Chapt

erone:I
ntr
oduct
iont
oSoci
alPr
obl
ems

Under
standi
ngSoci
alPr
obl
ems

LEARNI
NGOBJECTI
VES

1. Def
ine“
soci
alpr
obl
em.
”

2. Expl
aint
heobj
ect
iveandsubj
ect
ivecomponent
soft
hedef
ini
ti
on
ofasoci
alpr
obl
em.

3.Under
standt
hesoci
alconst
ruct
ioni
stv
iewofsoci
alpr
obl
ems.

1.
1WhatI
saSoci
alPr
obl
em?

Asoci
alpr
obl
em i
sanycondi
ti
onorbehav
iort
hathasnegat
iveconsequencesf
orl
arge
number
sofpeopl
eandt
hati
sgener
all
yrecogni
zedasacondi
ti
onorbehav
iort
hat
needs t
o be addr
essed.Thi
s def
ini
ti
on has bot
h an obj
ect
ive componentand a
subj
ect
ivecomponent
.

Theobj
ect
ivecomponenti
sthi
s:Foranycondi
ti
onorbehav
iort
obeconsi
der
edasoci
al
pr
obl
em,i
tmusthav
enegat
iveconsequencesf
orl
argenumber
sofpeopl
e.Howdowe
know i
fasoci
alpr
obl
em hasnegat
iveconsequences?Reasonabl
epeopl
ecananddo
di
sagr
ee on whet
hersuch consequences exi
stand,i
fso,on t
hei
rext
entand
ser
iousness,butor
dinar
il
ya bodyofdat
a accumul
ates—f
rom wor
k byacademi
c
r
esear
cher
s,gov
ernmentagenci
es,andot
hersour
cesst
rongl
ypoi
ntst
oext
ensi
veand
ser
iousconsequences.

Thi
sty
peofdi
sput
epoi
ntst
othesubj
ect
ivecomponentoft
hedef
ini
ti
onofsoci
al
pr
obl
ems:Ther
e mustbe a per
cept
ion t
hata condi
ti
on orbehav
iorneeds t
o be
addr
essedf
ori
ttobeconsi
der
edasoci
alpr
obl
em.Thi
scomponentl
i
esatt
hehear
tof
t
hesoci
alconst
ruct
ioni
stv
iewofsoci
alpr
obl
ems.I
nthi
svi
ew,
manyt
ypesofnegat
ive
condi
ti
onsandbehav
ior
sexi
st.Manyoft
hesear
econsi
der
edsuf
fi
cient
lynegat
ivet
o
acqui
ret
hest
atusofasoci
alpr
obl
em;somedonotr
ecei
vet
hisconsi
der
ati
onandt
hus
donotbecomeasoci
alpr
obl
em;
andsomebecomeconsi
der
edasoci
alpr
obl
em onl
yif
ci
ti
zens,
pol
i
cymaker
s,orot
herpar
ti
escal
lat
tent
iont
othecondi
ti
onorbehav
ior
.

1
Thef
oll
owi
ngchar
act
eri
sti
csexhi
bitt
henat
ureofsoci
alpr
obl
ems:

(
i) Di
sint
egr
ati
ve:Soci
alpr
obl
ems,
dir
ect
lyori
ndi
rect
lydi
sint
egr
atet
hesoci
alsy
stem.
Soci
alpr
obl
emscausedi
ssat
isf
act
ion,suf
fer
ingandmi
ser
y.I
tser
iousl
yaf
fect
s
t
he v
alues oft
he soci
ety
.Iti
s al
way
sdi
sint
egr
ati
ng and di
sor
gani
zi
ng.I
tis
pat
hol
ogi
cal
.Iti
shar
mful
forsoci
ety
.

(
ii
) Mul
ti
pleCauses:Thesoci
alpr
obl
emshav
enosi
ngl
eorsi
mpl
ecause.Each
pr
obl
em hasacompl
exhi
stor
yandi
susual
l
ynotduet
oonebutt
omanycauses.
War
,pov
ert
y,unempl
oymentorcr
imesdonotof
ferasi
ngl
eorsi
mpl
eexpl
anat
ion
oft
hei
roccur
rence.Somet
imesonepr
obl
em i
ssoi
nter
wov
enwi
thot
herpr
obl
ems
t
hati
tcannotbesol
vedapar
tfr
om t
hem.

(
ii
i) I
nter
-Connect
ed:Soci
alpr
obl
emsar
eint
er-
connect
edduet
owhi
cht
hesebecome
ser
ious.Forexampl
e,unempl
oyment
,pov
ert
yandcr
imear
eint
er-
connect
ed.

