjusted or overthrown

Availability of mechanism and resources

Solutions that fit easily into the goals or budgets of existing organizations are more likely to beconsidered “problems.”

Role of Science in Social Problems

After all this about social construction of social problems you may wonder – What happened to science? Aren’t we a society that relies on science for analysis and decision-making? What’s the role of sociologyand the other social sciences when it comes to social problems?

Science can play a role but not one of advocacy. The rhetoric of advocacy is very different from rhetoric of science. Advocacy can use scientific evidence to back its claims but science can't use the assumptions of advocacy as evidence. Scientists as citizens can participate in advocacy but when don their scientific hatsscientists must suspend the passion of advocacy and take on the critical stance of science.

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Science can legitimately contribute four things to the construction of social problems:

1. Investigate the social conditions and processes that produce (cause) the conditions andbehaviors considered problematic

More specifically, science can test the various causal claims put forth by advocates about whatbrings about social problems.

2. Document the conditions and processes that shape claims, claims-making, agenda-setting, andpolitical mobilization

More specifically, science can analyze what tactics are successful in asserting claims andmobilizing support.

3. Document how social problems impact on lives and the distribution of those impacts

More specifically, science can test the consequences predicted by claims-makers.

4. Analyze the effectiveness of proposals put forth to deal with social problems and the unintendedconsequences of these proposals

More specifically, science can test whether the proposed solutions actually bring about the

proposed changes.

In this way, science can test the assertions of claims-makers against evidence collected scientifically anddocument causes and outcomes missed (either accidentally or intentionally) by claims-makers. Whether or not this evidence makes a difference in the debate over social problems is a matter for advocacy, notscience, although science can investigate the conditions under which scientific evidence does have aneffect on the outcome.

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Concept of Social Problems