Social Problems Analysis PDF

Final revision—Analysis of social problems Chapter one: sociology What turns an issue into a social problem? Social problems come into being as a people define an issue as harmful and in need of change. Obesity is linked to several serious illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke....

Final revision—Analysis of social problems Chapter one: sociology What turns an issue into a social problem? Social problems come into being as a people define an issue as harmful and in need of change. Obesity is linked to several serious illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Sociologists pointed out that we live in a what some analyses have called a “fast-food nation”. Sociological imagination is a point of view that highlights how society affects the experiences we have and the choices we make. Sociologist C. Wright Mills coined the term "the sociological imagination" to encourage people to view their own personal problems as connected to the workings of society. Sociology is the systematic study of human societies. Society refers to people who live within some territory and share many patterns of behavior. Culture is a way of life including widespread values, beliefs, and behavior. The study of social problems helps us see these truths clearly and encourages us to play a part in shaping the future of our nation and the world. A social problem is a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy. Condition refers to any situation that at least some people define as troublesome, such as having no job, lacking enough money, fearing crime, being overweight or worrying about toxic wastes. A condition that “undermines well-being” hurts people, either by causing them immediate harm or, perhaps by limiting their choices. Poverty not only deprives people of nutritious food and safe housing but also takes away their dignity. Social problems are seldom harmful to everyone. Social problems change over time meanwhile public opinion changes all the time. The social constructionist approach holds that social problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change. The approach also states that social problems have a subjective foundation, reflecting people’s judgement about their world. When we investigate social issues, it is important to consider both objective facts and subjective perceptions. Both play a part in the social construction of social problems. Claim making: The process of convincing the public and important public officials that a particular issue or social situation should be defined as a social problem. First step: create controversy, beginning the process of change by convincing others that the existing situation is not acceptable. Claim making continues as people explain exactly what changes are needed and why they are needed. The mass media is important to the process of claim-making. Politics—how power plays out within a society—is often a matter of claims and counterclaims about what should and should not be defined as a social problem. Social movement: an organized effort at claims making that tries to shape the way people think about an issue to encourage or discourage social change. Four stages in the life course of a social movement: 1. Emergence—initial claims are made 2. Coalescence—claims are publicized 3. Formalization—claims are recognized as a part of a political debate 4. Decline—public interest in claims goes down - Social problems result from the ways in which society operates - Social problems are not caused by bad people - Social problems are socially constructed as people define a condition as harmful - People see problems differently Theory: a statement of how and why specific facts are related. Theoretical approach: a basic image of society that guides theory and research. The structural functional approach: a theoretical framework that sees society as a system of many interrelated parts. Social institutions are major spheres of social life, or societal subsystems, organized to meet a basic human need. Social pathology theory—a model that treats social problems as a disruption in society’s normal operation, almost like a “disease”. Social disorganization theory—holds that problems arise when society breaks down due to social change that occurs too rapidly. The social conflict approach—a theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict. Marxism: (capitalism) an economic system in which businesses are privately owned by people called “capitalists” who operate them for profit. Industrial workers (proletarians) Multicultural theory—is an explanation of social problems in terms of racial and ethnic inequality. Feminism—a political movement that seeks the social equality of women and men. The symbolic-interaction approach is a theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another. Learning theory—claims that people learn troublesome attitudes and behaviors from others around them. Labeling theory—states that the reality of any situation depends on how people define it. Social policy: formal strategies that affect how a society operates. Political spectrum: is a model representing people's attitudes about social issues and economic issues. Conservatives, Liberals, and Radicals - Conservatives look to the past for guidance on how to live. - Conservatives claim that social problems arise from the short- comings of particular individuals or the bad choices people make about how to live. - Conservatives (special interest) in family and religion. A “good” society from a conservative’s point of view is respectful of traditions and tries to conserve what has been learned in the past. - Liberals have a different view of the world. They believe that people should be free from the past to decide on their own about how to live. - Liberals claim that social problems arise from the operation of society, including patterns of social inequality that prevent categories of people from having equal opportunity. - Liberals seek reform rather than radical change in social institutions. - Liberals (special interest) in economy and politics. A “good” society from a liberal’s point of view is one where people can make choices for themselves. - Radicals believe the system must change down to its roots. - On the RADICAl LEFT, Marxists claim that social problems result from the operation of the capitalist economic system. o From this point of view, the solution to social problems requires radical change to our society's institutions, beginning with the economy. - The RADICAl RIGHT claims that the most serious problem our society faces is the growth of big government, which threatens individual freedoms. o Some people on the radical right withdraw