(
iv) ManyRemedi
es:Hencet
hesol
uti
onoft
hecompl
exsoci
alpr
obl
em r
equi
res
v
ari
ousmul
ti
-si
dedr
emedi
es.

(
v) Rel
ati
veConcept
:Soci
alpr
obl
em i
sar
elat
iveconcept
.Whatwecal
lasoci
al
pr
obl
em i
noursoci
etymaynotbeapr
obl
em i
not
hersoci
eti
es.Si
mil
arl
y,asoci
al
pr
obl
em t
odaymaynotbeapr
obl
em t
omor
row.

(
vi) Funct
ionalVal
ue:Soci
alpr
obl
em,t
houghdi
sint
egr
ati
ve,hasf
unct
ionalv
alue
si
ncei
tscur
eleadst
osoci
alpr
obl
em andsoci
aldev
elopment
.

1.
2.TheSoci
ologi
calI
magi
nat
ion

Manyi
ndi
vi
dual
sexper
ienceoneormor
esoci
alpr
obl
emsper
sonal
l
y.Forexampl
e,
manypeopl
ear
epoorandunempl
oyed,manyar
einpoorheal
th,andmanyhav
efami
l
y
pr
obl
ems,dr
ink t
oo much al
cohol
,orcommi
tcr
ime.When we hearaboutt
hese
i
ndi
vi
dual
s,i
tiseasyt
othi
nkt
hatt
hei
rpr
obl
emsar
ethei
rsal
one,andt
hatt
heyand
ot
heri
ndi
vi
dual
swi
tht
hesamepr
obl
emsar
eent
ir
elyt
obl
amef
ort
hei
rdi
ff
icul
ti
es.

Soci
ologyt
akesadi
ff
erentappr
oach,asi
tst
ressest
hati
ndi
vi
dualpr
obl
emsar
eof
ten

2
r
oot
edi
npr
obl
emsst
emmi
ngf
rom aspect
sofsoci
etyi
tsel
f.Thi
skeyi
nsi
ghti
nfor
medC.
Wr
ightMi
l
ls’
s(1959)cl
assi
cdi
sti
nct
ionbet
weenper
sonalt
roubl
esandpubl
i
cissues.
Per
sonalt
roubl
esr
efert
oapr
obl
em af
fect
ingi
ndi
vi
dual
sthatt
heaf
fect
edi
ndi
vi
dual
,as
wel
lasot
hermember
sofsoci
ety
,ty
pical
l
ybl
ameont
hei
ndi
vi
dual
’
sownper
sonaland
mor
alf
ail
i
ngs.Exampl
esi
ncl
udesuchdi
ff
erentpr
obl
emsaseat
ingdi
sor
der
s,di
vor
ce,
andunempl
oyment
.Publ
i
cissues,whosesour
cel
i
esi
nthesoci
alst
ruct
ureandcul
tur
e
ofasoci
ety
,ref
ert
osoci
alpr
obl
emsaf
fect
ingmanyi
ndi
vi
dual
s.Pr
obl
emsi
nsoci
ety
t
hushel
ptoaccountf
orpr
obl
emst
hati
ndi
vi
dual
sexper
ience.Mi
l
lsf
eltt
hatmany
pr
obl
emsor
dinar
il
yconsi
der
edpr
ivat
etr
oubl
esar
ebestunder
stoodaspubl
i
cissues,
andhecoi
nedt
het
erm soci
ologi
cali
magi
nat
iont
oref
ert
otheabi
l
ityt
oappr
eci
atet
he
st
ruct
ural
basi
sfori
ndi
vi
dual
probl
ems.

