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SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND PHENOMENON

A social problem is an issue within the society that makes it difficult for people
to achieve their full potential. Social problems tend to develop when we become
neglectful and fail to see that serious problems are developing. Could these
problems have been prevented if our social institutions had been working well? I
think so, but this is where political philosophies are important to understand. Some
people believe that the government should be very involved in providing services to
people most at risk.

A problem is a condition of discontentment resented by someone. But when it

is resented by many people, it becomes a social problem. For a problem to be social,
it must involve a large number of people, sometimes groups and institutions, who
consider a particular condition as undesirable and intolerable and want to correct
through a collective action.

Thus, not all problems are social, unless the discontented persons come in
contact, vocalize their discontentment and associate to do something for its solution.
A problem becomes social when it is communicated to others and the activity of one
person leads to a similar activity for other persons. Thus, a social problem is different
from an individual problem. Individual problem is one which is felt by only one
person or a small group of people.
It does not affect the public at large. Its resolutions lie within the power and
immediate milieu of the individual or group. A public issue however requires a
collective approach for its solutions.

No one individual or few individuals are responsible for the appearance of a

socially problematic situation and the control of this situation is also beyond the
ability of one person or a few persons.
Social problem is a generic term applied to a range of conditions and aberrant
behaviors which are manifestations of social disorganization. It is a condition which
most people in a society consider undesirable and want to correct by changing
through some means of social engineering or social planning‖ (Oxford Dictionary of
Sociology, 1994

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Definition Sociologist
Those conditions or situations which members of the society Fuller and Myers
regard as a threat to their values‘. Elucidating their ideas, they (1941)
said at other place that it is ‗a condition which is defined by a
considerable number of persons as a deviation from some
social norms which they cherish‘.
‗A situation confronting a group or a section of society which Reinhardt
inflicts injurious consequences that can be handled only
collectively.‘
Hold that a social problem is ‗a problem of human relationship Raab and
which seriously threatens society or impedes the important Selznick (1959)
aspirations of many people‘.
‗A way of behaviour that is regarded by a substantial part of a Merton and
social order as being in violation of one or more generally Nisbet (1961)
accepted or approved norms‘.
A social problem as a ‗deviation from the social ideal Walsh and
remediable by group effort‘. Furfey
A social problem is ‗a condition which many people consider Horton and
undesirable and want to correct. It is a condition affecting a Leslie (1970)
significant number of people in ways considered undesirable,
about which it is felt that something can be done through
collective measures‘.

Components of social problem

1. An objective condition, like crime, poverty, communal tensions and so forth,
the presence and magnitude of which can be observed, verified and
measured by impartial social observers; and

2. A subjective definition by some members of the society that the objective

condition is a ‗problem‘ and must be acted upon. Here is where values come
into play. People start perceiving that some values are being threatened.

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Elements of Social Problems:

Though the above cited definitions differ in ways that they are explained, the
following important characteristics may be discerned from them:

1. A condition or situation resented as objectionable by a significant number of

people.
2. It is considered as undesirable because of its injurious consequences.
3. All social problems want correction through collective action. They warrant
change in conditions via some means of social engineering.
4. All aberrant behaviors or deviations from accepted norms are termed as social
problems such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, rape, drug addiction,
and domestic violence, ethnic or communal tension.
5. Social problems are not static but change with the change in time and space.
Changes in law also affects the concept of social problem.

Types of Social Problems:

Sociologists distinguish between two types of social problems. First, problems
of social organization which are created by the way the community or the society is
organized. Community or society produces situations that some members of the
society refuse to accept as right or necessary or even inevitable. These are, for
instance, communalism, casteism, regionalism, poverty, gender discrimination,
population, environmental imbalance (different kinds of pollution, health hazards,
etc.). Second, problems of deviance having to do with the adjustment of people to
conventional ways of living. These include, for example, delinquency, drug addiction,
alcoholism, mental illness, various forms of sexual behavior (rape, incest, sodomy),
bigamy, prostitution, vandalism and host of other behaviors, most of which are
forbidden by law.

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 What is It

Analyze the different situations about the various types of social problems.
Write A if the problems of social organization which are created by the way the
community or the society is organized and B if they are problems of deviance having
to do with the adjustment of people to conventional ways of living.

Situation Answer
1. Coral Reef Degradation
2. Gang
3. Cyber Sex

4. Unequal Career Opportunities

5. Malnutrition

What’s More

Activity 1: Picture Analysis

Which of the following describes social problems? Identify each type.

A. B.

Source:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/04/c1/a2/04c1a251b0f8c16876a
442db6e315558.jpg Source: https://voice.global/assets/2016/08/03-LGBT-
e1505922182922.png

A B