Ch 1. Studying Social Patterns in the 21st Century Flashcards
Social Problem
a social condition or a pattern of behaviour that people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change.
Claims making (and why people react) (4)
the process of trying to convince the public of the importance of a social issue or a social movement.
(reasons why people react)
1. proximity to the problem
2. scope of the problem
3. severity of the problem
4. frequency of occurrence
Why Study Social Problems? (2)
- Help us understand the social forces shaping our lives and personal beliefs.
- Evidence-based policy-making and practice. (Using evidence rather than common sense knowledge, ex. Boot camps)
Sociological Imagination
the ability to see the relationship between an individual’s experiences and the larger society in which they are contextualized
Role of Theory
The role of theory in understanding social problems
Theory
a set of logically related statements that attempt to describe, explain, and occasionally predict social events.
Structural Functionalist Perspective (Durkheim)
society is a complex system whose parts work together for solidarity and stability
Manifest Functions/Latent Functions
intended/unintended
Dysfunction (Structural-Functional Perspective)
undesirable consequences of an activity or social process that inhibit a society’s ability to adapt or adjust
From a functionalist perspective, social problems arise…
…when social institutions do not fulfill their functions or when dysfunctions occur.
Social-Conflict Perspective
based on the assumption that groups in society are engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources.
Value Conflict (Understanding Conflict)
conflict arises when there are inconsistencies between ideal and real culture
Critical Conflict (Understanding Conflict)
problems arise out of the contradictions inherent in the organization of society
Symbolic-Interaction Perspective (Max Weber)
society is the “sum interactions of individuals and groups”
Our understanding of social problems is based on social perceptions and definitions
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
a false definition of a situation that evokes new behaviour that makes the original false conception true.
Feminist Perspective
Central assumption – research has historically reflected a male and Western centered lens
Social Change (4)
Alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture or social institutions over time
- Occurs all the time
- Intentional or not planned
- Always controversial
- Some changes matter more than others
Reducing Social Patterns: Micro-Level Approaches
Individual level solutions
Reducing Social Patterns: Midrange Approaches
Social movement and grassroots-level action
Reducing Social Patterns: Macro-level approaches
Large scale institutional change
Thomas Theorem
“If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences. ”
In other words, the interpretation of a situation causes the action
Labelling Theory (Howard Becker)
once individuals have been labeled as deviants, they face new problems stemming from their reactions to themselves and others to the stereotypes of someone with the deviant label