1.
3.Soci
ologi
calper
spect
ivesonsoci
alpr
obl
ems

Ev
ery
onehasopi
nionsaboutt
hecausesofsoci
alpr
obl
emsandwhatshoul
dbedone
aboutt
hem.Somepeopl
ewi
l
lar
gue,f
orexampl
e,t
hatt
hepr
obl
emsofahomel
ess
si
ngl
emot
herar
eherownf
aul
t.Shemaybemor
all
ylooseorment
all
yunsound,
notv
ery
br
ight
,ornotmot
ivat
edt
owor
khar
dandl
i
fther
sel
fandherf
ami
l
youtofpov
ert
y.These
ar
eal
lfami
l
iarexpl
anat
ionsofi
ndi
vi
dualmi
sfor
tune.Atwor
st,
theybl
amet
hei
ndi
vi
dual
f
orhi
sorhersi
tuat
ion.Atbest
,theyexpl
aini
ndi
vi
dualt
roubl
esi
nter
msoft
rai
tst
hatt
he
per
soncannotcont
rol
.Inf
act
,fort
hisoneunf
ort
unat
ewoman,anyoft
hesesi
mpl
e
expl
anat
ionsmi
ghtbet
rue.Butev
eni
ftheyar
etr
uef
orpar
ti
cul
ari
ndi
vi
dual
s,noneof
t
hem t
ell
suswhyt
hesamepat
ter
nisr
epeat
edf
orent
ir
egr
oupsofpeopl
e.Whydo
womenbecomesi
ngl
emot
her
s,andwhydosi
ngl
emot
her
sof
tenbecomehomel
essas
wel
l
?Whyar
ewomenwhoar
ebor
nint
opoorandmi
nor
it
yfami
l
iesmor
eli
kel
yto
becomesi
ngl
emot
her
s,andpossi
blyheadsofhomel
essf
ami
l
ies,
thanar
ewomenwho
ar
e bor
nint
o mi
ddl
e-cl
ass f
ami
l
ies ofanyr
aci
aloret
hni
c gr
oup?And does t
he
exper
ienceofbei
nghomel
essi
nfl
i
cthar
dshi
psonwomenandchi
l
drent
hatmakei
t
mor
edi
ff
icul
tfort
hem t
oper
for
m pr
oduct
iver
olesi
nsoci
etyandat
tai
nthegoodl
i
fe?
Thesear
esoci
ologi
calquest
ions.Theyaskwhyacondi
ti
onl
i
kehomel
essnessexi
sts.
Theyaskhowt
hecondi
ti
oni
sdi
str
ibut
edi
nsoci
etyandwhet
hersomepeopl
ear
emor
e
atr
iskt
hanot
her
s.Theyar
equest
ionsaboutt
hesoci
alr
athert
hant
hei
ndi
vi
dual

3
aspect
sofapr
obl
em.Andt
heyar
eimpor
tantnotmer
elyf
rom anacademi
corsoci
al-
sci
ent
if
icv
iewpoi
nt.Answer
stot
hesequest
ionsar
eapr
erequi
sit
eforef
fect
iveact
ion
t
oel
i
minat
esoci
alpr
obl
ems.Not
e,howev
er,
thatr
esear
chont
hesei
ssuesi
snotl
i
mit
ed
t
osoci
ology
.

Cont
empor
arysoci
ologyi
sfoundedont
hreebasi
cper
spect
ives,orset
sofi
deas,t
hat
of
fert
heor
iesaboutwhysoci
eti
eshangt
oget
herandhowandwhyt
heychange.These
per
spect
ivesar
enott
heonl
ysoci
ologi
calappr
oachest
osoci
alpr
obl
ems,butt
heycan
be ext
remel
ypower
fult
ool
sforunder
standi
ng t
hem.Each oft
hese per
spect
ives:
f
unct
ional
i
sm,conf
li
ctt
heor
y,andi
nter
act
ioni
sm gi
ver
iset
oanumberofusef
uland
di
sti
nct
iveappr
oachest
othest
udyofsoci
alpr
obl
ems.

1.
3.1.TheFunct
ional
istPer
spect
ive

Fr
om t
hedaywear
ebor
nunt
ilt
hedaywedi
e,al
lofushol
daposi
ti
on—ast
atusi
na
v
ari
etyofgr
oupsandor
gani
zat
ions.I
nahospi
tal
,forexampl
e,t
hepat
ient
,thenur
se,
the
doct
or,andt
heor
der
lyar
eal
lmember
sofasoci
algr
oupconcer
nedwi
thheal
thcar
e.
Eachoft
hesei
ndi
vi
dual
shasast
atust
hatr
equi
rest
heper
for
manceofacer
tai
nsetof
behav
ior
s,knownasar
ole.Takent
oget
her
,thest
atusesandr
olesoft
hemember
sof
t
hismedi
calt
eam andot
hert
eamsi
nhospi
tal
sthr
oughoutt
hecount
rymakeupt
he
soci
ali
nst
it
uti
onknownast
heheal
thcar
esy
stem.Ani
nst
it
uti
oni
samor
eorl
essst
abl
e
st
ruct
ureofst
atusesandr
olesdev
otedt
omeet
ingt
hebasi
cneedsofpeopl
eina
soci
ety
.Theheal
thcar
esy
stem i
sani
nst
it
uti
on;hospi
tal
s,i
nsur
ancecompani
es,and
pr
ivat
emedi
cal
pract
icesar
eexampl
esofor
gani
zat
ionswi
thi
nthi
sinst
it
uti
on.

