Chapter 1 Flashcards
What makes something a social problem?
A condition (eg. Poverty) or a pattern of behaviour (eg. Violence) that people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change.
Social problems are: defined as such; social in origin; social in its impact; social in its solution
Why Study social problems?
To understand social forces that shape our lives on personal and societal levels
To gain new insights into ourselves and into the connections between our society and other people
To make more effective decisions about these issues
The sociological imagination
The ability to see the relationship between and individuals experiences and the larger society in which they are contextualized (C. Wright Mills)
Personal trouble versus Public issue
Personal Troubles
Have to do with (the individual) self and with those limited areas of social life of which (the individual) is directly and personally aware. A trouble is a private matter.
Public Issues
Transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of his (or her) inner life. They have to do with the organization of many such milieux into the institutions of an historical society….an issue is a public matter.
Three approaches to social change
1) The Microlevel
2) The Mid Range
3) The Macrolevel
The Microlevel
Primary groups = small, less specialized groups like family and friends - face-to-face help eg. Getting a job.
They provide support, but if the problem is widespread in society, it may take a long time to solve
Work with institutions may be required
The Mid Range
Secondary groups and formal organizations
Eg. Self help groups
Grassroots groups
Social movements = an organized group that collectively promotes resist change.
The Macrolevel
Large-scale institutions
Eg. Government, media
Groups of individuals bind together in organizations to make demands at the national or global level
Eg. Climate change activism
Cross-national cooperation,
Eg. Canadian workers support workers in the Global South
Macrolevel: Special Interest Groups
A political coalition composed of individuals or groups sharing a specific interest.
Groups are categorized by:
1) Issue: Single isle (eg. Gun control) or multiple issues (eg. Better schools)
2) View point of the present system of wealth and power: does it require incremental reform or radical change?
3)Beliefs about elites:influence them or replace them?
4)Type of political action:Lobbying decision-makers or direct action?
Macrolevel: Social Movements
Collective behaviour is:
Voluntary
Often spontaneous
Engaged in by large number of people supporting allied groups in solidarity
Eg. Occupy, Idle No More, Black Lives Matter
Civil disobedience is:non-violent action that seeks to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it
Macrolevel: Types of Social Movements
Reform movements: Seek to change some aspect of the social structure
Revolutionary movements: Seek to bring about radical social change
Religious Movements: Seek to change through spiritual activity
Alternative movements: Seek limited change in some aspects of behaviour
Resistance movements: Seek to prevent or undo change
Human Agenda
Criteria:
Improves people’s lives
Corresponds to widely held common interests
Involves many kinds of action
Elements can implemented independently but are compatible
Facilitates the solution of social problems
Grows out of social movements in response to the needs of diverse peoples
Causes of Inequality
Biological
Psychological
Culture
Society
Functionalism - theoretical perspective
Assumption: Society is an orderly system composed of interrelated parts that perform functions to keep society stable.
Concepts: Manifest functions, latent functions
Dysfunction, social disorganization, values, norms, anomie
Example: Violence occurs when social institutions weaken
To solve the problem of violence in society, regenerate insitiutions
Functionalism and social inequality
Inequality (stratification) functional and legitimate
It is justified through meritocracy.
Meritocracy
Government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability. A ruling or influential class of educated or skilled people
Conflict Theory
Concepts: capitalism, contradiction, class conflict, capitalist class and working class Example: Violence occurs because of conflict between groups due to capitalist domination and subordination. To solve the problem of violence in society, abolish social inequality.
Assumptions: Groups in society are engaged in continuing power struggles for control of scarce resources
Especially those that. Come from social inequalities under capitalism
Conflict Theory and Social Inequality
Inequality is unjust
It’s root cause lies in the social relations of capitalist societyBelief in meritocracy and equality of opportunity is part of the problem
There is no equality of opportunity without equality of condition
Social factors are highly relevant for members of all classes
Class (and other) privilege works to reinforce inequalities
Interactionsim
Assumption: Society is the sum of the interactions between individuals and groups
Concepts: Labeling, social construction of reality, self fulfilling prophecy
Example: Violence is a learned response to rewarded behaviour or to inappropriate socialization. To solve it, replace this response with a better one.
