GCT - 1 ASSIGNMENT

NAME – Devesh Chauhan

ROLL NO- 17B.A. LL.B. - 82

CLASS- BALLB 6th Semester

ENROLLMENT NO- GI-6611
SUBJECT- Sociology -3
TOPIC- Concept of social problem
and its characteristics.
CONTACT NO. -9410486166
GROUP- 4
SUBMITTED TO- DR. M. KALIMULLAH
SIR.
 CONTENTS

 What is social problem

 Definition of social problems
 Certain examples of social problems
 Sociological perspectives on social problems
 Structural functional perspective
 Conflict perspective
 Characteristics of social problems
  What is social problem:

A social problem is a condition or a type of behavior that many people believe is harmful.
Some conditions clearly hurt people, such as lacking enough money to buy basic food,
shelter, and clothing; being unable to find a job; or suffering from the effects of a polluted
environment. However, the extent to which any of these or other conditions or behaviors
becomes social problems is based not only on the reality of their existence but on the level of
public concern. For example, extreme poverty existed in parts of the United States in the
1950s, but many Americans were totally unaware of the level of suffering it inflicted. In
1962, writer and social activist Michael Harrington published a compelling book about
impoverished Americans, The Other America, which caught the attention of the entire nation,
including President John F. Kennedy. The book became assigned reading in thousands of
college courses from coast to coast. Soon poverty became widely viewed as a social problem,
leading to the federal government’s “war on poverty” and programs that many Americans
rely on today, such as Medicaid (federal government health care for the poor), Medicare
(government health care for those 65 or older), food stamps, and more comprehensive Social
Security benefits. This illustrates that any social problem has two important components: its
objective element and its subjective element. In this case the objective element is the reality
of the conditions of poverty: the reality of insufficient access to food, health services, and
education; and high rates of infant mortality, preventable diseases, and illiteracy. The
subjective element of poverty is the level of public concern about these objective conditions,
the desire to alleviate them, and the belief that this is possible. The objective elements of a
social problem may either be personally experienced or measured in some way. For example,
you can determine how many people are unemployed, or go bankrupt because of inability to
pay medical expenses. Interpreting how troubling these situations are in terms of deeply held
conceptions of right and wrong is a subjective element that can be measured through public
opinion surveys. The process in the development of a social problem begins when someone
(a claims maker) makes an argument (a claim) that a condition or behavior is harmful and
tries to convince others why something must be done about it and what specific actions are
needed (Best 2013). The claims maker may be an expert in a related field, someone with
personal experience, or a social activist who tries to assemble evidence supporting a claim
that a condition or behavior is a social problem. As a writer and social activist, Michael
Harrington, the author of The Other America, is an example of the latter. The next step is
gaining favorable coverage from the media. If this effort is successful, the public will react by
coming to view the objective condition or behavior as a problem. Claims makers may also try
to mobilize large numbers of people in a movement to work together to deal with the problem
and force lawmakers to do something about it. The effectiveness of the actions taken by
lawmakers can then be evaluated.

 DEFINITION OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS:

Some important definitions of social problems are:

“It is often defined as a condition which many people consider undesirable and wish
to correct.”

--Horton and Leslie.

“A social problem starts with the awakening of people in a given locality, with the
realization of certain cherished values that are threatened by the conditions which
have become acute.”

-Fuler & Mayer.

 Certain examples of social problems:

 Anti-social behavior
 Poverty
 Drug abuse
 Prostitution
 Racial discrimination
 Alcohol abuse
 Economic Deprivation
 Political Corruption
 Unemployment
 Sexual abuse
o Rape
o Early pregnancy
o Female genital mutilation

 Animal abuse
 the shortage of schools
 the lack of infrastructure

 Sociological perspectives on social problems:

When you apply the sociological imagination, you look for links between personal
characteristics and experiences, and social forces. However, a complete understanding of the
nature of those social forces requires an understanding of the nature of society itself.
Sociologists have developed three major conceptual frameworks to describe how society
works: the structural-functional, conflict, and symbolic-interactionist perspectives. These
three perspectives serve as general frameworks on which to build distinct theories or
explanations for the existence of particular social conditions or patterns of behavior. These
approaches can be presented as mutually exclusive conceptions of society, but the most
accurate and productive approach is to view them as complementary: Each one identifies
important social processes that may be more or less relevant to a particular situation. In
addition, each theoretical perspective suggests how social problems may develop and what
can be done to address them.