Thef
unct
ional
i
stper
spect
ivel
ooksatt
hewaymaj
orsoci
ali
nst
it
uti
onsl
i
ket
hef
ami
l
y,
t
he mi
l
itar
y,t
he heal
thcar
e sy
stem,and t
he pol
i
ce and cour
ts act
ual
l
y oper
ate.
Accor
dingt
othi
sper
spect
ive,t
her
olebehav
iorassoci
atedwi
thanygi
venst
atushas
ev
olv
edasameansofal
l
owi
ngapar
ti
cul
arsoci
ali
nst
it
uti
ont
oful
fi
lli
tsf
unct
ioni
n
soci
ety
.Thus,t
henur
se’
srol
erequi
resspeci
fi
cknowl
edgeandbehav
ior
sthati
nvol
ve
t
reat
mentoft
hepat
ient
’si
mmedi
ateneedsandadmi
nist
rat
ionofcar
eaccor
dingt
othe
doct
or’
sor
der
s.Thepat
ient
,int
urn,i
sexpect
edt
ocooper
atei
ntheadmi
nist
rat
ionof
t
het
reat
ment
.Whenal
lmember
soft
hegr
oupper
for
mthei
rrol
escor
rect
ly,
thegr
oupi
s

4
sai
dtobef
unct
ioni
ngwel
l
.Inawel
l
-funct
ioni
nggr
oup,
ther
eisgener
alagr
eementabout
howr
olesar
etobeper
for
medbyeachmember
.Theseexpect
ati
onsar
erei
nfor
cedby
t
hesoci
ety
’sbasi
cval
ues,f
rom whi
char
eder
ivedr
ulesabouthow peopl
eshoul
dand
shoul
dnotbehav
etowar
deachot
heri
ndi
ff
erentsi
tuat
ions.TheTenCommandment
s,
t
heGol
denRul
e,t
heBi
l
lofRi
ght
s,andt
het
eachi
ngsofal
loft
hewor
ld’
srel
i
gionsar
e
exampl
esofset
sofr
ulest
hatspeci
fyhow peopl
eshoul
dbehav
eindi
ff
erentsoci
al
r
oles.Buti
fsoci
etyi
smadeupofgr
oupsi
nwhi
chpeopl
eknowt
hei
rrol
esandadher
eto
t
heunder
lyi
ngv
alues,
whydowehav
esoci
alpr
obl
emsl
i
kecr
imeandwar
far
e,andwhy
doesi
tseem sodi
ff
icul
ttomakesoci
alor
gani
zat
ionsf
unct
ionef
fect
ivel
y?Fr
om t
he
f
unct
ional
i
stper
spect
ive,t
hemai
nreasonf
ort
heexi
stenceofsoci
alpr
obl
emsi
sthat
soci
eti
esar
eal
way
schangi
ngandhav
ingt
oadaptt
onew condi
ti
ons;f
ail
uret
oadapt
successf
ull
yleadst
osoci
alpr
obl
ems.

1.
3.2.Theconf
li
ctPer
spect
ive

Bynomeansdoal
lsoci
ologi
stsacceptt
hef
unct
ional
i
stv
iew ofsoci
etyandsoci
al
pr
obl
ems.Ther
eis an al
ter
nat
ive setoft
heor
ies,of
ten known as t
he conf
li
ct
per
spect
ive,t
hatr
eject
sthei
deat
hatsoci
alpr
obl
emscanbecor
rect
edbyr
efor
ming
i
nst
it
uti
onst
hatar
enotf
unct
ioni
ngwel
l
.Theconf
li
ctper
spect
ivei
sbasedont
hebel
i
ef
t
hatsoci
alpr
obl
ems ar
ise outofmaj
orcont
radi
cti
ons i
nthe waysoci
eti
es ar
e
or
gani
zed,cont
radi
cti
onst
hatl
eadt
olar
ge-
scal
econf
li
ctbet
weent
hosewhohav
e
accesst
othegoodl
i
feandt
hosewhodonot
.Thi
sper
spect
iveowesmucht
othe
wr
it
ingsofKar
lMar
x(1818–1883)
,theGer
mansoci
alt
heor
istwhodev
elopedmanyof
t
hecent
ral
ideasofmoder
nsoci
ali
sm.