Feminism
Assumption: There are differential impacts of social phenomena on men and women, especially those concerning power relationships
Concepts: Oppressions are interlocking eg. Sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, ageism
Example: Violence is a means of reinforcing dominant social structures and relationships. To solve it, build alliances across groups acting for a more equitable distribution of power and resources.
Equality
Treating everyone the same. It is supposed to promote fairness, but it can only work if everyone starts from the same place and needs the same help.
Equity
Giving everyone what they need to be successful. The needs for fairness in the distribution of gains and losses, and the entitlement of everyone to an acceptable quality and standard of living.
Feminist Perspective
Means that the sociological theory is both androcentric and Eurocentric
When they engage in analysis they “gender” the issues under study.
Examine power dynamics in relationships between individuals, roles, structures, and so on.
Defining feature is beginning analysis from a particular “stand point”
Social life is examined from the situated vantage points of the individuals and,or groups involved.
Feminism (Marxist, Libral, radical, socialist, anti racist, lesbian, cultural and so )
Lengermann and Niebrugge-Brantley (1992)
Classification system that categorizes various feminist theories
A) theories of difference:men and women experience different realities based on different locations
B) theories of inequality: women’s situations are not only different from men, but they are also less privlidged
C)theories of oppression: women’s situations are different, both by patriarchal structures and by individuals reinforcing sexist socialization and ideologies.
Critics of Feminism
Same theories of injustice based on difference
Mainstream sociological theories perpetuated because of their androcentrism and eurocentricity
Most feminist come from middle class white backgrounds, class, heterosexual, educated women
Indigenous Women/ women of Colour
Racism and acts of discrimination affecting both the men and the women of racialist groups as the issue of importance for both men and women.
Modern feminist Theories are reflexive
View the social world as a matrix of social domination where racism, sexism, heterosexist, classism and other marginalized statuses meet a myriad of ways over issues
“Public and private spheres, ideologies and relations of ruling”
Feminist Perspective - Problem of Homicide
Highlight issues of dominance and power
The main difference between the groups is that those without power are disproportionately targeted.
Fear of violence forces women to adapt their ways in the world to ensure that they are not in a position to be victimized by men
Social Methods to study social Problems
Methods: Techniques for collecting data
There major types are : field research, survey research, and secondary analysis.
Field Research
The study of social Life in its natural setting
Observing or interviewing people
Can take many settings ranging from school and neighbourhoods to universities and large corporations.
Some kinds of behaviour can best be studies
Must have good interpersonal skills so they can keep the trust of the people they want to observe or interview
Survey Reseearch
Probably the most frequently used research method by social scientists
Ask respondents a series of questions about a specific topic and record their responses (General Social Survey is done by Statistics Canada) includes questions about victimization
The numerical data obtained through one survey may be compared to another group and over periods of time
The use of a standard questionnaire limits the types of information researchers can obtain numerically
Data can be reported numerically
Survey research may be used to over represent or underrepresent the extent of a social problem.Eg. violence
Secondary Analysis (or unobtrusive Research)
GSS provide primary data
Data can be gathered without the researcher having to interview or observe research subjects.
Public records such as birth and death records, official reports of organizations or governmental agencies such as Statistics Canada and information from large databases such as the GSS
This research method analyzes data already analyzed by other researchers
Content Analysis (Secondary Analysis)
Systematic explanation of cultural artifacts or written documents to extract thematic data and draw conclusions about some aspect of social life.
Social Change
The alteration, modification, or transformation of public policy, culture, or social institutions over time
Social change occurs over time (temporal element)
Some efforts deal with short term strategies
Long term efforts work to alleviate the problem.
Where as others are middle term remedies.
Microlevel - attempts to solve a social problem
Individuals operate within small groups to try to remedy the problem
Social institutions, political and business leaders are unwilling, or unable to allocate the resources necessary to alleviate the problem
Primary Groups_ small less-specialized gourds in which members engage in face to face emotion based interactions over an extended period of time
Include ones family, close friends, peers and anyone who routinely shares their personal experience
Some refer to this as the ban-Aid approach because they do not eliminate the problem
Sociology
the academic discipline that engages in systematic study of human society and social interactions.