from society altogether to live as survivalists in remote areas. Social issues: are political debates involving moral judgement about how people should live. Leaning left→ People who lean to the left on social issues are called social liberals. In general, social liberals think that people should be free to shape their lifestyles for themselves. Leaning right→ People who lean to the right on social issues are called social conservatives. Social conservatives are respectful of traditional values and want to conserve them. Economic issues: are political debates about how a society should distribute material resources. Leaning left→ In general, economic liberals (leaning to the left on economic issues) favor government regulation of the economy to reduce inequality. Leaning Right→ By contrast, economic conservatives (who lean to the right on economic issues) call for a smaller role for government in the economy. From their point of view, the market-not government officials should set wage levels. Economic conservatives support lower tax rates in the belief that people should be able to keep more of their own earnings as they take responsibility for their own well-being. Chapter 11: Economy and Politics Who typically gets welfare in society? Welfare in society is usually provided to individuals or groups who are economically disadvantaged, unemployed, elderly, or disabled, to help meet basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In the US corporations receive more government assistance than poor families. Politics is the social institution that guides a society’s decision making about how to live. In politics, does money talk? Yes, in politics, money can play a significant role by influencing elections, policy decisions, and political campaigns, as it enables access to media, lobbying, and political support. What makes a society democratic? A democratic society is characterized by political participation, the protection of individual rights, free and fair elections, and a system of checks and balances to ensure government accountability. Economy is the social institution that organizes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Capitalism: an economic system in which natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are privately owned. What problems does capitalism create? Capitalism can create economic inequality, exploitation of workers, environmental degradation, and concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few. What is the role of government in a capitalist society? In a capitalist society, the government’s role is generally limited to enforcing laws, protecting property rights, ensuring free markets, and occasionally regulating industries to ensure fairness. Socialism: an economic system in which natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are collectively owned. What is the main idea behind socialism? Socialism emphasizes public or collective ownership of the means of production, aiming to serve the public good and reduce inequality. The government plays a central role in regulating the economy to ensure the welfare of all citizens. What problems does socialism create? Socialism can lead to lower standards of living, more regimented government control, inefficiency, and limited incentives for innovation and economic growth. What is the difference between capitalism and socialism? Capitalism is market-driven, with private ownership and minimal government interference, while socialism emphasizes collective ownership and government control to ensure equality and meet public needs Government: formal organization that directs the political life of a society. Mixed systems: No nation in the world has an economy that is completely capitalist or socialist. Asian countries such as japan, South Korea, and Singapore as well as Saudi arabia and Kuwait is a mixed system known as state capitalism. Another mixed system, common in western Europe including Italy, France, and Sweden is welfare capitalism. What is the mixed model of economics? The mixed model combines elements of capitalism and socialism, where capitalism drives economic productivity and ownership, while socialism addresses basic human needs and social services. What is the goal of mixed economic systems? The goal of mixed economic systems is to combine the economic productivity and efficiency of capitalism with the social welfare and equality objectives of socialism to balance individual success with societal needs. What are state capitalism and welfare capitalism? State capitalism involves the government owning and operating industries but allowing private businesses to operate alongside it. Welfare capitalism refers to a system where the government provides social safety nets like healthcare, education, and unemployment benefits within a capitalist framework. Political economy, Political economy is the study of how politics and economics are interconnected What is the difference between democracy and authoritarianism? Democracy involves a government where power is vested in the people through free elections and participation. Authoritarianism involves centralized control by a single ruler or a small group, with limited political freedoms and opposition. Monarchy: a political system in which a single-family rule from generation to generation. Corporations: businesses with a legal existence, including rights and liabilities, separate from those of their members. Monopoly is the domination of an entire market by a single company. Oligopoly is the domination of the market by a few companies. Conglomerate: a giant corporation imposed of many smaller corporations. Interlocking directorates are social networks made up of people who serve as directors of several corporations at the same time. Special interest groups, political alliances of people interested in some economic or social issues. Lobbying the efforts of special-interest groups and their representatives to influence government officials. PACs political action committees, organizations formed by special-interest groups to raise and spend money in support of political goals. VOTER APATHY is high in the United States, with only 60% of eligible people voting in the 2004 presidential election. Conservatives suggest low voter turnout means that most people are content with their lives. Liberals and radicals counter that it means people are dissatisfied but believe they have little power to bring about change. In general, voter apathy is greatest among the young, those with little education, and the poor. Gender gap is a tendency for women and men to hold different opinions about certain issues and to support different candidates. Structural-Functional Analysis: Rule by