I
nTheCommuni
stMani
fest
o(1848)
,Capi
tal(
1867)
,andot
herwor
ks,Mar
xat
tempt
ed
t
opr
ovet
hatsoci
alpr
obl
emssuchasunempl
oyment
,pov
ert
y,cr
ime,cor
rupt
ion,and
war
far
ear
enotusual
l
ythef
aul
tofi
ndi
vi
dual
sorofpoor
lyf
unct
ioni
ngor
gani
zat
ions.
I
nst
ead,hear
gued,t
hei
ror
igi
nsmaybef
oundi
nthewaysoci
eti
esar
rangeaccesst
o
weal
thandpower
.Accor
dingt
oMar
x,t
hesoci
alpr
obl
emsofmoder
nsoci
eti
esar
ise
f
rom capi
tal
i
sm.An i
nev
itabl
e out
come ofcapi
tal
i
sm i
s cl
ass conf
li
ct,especi
all
y
conf
li
ctbet
weent
hosewhoownt
hemeansofpr
oduct
ion(
fact
ori
es,l
and,andt
hel
i
ke)
andt
hosewhosel
lthei
rlaborf
orwages.I
nsuchasy
stem,wor
ker
sar
eexpl
oit
edby

5
t
hei
rbosses,
forwhom t
hedesi
ret
omakeapr
ofi
tout
wei
ghsanyhumani
tar
iani
mpul
se
t
otakecar
eoft
hei
rempl
oyees.I
nthecapi
tal
i
stsy
stem asMar
xdescr
ibedi
t,t
he
capi
tal
i
sti
sdr
ivenbyt
hepr
ofi
tmot
ivet
ofi
ndway
stor
educel
aborcost
s.Forexampl
e,
t
hrought
hepur
chaseofnew machi
ner
ythatcandot
hewor
kofsev
eralpeopl
eorby
bui
l
dingf
act
ori
esi
npl
aceswher
epeopl
ewi
l
lwor
kforl
essmoney
.Theseact
ions
cont
inual
l
ythr
eat
ent
hel
i
vel
i
hoodofwor
ker
s.Of
tent
heyl
oset
hei
rjobs,
andsomet
imes
t
heyr
esor
ttocr
imeorev
enbegi
nrev
olut
ionst
oov
ert
urnt
hesy
stem i
nwhi
cht
heyar
e
t
hehav
e-not
s,andt
heowner
sofcapi
talar
ethehav
es.I
nsum,f
orMar
xandmoder
n
Mar
xiansoci
ologi
sts,soci
alpr
obl
emsmaybeat
tri
but
edt
otheway
sinwhi
chweal
th
andpowerbecomeconcent
rat
edi
nthehandsofaf
ewpeopl
eandt
othemanyf
ormsof
conf
li
ctengender
edbyt
hesei
nequal
i
ties.Mar
xianconf
li
ctt
heor
ycanbeapower
ful
tool
i
ntheanal
ysi
sofcont
empor
arysoci
alpr
obl
ems.

1.
3.3.TheI
nter
act
ioni
stPer
spect
ive

Whydo cer
tai
n peopl
eresor
tto cr
imi
naldev
iance whi
l
ethe v
astmaj
ori
tyseeks
l
egi
ti
mat
emeanst
osur
viv
e?Af
unct
ional
i
stwoul
dpoi
ntoutt
hati
ndi
vi
dual
swhodonot
adher
etosoci
ety
’scor
eval
uesorhav
ebeenupr
oot
edbysoci
alchangear
emostl
i
kel
y
t
obecomecr
imi
nal
s.Whent
heyar
ecaught
,thei
rpuni
shmentr
einf
orcest
hedesi
reof
t
hemaj
ori
tyt
oconf
orm.Butt
hisexpl
anat
iondoesnothel
pusunder
standwhya
par
ti
cul
ari
ndi
vi
dualorgr
oupdev
iat
es.Conf
li
ctt
heor
ist
sexpl
aindev
ianceast
her
esul
t
ofconf
li
ctov
eraccesst
oweal
thandpower(
int
heMar
xianv
ersi
on)orov
erv
alues(
in
t
henon-
Mar
xianv
ersi
on)
.Buthowi
sthatconf
li
ctchannel
edi
ntodev
iantbehav
ior
?Why
dosomegr
oupst
hatexper
iencev
alueconf
li
ctactagai
nstt
hel
argersoci
etywhi
l
e
ot
her
sdonot
?Why
,forexampl
e,dosomehomosexual
scomeoutpubl
i
clywhi
l
eot
her
s
hi
det
hei
rsexualpr
efer
ence?Pr
esumabl
y,bot
hgr
oupsknow t
hatt
hei
rsexualv
alues
conf
li
ctwi
tht
hoseoft
hel
argersoci
ety
,butwhatexpl
ainst
hedi
ff
erencei
nbehav
ior
?
Theconf
li
ctper
spect
ivecannotpr
ovi
deanadequat
eanswert
othi
squest
ion.