Society
large number of individuals who share the same geographical territory and are subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
What constitutes a social Problem?
1) There must be public outcry
2) The conduct or condition must reflect a gap between social ideals and social reality.
3) Large number of people must be demanding a solution and defining the problem.
4) A solution must be found or something to alleviate or reduce the problem.
Sociological examination of social Problems
Helps us move beyond our common sense notions of the problem. (eg. why some people break the rules and others follow them are myths).
Peter Berger (1963:23)
a sociological examination allows us to realize that things are not what they seem.
most social problems are multifaceted.
ives of all people are closely intertwined and that any ones nations problems are part of a larger global web of problems.
Evaluation of Social Problems
Sociologist strive to evaluate a social problem objectively
Max Weber
complete objectivity is impossible
verstehen “understanding” or “insight”
verstehen enables individuals to empathize with them
enables us to develop the sociological imagination
Sociological Imagination
is the ability to see the relationship between an individual’s experience and the larger society in which they are contextualized
Microlevel Analysis
focuses on small group relations and social interaction among individuals
Macrolevel Analysis
focuses social processes occurring at the societal level especially in large scale organizations and major social institutions such as politics, government, and the economy.
Systematic Analysis - Mills
systematic analysis of a social problem such as unemployment gives up a clearer picture of the relationship between microlevel structures as the Canadian economy and the microlevel interactions among people in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Theory
is a set of logically related statements that attempt to describe, explain and occasionally predict social events.
Perspective
An overall approach or viewpoint toward some subject
Functionalist Perspective
society is sable, orderly system composed of several interrelated parts, each of which performs a function that contributes to the overall stability of society.
eg. functions of the economy are producing and distributing goods
Manifest Functions
are intended and recognized consequences of an activity or social process
eg.knowledge, skills, and cultural value
Social Institutions
perform two different types of social functions: manifest and latent
Latent Functions
are the unintended consequences of an activity or social process.
Eg. Babysitter when you send your kids to school
Functionalist Perpective on Social Problems
arise when social institutions do not fulfill their functions.
Dysfunction
are the undesirable consequences of an activity or social process that inhibits a society’s ability to adapt or adjust
Social Disorganization
refers to the conditions in society that undermine the ability of traditional social institutions to govern human behaviour.
Values
collective ideas about what is right and wrong, good and bad, and desirable or undesirable
Norms
are established rules of behaviour or standards of conduct
Industrialization
is the process by which societies are transformed from a dependence on agriculture and handmade products to an emphasis on manufacturing and related industries.
Urbanization
the process by which an increasing proportion of a population lives in cities rather than in rural areas.
Functionalist Perspective: Homicide
homicide arises as a condition of anomie in which individuals have a feeling helplessness, formlessness, or alienation.
Eg. 2013 UN study of victims of homicide were involved in drug gangs and organized crime.
Functionalist Perspective: Violence
Focuses on changes in social institutions put some people at greater risk than others of being victims of violent crime
Functionalism: Life-style Routine Activity
the patterns and timing of people’s daily movements and activities as they go about obtaining necessities of life as food, shelter, companionship, and entertainment are the keys to understanding violent personal crimes and other types of crime in society.
Eg. 20011 UN study found that increase of gangs and organized crime involved in the drug trade was related to high rates of homicide.
people that put themselves in these situations should notify their behaviour or society provide them greater protection from attackers.
Functionalist Perspective
emphasizes shared moral values and social bonds
rapid social changes occur, moral values rode and social problems such as school violence or hate crimes occur
Conflict Perspective
based on the assumption that groups in society are engaged in a continuous power struggle for controller scarce resources.
the degree to which society is characterized by conflict and discrimination
Value Conflict Perspective
social problems are conditions that are imcompatible with group values
value clashes are ordinary occurrences in families, communities, and the larger society and individuals hold many divergent values
Eg. although individuals share core beliefs, they do not share all values or common culture.