the Many The structural-functional approach views the economic system as a complex institution that operates to produce and distribute goods and services to the entire population. Robert Dahl: The Pluralist Model is an analysis of the political system that sees power widely distributed among various groups and organizations in a society. This model based largely on the work of Robert Dahl (1961, 1982) suggests that individuals and organizations compete in the political “marketplace” trying to win support from the people. Social-Conflict Analysis: Rule by the Few The social-conflict approach sees the economic system as operating under the control of an elite. C. Wright Mills: The Power-Elite Model Military-industrial complex, the close association of the federal government, the military, and the defense industries. Power-elite model, an analysis of the political system that sees power as concentrated among a small elite. Karl Marx: Capitalist Political Economy Marxist political-economy model is an analysis that sees the concentration of wealth and power in society as resulting from capitalism. What is Karl Marx’s view on capitalist political economy? Karl Marx believed that capitalist economies are inherently exploitative, as the bourgeoisie (capitalists) own the means of production and exploit the proletariat (working class) to maximize profit, leading to inequality and class conflict. Who favors “big government” and why? “Big government” is favored by liberals and progressives who believe the government should play an active role in regulating the economy, providing social services, and addressing inequality to protect the public interest. Conservatives: The System Is Working - Conservatives claim the U.S. economic and political systems work well. Competition in the marketplace and in the political arena serves public interest. - Conservatives look to government to advance what they see as moral goals, such as national defense and restricting abortion. Liberals: The Need for Reform - Liberals point out that the U.S. economic and political systems produce significant social inequality.  - Liberals favor more government regulation of the economy and political system; they support social welfare programs funded by progressive taxation that redistribute income by providing various benefits to the poor. Welfare state is a range of policies and programs that transfer wealth from the rich to the poor and provide benefits to needy members of society. Radicals on the Left: A Call for Basic Change - Radicals on the left believe that the root cause of political and economic problems in the United States is capitalism's concentration of wealth and power. - Radicals on the left maintain that reform will not solve these problems; they call for elimination of the capitalist systems. Chapter 13—Family life Family is a social institution that unites individuals into cooperative groups that care for one another, including any children. Kinship, a related concept, is a social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption, that joins individuals into families. Nuclear family: one or two parents and their children. Extended family: parents and children and also grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who often live close to one another and operate as a family unit. Marriage is a lawful relationship usually involving, economic operation, sexual activity, and childbearing. Matrimony (motherhood) Family of affinity, people with or without legal or blood ties who feel they belong together and define themselves as family. Controversies over Family life A rising number of people living together without being married, people marrying later, an increase in the share of children born to single mothers, more mothers joining fathers in the labor force see that more young children spend the day in care programs, a divorce rate much high- er than it was fifty years ago, an increase in the number of blended families following remarriage, gains by gay men and lesbians in the movement to win the right to legally marry, and new medical technology that offers amazing new possibilities for reproduction. Al these trends have sparked both praise and criticism. Cohabitation is the sharing of a household by unmarried people. In Sweden and Scandinavian nations, cohabitation is very common. Cohabitation is rare in traditional or roman catholic nations such as Italy. Supporters of cohabitation, typically liberals, argue that decisions about sexual relationships are private matters that should eb left to individuals. Delayed marriage is linked to a drop in overall childbearing, people are attending college and graduating schools, after grad women are entering the labor force. Blended families are families in which children have some combination of biological parents and stepparents. Chapter 17- Technology and the Environment We measure social standing by how much people consume, and the value we place on "convenience" begins with instant breakfast foods and ends with dinner at the drive-through. Ecology is the study of how living organisms interact with the natural environment. Natural environment refers to earth’s surface and atmosphere, including air, water, soil, and other necessary resources to sustain living organisms. Technology, knowledge that people apply to the task of living in a physical environment. The Role of Sociology: Problems related to the environment: solid waste, pollution, acid rain, global warming, and the declining number of living species. Those problems don’t occur on their own they are problems caused by the way humans live, therefore they are called social problems. Sociologists examine how people waste or conserve natural resources. The Global Dimension: Ecosystem is a system composed of the interaction of all living organisms and their natural environment. Eco (house) in Greek CFCs: Chlorofluorocarbons Population Increase: The more people in a society, the richer the society, and the more complex the technology, the bigger the environmental impact the society has. Poverty and Affluence: Rapid population growth makes the problem of poverty worse. But poverty also makes environmental problems worse. Preoccupied with survival, poor people have little choice but to consume whatever resources they have, without thinking about long-term environmental consequences. Our planet suffers from economic underdevelopment in some regions and economic overdevelopment in others. Technology: The Industrial Revolution changed everything replacing muscle power with combustion engines that burn fossil fuels such as coal and oil. In the process, we consume more energy resources and release more pollutants into the atmosphere. The overall result: humans have brought more change to this planet in the last two centuries than all the living creatures did over the last billions of years. The global map shows that high-income, high-technology countries consume a great deal of the world’s energy. They present 80% of the world’s energy consumption. Environment deficit, serious, long-term harm to the environment caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluence. 