Thei
nter
act
ioni
stper
spect
iveof
fer
sanexpl
anat
iont
hatget
scl
osert
othei
ndi
vi
dual
l
evelofbehav
ior
.Resear
chbasedont
hisper
spect
ivel
ooksatt
hepr
ocesseswher
eby
di
ff
erentpeopl
ebecomepar
tofasi
tuat
iont
hatt
hel
argersoci
etydef
inesasasoci
al
pr
obl
em.Thei
nter
act
ioni
stappr
oachf
ocusesont
heway
sinwhi
chpeopl
eact
ual
l
ytake

6
 ont
hev
aluesoft
hegr
oupofwhi
cht
heyar
emember
s.I
tal
soexpl
oreshow di
ff
erent
gr
oupsdef
inet
hei
rsi
tuat
ionandi
nsodoi
ng“
const
ruct
”av
ersi
onofl
i
fet
hatpr
omot
es
cer
tai
nval
uesandbehav
ior
sanddi
scour
agesot
her
s.

Accor
dingt
olabel
i
ngt
heor
ist
s,soci
alpr
obl
emsar
econdi
ti
onsunderwhi
chcer
tai
n
behav
ior
sorsi
tuat
ionsbecomedef
inedassoci
alpr
obl
ems.Thecauseofasoci
al
pr
obl
em i
ssi
mpl
ysoci
ety
’sawar
enesst
hatacer
tai
nbehav
iororsi
tuat
ionexi
sts.A
behav
iororsi
tuat
ionbecomesasoci
alpr
obl
em whensomeonecanpr
ofi
tinsomeway
byappl
yi
ngt
hel
abel“
probl
emat
ic”or“
dev
iant
”toi
t.Suchl
abel
i
ngcausessoci
etyt
o
suf
feri
ntwoway
s.Fi
rst
,onegr
oupunf
air
lyachi
evespowerov
eranot
her“
dev
iant
s”ar
e
r
epr
essedt
hroughdi
scr
imi
nat
ion,pr
ejudi
ce,orf
orce.Second,t
hosewhoar
elabel
ed
dev
iantmayacceptt
hisdef
ini
ti
onoft
hemsel
ves,andt
hel
abelmaybecomeasel
f-
f
ulf
il
li
ngpr
ophecy
.

Tabl
e1:Theor
ySnapshot

Theor
eti
cal Maj
orAssumpt
ion Vi
ewsofSoci
alPr
obl
ems
Per
spect
ive
Funct
ional
ism Soci
alst
abi
l
ityi
s necessar
yfora st
rong Soci
al pr
obl
ems weaken a
soci
ety
,andadequat
esoci
ali
zat
ionandsoci
al soci
ety
’sst
abi
l
itybutdonotr
efl
ect
i
ntegr
ati
onar
enecessar
yforsoci
alst
abi
l
ity
.fundament
alf
aul
tsi
n how t
he
Sl
ow soci
alchange i
s desi
rabl
e,butr
api
d soci
etyi
sst
ruct
ured.Sol
uti
onst
o
soci
alchanget
hreat
enssoci
alor
der
. soci
alpr
obl
ems shoul
dtake t
he
f
orm of gr
adual soci
al r
efor
m
r
ather t
han sudden and f
ar-
r
eachi
ngchange.
Conf
li
ct Soci
ety i
s char
act
eri
zed by per
vasi
ve Soci
al pr
obl
ems ar
ise f
rom
t
heor
y i
nequal
i
tybasedonsoci
alcl
ass,r
ace,gender
,fundament
alf
aul
tsi
nthest
ruct
ure
andot
herf
act
ors.Far
-r
eachi
ngsoci
alchange ofasoci
etyandbot
href
lectand
i
s needed t
o r
educe or el
i
minat
e soci
al r
einf
orce i
nequal
i
ties based on
i
nequal
i
tyandt
ocr
eat
eanegal
i
tar
iansoci
ety
. soci
alcl
ass,r
ace,gender
,and
ot
her di
mensi
ons. Successf
ul
sol
uti
onst
osoci
alpr
obl
emsmust