Ideal culture
The values and beliefs that people claim they hold
culture refers to the beliefs that they actually follow
Criticism of Conflict Perspective
it overlooks the deeper social problems of inequality and oppression based on class, radicalization and gender.
Critical Conflict Perspective
Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, from which personal profits can derived through market competition and without government intervention.
Carl Marx (Conflict)
The capitalist class (bourgeoisie) who own and control the means of production (the land tools, factories and money for investment) are at the top of the system and social stratification affords them different lifestyles and life chances from those of the members of the working class (proletariat) who must sell their labour power to capitalists.
Erik Olin Wright (1997) (Conflict)
ownership of the means of production is only one way. in which people gain the ability to exploit others. Two other ways:
1) Control over Property
2) Control over People’s labour
upper level managers gain control over societal resources and peoples time, knowledge, and skills
Critical Conflict Theorists
Eg. Human Rights Commission “Equality Rights of Aboriginal People” - found that indigenous people continue to experience conditions of persistent disadvantage, including greater likelihood of suffering violent crimes and physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
emphasize discrimination and inequality based on race or ethnicity not that many social problems are rooted in the continuing exploitation and subordination of people of colour or Indigenous people by White people
potential for homicide is inherent in capitalist societies
wealthy engage in one form of violence and the poor engage in another form of violence
Conflict Theorist
Sexism and racism are also reinforced by the overarching class structure that benefits the powerful at the expense of the powerless
Homicide is not likely to diminish until inequalities in society diminish
The economic exploitation of the poor dramatically affects all aspects of the individuals life, including how the individual reacts to injustices, stress and other threatening situations Arrest and conviction data suggest that violent street crime is an intra class phenomena this perspective suggests that the criminal justice system favour middle and upper classes
Interactionist Perspective
Focuses on microlevel analysis of how people act towards one another and how they make sense of their daily lives
the sumo interactions and groups
George Simmel (Interactionist)
investigated the impact of industrialization and urbanization of people’s values and behaviours within small social problems
alienation is brought about by a decline in personal and emotional contacts
How people interpret the messages they receive from others and the situations they encounter in their daily life greatly influences their behaviour and perceptions of what constitutes a social problem.
Labelling Theory
(Howard Becker) (1963) - perspective suggests that behaviour deviates from the established norms is deviant because it has been labelled as such b others.
Deviants are successfully labelled as such by others
Raises questions about why certain types of behaviour are deviant and others are not
Social Construction of Reality
the process by which people’s perception of reality is shaped largely by the subjective meaning the they give to an experience. From that perspective little shared reality exists beyond that which people socially create - influence people’s beliefs and actions
Dorothy S. THOMAS - When people define situations as real, they become real in their consequences.
Robert Merton (1968)
suggested that when people perceive a situation is a certain way and act accordingly to their perceptions, the end result may be a self fulfilling prophecy - a false definition of a situation that evokes a new behaviour that makes the original false conception become true.
Applied Interactionist
explains homicide as learned behaviour
not an inherent characteristic of the individual - support for this point of view is Albert Bandura - studied aggression in children - showing a person beating, kicking, and hacking a doll- the children tried to duplicate the behaviour.
Situational Approach (Interactionist) (David Luckenbill (1977)
violence results from specific interaction process, termed a situational transaction between the victim and the offender
the victim does something interactional that is termed an affront by the offender. Second, the offender verifies that the action offended him personally
Third, the offender decides how to respond
If the situation escalates, then violence occurs
Robert Nash Parker (1995) the offender or the victim can decide to pursue different courses of action.