3 important reasons: environmental quality is a social issue, environmental damage is often unintended, environmental deficit is reversible. Cultural patterns: Growth and Limits The logic of growth is an optimistic view of environmental issues that place a high reliance on science and human ingenuity. Limits-to-growth thesis is that humanity must limit the growth of population and our use of infinite resources to avoid eventual environmental collapse. According to the limits-to-growth thesis, humans are quickly consuming earth’s limited resources. Environmentalists who support the limits-to-growth thesis are called: Malthusians Ways our wastes affect landfills: 1. Landfills across countries are filling up 2. The material in landfills contribute to water pollution 3. What goes into landfills may end up being there for centuries Recycling: reusing resources we would usually throw away. Water pollution: Two major problems associated with water: inadequate water supply and water pollution. People in large cities like Mexico to Cairo to Shanghai people drink contaminated water every day. Acid rain: precipitation, made by acidic air pollution, that destroys animal and plant life. Rain forests are regions of dense foundation, most of which circle the globe close to the equator. Global warming: the average temperatures throughout the world are rising. Environmental racism: pattern of discrimination in which environmental hazards are greatest for people especially minorities. Ecologically sustainable culture: way of life that meets the needs of the present generation without threatening the environment for future generations. Chapter 18—War and Terrorism - War: violent conflict between nations or organized groups - Peace: the absence of violent conflict Weapons of mass destruction: weapons with the capacity to kill many thousands of people at the same time. How has the destructive nature of war changed over time? The level and destructive nature of war have increased, particularly with advancements in military technology. In the 20th century, weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons, significantly increased the potential for large-scale destruction. List and explain the seven factors that promote the outbreak of war. 1. Perceived threats – Fear of an attack or aggression from another nation or group. 2. Cultural and religious differences – Conflicts arising from cultural or religious disagreements. 3. Political objectives – Wars fought to achieve political goals, such as gaining power or control. 4. Moral objectives – Wars fought to defend or spread moral or ethical beliefs. 5. Wealth, power, and global standing – Competition for resources, influence, or dominance. 6. Social problems – Internal social unrest or inequality that leads to conflict. 7. Absence of alternatives – When peaceful solutions are unavailable or rejected, war becomes seen as the only option. Military-industrial complex is a political alliance involving the federal government, the military, and the defense industries. What are some of the human costs of war? Human costs of war include loss of life, orphaned children, war-related disabilities, psychological effects like PTSD, and long-term illness or disability. Economic cost of militarism: $ trillion for military purposes. Strategy of total war: total war is a deadly conflict that targets both population centers and military targets. Concentration camps: centers where prisoners are confined for purposes of state security, exploitation, punishment, or execution. War crime: an offense against the law of war as established by international law. War-related disabilities: (PTSD) posttraumatic stress disorder. What are the three categories of war crimes recognized by the Geneva Convention during WWII? 1. Crimes against peace – Starting or preparing to go to war against another nation. 2. Conventional war crimes – Acts such as murder, rape, or torture in occupied territories. 3. Crimes against humanity – Actions like genocide. War in the Nuclear Age: Nuclear weapons: bombs that use nuclear reactions to generate enormous destructive force. Nuclear proliferation: the acquisition of nuclear weapon technology by more and more nations. Nuclear proliferation refers to the spread of nuclear weapons to countries that did not previously possess them, increasing the risk of nuclear conflict. What are “nuclear weapons,” and why are they a concern in modern warfare? Nuclear weapons are bombs that use nuclear reactions to generate massive destructive force. They are a concern because their use can result in the destruction of human life, a nuclear winter, and severe environmental damage. Deterrence is a strategy to keep peace based on the threat of retaliation. The logic of deterrence also known as mutual assured destruction (MAD). “Mutual Assured Destruction” (MAD)? Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) is a strategy to maintain peace based on the threat of retaliation, ensuring that both sides would face devastating consequences in the event of nuclear war. Arms control: international agreements on the development, testing, production, and deployment of weapons. Resolving Underlying Conflict the most effective path to peace is to resolve conflicts, the strategy of diplomacy. Terrorism involves unlawful typically random acts of violence or threats of violence by an individual, group, or government to achieve a political goal. State-sponsored terrorism occurs when a government provides financial support, weapons, or training to terrorist groups that engage in violence within another country. Repressive state terrorism is government use of violence within its own national borders to suppress political opposition. How does biological theory explain the occurrence of war? Biological theories, like those proposed by Konrad Lorenz and Edward O. Wilson, suggest that war is an innate tendency driven by the need to protect territory and by aggression and competition for resources. What strategies are used to combat terrorism? Strategies to combat terrorism include making no concessions, prosecuting terrorists, applying economic sanctions, using military force, defending against terrorism, and addressing the underlying causes of terrorism through diplomacy and conflict resolution.