7
 i
nvol
vef
ar-
reachi
ngchangei
nthe
st
ruct
ureofsoci
ety
.
Sy
mbol
ic Peopl
econst
ructt
hei
rrol
esast
heyi
nter
act
; Soci
alpr
obl
ems ar
ise f
rom t
he
i
nter
act
ioni
sm t
heydonotmer
elyl
ear
nther
olest
hatsoci
etyi
nter
act
ion ofi
ndi
vi
dual
s.Peopl
e
has setoutf
ort
hem.As t
hisi
nter
act
ion whoengagei
nsoci
all
ypr
obl
emat
ic
occur
s,i
ndi
vi
dual
snegot
iat
ethei
rdef
ini
ti
ons behav
ior
s of
ten l
ear
n t
hese
oft
hesi
tuat
ionsi
nwhi
cht
heyf
indt
hemsel
ves behav
ior
s f
rom ot
her peopl
e.
and soci
all
y const
ructt
he r
eal
i
ty oft
hese I
ndi
vi
dual
s al
so l
ear
n t
hei
r
si
tuat
ions. per
cept
ions of soci
al pr
obl
ems
f
rom ot
herpeopl
e.
1.
4.Met
hodsf
orSt
udy
ingSoci
alPr
obl
ems
Toi
nvest
igat
esoci
alpr
obl
ems,soci
ologi
stschoosef
rom sev
eralmet
hods(
way
sof
doi
ngr
esear
ch)
.Whi
chmet
hodt
heychoosedependsont
wot
hings:t
hequest
ionst
hey
wantt
oinv
est
igat
eandwhati
spr
act
ical
.Fi
rst
,theymustdet
ermi
newhatt
heywantt
o
f
indoutaboutasoci
alpr
obl ordi
em,f ff
erentgoal
srequi
redi
ff
erentmet
hods.Suppose,
f
orexampl
e,t
haty
ouwantt
ofi
ndouthowpeopl
efor
mthei
rideasaboutabor
ti
on.Thi
s
cal
l
sforadi
ff
erentmet
hodofr
esear
cht
hani
fyouwantt
ocompar
etheabor
ti
onr
ates
ofhi
gh-
schooldr
opout
s and col
l
ege-
educat
ed women.Second,notev
ery
thi
ng a
r
esear
cherwoul
dli
ket
odoi
spr
act
ical
.A soci
ologi
stmi
ghtl
i
ket
oint
erv
iew huge
number
sofpeopl
eort
oconductl
arge-
scal
eexper
iment
s,butl
i
mit
ati
onsofmoneyand
t
ime,
orofet
hicsi
nthecaseofexper
iment
s,canmakesuchmet
hodsi
mpr
act
ical
.Let
’s
r
evi
ew t
hemet
hodst
hatsoci
ologi
stsuset
ost
udysoci
alpr
obl
ems.Weshal
lfi
rst
di
sti
ngui
shhow soci
ologi
stsdesi
gnt
hei
rst
udi
es,andt
hendescr
ibehow t
heygat
her
t
hei
rinf
ormat
ion.
Fourbasi
cresear
chdesi
gns
Mostst
udi
esf
alli
ntooneoff
ourr
esear
chdesi
gns:casest
udi
es,
sur
vey
s,exper
iment
s,
andf
iel
dst
udi
es.Let
’sl
ookateach.
Casest
udi
es.Thecasest
udyi
susedt
ogat
heri
n-dept
hinf
ormat
iononsomespeci
fi
c
si
tuat
ion.Ast
henamei
mpl
i
es,t
her
esear ocusesononecase—ani
cherf ndi
vi
dual
,an
ev
ent
,orev
enanor
gani
zat
ionsuchasanabor
ti
oncl
i
nicoracr
isi
spr
egnancycent
er.
Let
’s suppose t
haty
ou wanti
n-dept
hinf
ormat
ion abouthow women exper
ience