 Structural functional perspective:

The structural-functional perspective, also referred to as structural functionalism, is a

conceptual framework that views society as a system of interdependent parts carrying out
functions crucial to the wellbeing of the other parts and the system as a whole. For example,
the structural-functional point of view considers the institution of the family to have the
primary responsibility for maintaining the physical and emotional well-being of children,
socializing them, and teaching them basic morality and how to treat other people with
respect. The educational system has the function of providing the knowledge and skills for
people to become productive participants in the economy. The economy combines people’s
knowledge and talents with technology and resources to produce goods and services, and the
political system maintains order and defends society against threats. Functionalists note that
institutions can have both intended and publicly recognized functions called manifest
functions, as well as other equally real but unintended and often not well-understood
functions referred to as latent functions. For example, the manifest function of elementary
school is to educate children and provide them with a basic foundation for more advanced
learning. It also has the real latent functions of supervising and protecting young children
while their parents and/or guardians are at work. The structural-functional perspective
provides three major approaches to explaining the development of social problems: social
pathology, social disorganization, and social dysfunction.

 Conflict perspective:

The conflict perspective is a conceptual approach that views society as characterized by

inequalities that advantage some groups and disadvantage others, leading to conflict and the
potential for social change. In contrast to the structural-functional perspective, which implies
that change is generally gradual except for the occasional impact of a breakthrough scientific
discovery or technological innovation, advocates of the conflict approach argue that,
throughout history, social change has often been rapid and sweeping. They view social
change as the product of social conflict such as that experienced in the American, French,
Russian, Chinese, and Arab Spring revolutions, in which large mobilized masses of the
population broke the chains of power and coercion that held the old society together. The
basis of conflict ranges from inequalities based on economic class, race, gender, sexual
orientation, or other factors to differences of opinion on issues such as abortion or gun
ownership. The conflict perspective emerged from the work of the German social theorist
Karl Marx (Marx 1867; Marx and Engels 1848). Marx’s nineteenth-century analysis of
societies throughout history led him to promote the idea that society is the product of the use
of technology to obtain or produce the necessities of life and improve living conditions. As
technology and the economy change over time, so does the structure and culture of society.
Marx focused on the shift from agricultural economies to the industrial economies shaped by
advancing technology and capitalist investments. He argued that in all societies those who
dominate the economy also dominate the political system as well as other major institutions,
and try to shape the institutions and culture to protect their interests. According to Marx, as
those at the top of a capitalist society (the bourgeoisie) expand their wealth and power,
inequality grows to a level unbearable for the working-class majority of the population (the
proletariat) because of deteriorating living standards. Eventually the proletariat launch a
rebellion to overthrow the bourgeoisie. The goal of a proletarian revolution is the
establishment of a new economic and social system called socialism, in which major
resources, big businesses, and large industries are collectively owned, and income and
opportunities are distributed more equally. Obviously, no sweeping transformation from
capitalism to socialism has occurred in the technologically advanced societies, but Marx’s
ideas have inspired several modern forms of the conflict approach.

 Characteristics of social problems:

1. All social problems are situations which have injurious consequences for society.

2. All social problems are deviations from the ‘ideal’ situation.

3. All social problems have some common basis of origin.

4. All social problems are social in origin.

5. All social problems are caused by pathological social conditions.

6. All social problems are interconnected.

7. All social problems are social in their results, that is, they affect all sections of society.

8. The responsibility for social problems is social, that is, they require a collective approach
for their solution.

9. Social Problems occur in all societies.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 Concept of social problem;

https://rowman.com/webdocs/SP_CH1.pdf (Assessed on
06/may/2020)

 Social Problem; study material by dr. kalimullah sir (Accessed

on 06/may/2020)

 Social problems;
https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Social_problems (Assessed on
07/may/2020)