Interactionist: Reducing Homicide
requires changing those societal values that encourage excessive competition and violence
socialization must transmit different values towards violence
It is the individuals right to live free from violence regardless for gender, radicalized status, class, religion, or other attitudes of characteristics
Feminist Perspectives
point out that traditional mainstream sociology is both androcentric and Eurocentric
based on experiences, ideas, and issues of concern for males of European and Western extraction
they “gender” the issue under analysis
Feminist theories
typically examine the dynamics of power in relationships between individuals, roles, structures, and so on
focus on gendered power and patriachy
Stand Point Theory
bringing ones analysis from a particular standpoint - social life is examined from the situated point of view of the individual or groups involved
Lengermann and Niebrugge-Brantly Classification system (liberal, marxist, radical, socialist, antiracist, lesbian, cultural)
1) Theories of difference - men and women experience different realities based on their differential locations in most situations
2) Theories of Inequality - women’s situations are not only different from men, but they are also less privileged
3) Theories of Oppression - not only are they unequal, but women are actively subordinated
Indigenous Women and People of Colour
saw racism and acts of discrimination (eg. employment or housing) affecting both men and women of radicalized groups as the issue of importance. Poor feminists saw academic elitism and poverty as the issue of importance for men and women.
Applying Feminist Perspective: Homicide
inequalities between groups can result in violence
those without power are disproportionately targeted
comparatively little stir over the murders of many. poor women in the downtown east side of Vancouver
fear of violence forces women to adapt their ways of being in the world
Mid- Range Solutions to Social Problems
Focus on how secondary groups and formal organizations can help individuals overcome issues such as drug addiction or domestic violence
Assumptions: social problems can best be reduced by reaching one person at a time
Prevention and intervention are most effective at the personal and community level
Eg. Narcotics Annonymous, self help groups
CON: they do not systematically address the structural factors (eg. Employment ) that may contribute to the problem.
Larger societal intervention is necessary to reduce the problems that contribute to individual behaviours.
Mid-Range solutions to Social Problems
Grass Roots Groups Work
Organizations stated by ordinary people who work in concert to deal with a perceived problem in their neighbourhood, city, province, territory, or nation.
The extent to which other people are apathetic about the problem
Empower themselves
Mid Range Solutions: Social Movement
studies have shown that the local level constitutes a necessary foundation for larger scale social movement activism
activists seeking to influence local and regional power structures - city councils, provincial, territorial, and legislatures
Organized group that acts collectively to promote or resist change through collective action
Not always institutionalize and are outside the political mainstream
Empower outsiders by offering them a way to have their voices heard.
Eg. Pollution Probe - Canadian environmental organization
Define environmental problems through research
Promote understanding through education
Press for practical solutions through advocacy
Macrolevel Solutions to Social Problems: Special Interest Groups
Pressure Groups or lobbies
1) Issue focused:single issue, multiple issue
2) View present system of wealth Power: some demand for radical change in particular areas, others just focus on power and wealth- insist on particular social reforms
3) Beliefs about elites: want to influence elites
4) Type of political Action:don’t agree on the nature or extent of problem
Collective behaviour
Voluntary, often spontaneous activity of a large number of people that typically violates dominant group norms and values
Eg. Public demonstrations and riots are examples of collective behaviour
Civil Disobedience
Non violent action that seeks to change a policy or law by refusing to comply with it.
Eg. Protestors
Groups engage in behaviour that they hope will achieve a political goal which some refer to as protest crowds.
National Social Movements
Divided into five major categories:
Reform, religious, alternative, resistance, revolutionary
Reform Movements
Seek to improve society by changing some specific aspect of the social structure
Eg. Environmental groups or disability rights groups
Revolutionary Movements
Seek to bring about total social change in society
Eg. Radical terrorists
Religious movements (expressive Movements)
Seek to rejuvenate people through inner change
Linked to local and regional organizations that seek to bring about change in individual lives
National religious movements often attempt to persuade political officials to enact laws.
Alternative Movements
Seek limited change in some aspects of people’s behaviour
Eg. New Age Movements - development of collective spiritual consciousness
Resistance Movements
Prevent change that has already occurred
Public debates over social policies, most social movements advocating change face resistance from reactive movements which hold opposing viewpoints - social policy to reflect their views and beliefs
Ex. Opposing same sex marriage
International Trade
David Suzuki - trade and investment agreements should include:
1) upholding the rights of citizens
2) protecting the common good
3) promoting the development of sustainable communities
4) sovereignty over democratic elections
5) ensuring effective citizen participation in development of trade and investment policies