8
abor
ti
on.Youmi
ghtwantt
oknowwhatemot
ionst
heyunder
goast
heywr
est
lewi
tht
he
deci
siont
ogi
vebi
rt
hort
ohav
eanabor
ti
on,whom t
heyt
alkt
oabouti
t,ev
enhowt
hey
f
eeldur
ingt
heabor
ti
onandhowt
heyadj
ustaf
ter
war
d.Acasest
udycoul
dpr
ovi
det
his
t
ypeofdet
ail
.
Sur
vey
s:Asy
oucansee,t
hough,whi
l
ethecasest
udypr
ovi
desr
ichdet
ail
,ithasa
dr
awback.I
fyouf
ocusonj
ustonewoman,how cany
ouknow i
fherexper
iencesar
e
si
mil
art
othoseofot
herwomenwhohav
eabor
ti
ons?Thesur
veyov
ercomest
his
l
i
mit
ati
on.I
n a sur
vey
,you f
ocus on a sampl
e oft
he gr
oup y
ou wantt
o st
udy
(
Soci
ologi
stsuset
het
erm popul
ati
ont
oref
ert
oyourt
argetgr
oup.
)Sampl
esar
e
i
ntendedt
orepr
esentt
heent
ir
egr
oupt
haty
ouar
est
udy
ing.Donecor
rect
ly,sur
vey
s
al
l
ow y
out
ogener
ali
zewhaty
ouf
ind—t
hati
s,y
ouar
eabl
etoappl
yyourf
indi
ngst
o
peopl
ewhoar
epar
tsoft
hegr
oupbutwhoar
enoti
nyoursampl
e.Thebestsampl
eisa
r
andom sampl
e.Thi
sisasampl
einwhi
chev
ery
onei
nyourpopul
ati
onhasanequal
chanceofbei
ngi
ncl
udedi
nyourst
udy
.
Exper
iment
sAnot
herr
esear
chmet
hod i
stheexper
iment
.Ify
ou wer
eto uset
his
met
hod,
youwoul
ddi
vi
depeopl
ewhohav
ecer
tai
nchar
act
eri
sti
cs(
bet
weent
heagesof
18and21wi
tht
woy
ear
sofcol
l
ege)i
ntot
wogr
oups.Youwoul
dexposhal
foft
hem t
o
someexper
ience.Thesepeopl
ear
ecal
l
edt
heexper
iment
algr
oup.
Youwoul
ddot
hist
oseehowt
hei
rreact
ionsdi
ff
erf
rom t
hoseoft
heot
herhal
f,whodo
nothav
ethi
sexper
ience(
thecont
rolgr
oup)
.How t
heexper
iment
algr
oupr
espondsi
s
t
houghtt
obegener
ali
zabl
etopeopl
ewhoshar
ethei
rchar
act
eri
sti
cs.
Exper
iment
sar
erar
eint
hest
udyofsoci
alpr
obl
ems,
par
tl
ybecauseet
hicsdonotal
l
ow
ust
ocr
eat
epr
obl
emsf
orpeopl
e.Forexampl
e,t
ost
udyhowwomenadj
ustt
oabor
ti
on
y
oucannotuser
andom sampl
est
oor
dersomepr
egnantwoment
ogi
vebi
rt
hand
ot
her
stohav
eabor
ti
ons.Howev
er,y
oucanuseexper
iment
sinmor
eli
mit
edway
s.For
exampl
e,i
fyouwantt
olear
nhowsomet
ypeofi
nfor
mat
ionaf
fect
speopl
e’
sat
ti
tudes
t
owar
dabor
ti
on,y
oucoul
dmeasur
eagr
oup’
sat
ti
tudes,hav
ear
andom hal
foft
hat
gr
oupl
ear
nthati
nfor
mat
ion(
suchasr
eadi
ngar
epor
torl
i
steni
ngt
oawomant
alk
aboutherabor
ti
on)
,andt
henmeasur
etheat
ti
tudesofbot
hhal
vesoft
hegr
oup.
Fi
eldst
udi
esI
nfi
eldst
udi
es(
orpar
ti
cipantobser
vat
ion)
,resear
cher
sgoi
ntoaset
ti
ng
t
hatt
heywantt
olear
nmor
eabout
.(Thi
siscal
l
ed“
goi
ngi
ntot
hef
iel
d.”
)Forexampl
e.

9
MagdaDenes(
1976)want
edt
oknowwhatanabor
ti
oncl
i
nicwasl
i
ke—f
ort
hewomen
andt
hest
aff
—sosheobt
ainedper
missi
ont
obepr
esentandobser
vewhatt
ookpl
ace.
Ther
esul
twasamov
ingbook,I
nNecessi
tyandSor
row.Denebel
i
evest
hatwomen
shoul
d be abl
eto chooseabor
ti
on,buti
ntheabor
ti
on cl
i
nicshef
ound sadness
ev
ery
wher
e.Shedescr
ibespi
cki
ngupf
etusesf
rom t
het
rashbar
rel
,thei
rli
tt
lear
ms
br
oken,cut
,andbl
eedi
ng.Adoct
ort
ell
sherhowt
hef
etusst
opsmov
ingabouthal
fan
houraf
terhei
nject
sthesal
i
nesol
uti
on,butt
hewomenr
arel
yment
iont
hischange
wi
thi
nthem.Asi
ngl
ewomant
alksaboutheraf
fai
rwi
thamar
ri
edmanwhodoesnot
knowt
hatshei
shav
inganabor
ti
on.Noot
herr
esear
chmet
hodcoul
dobt
aini
nfor
mat
ion
l
i
ket
his.Becauseeachmet
hod(
orr
esear
chdesi
gn)hasi
tsst
rengt
hsandweaknesses,
soci
ologi
stsof
tenusemor
ethanone.LukerandDenes,f
orexampl
e,eachst
udi
ed
womeni
nasi
ngl
eabor
ti
oncl
i
nic.Thei
rst
udi
escoul
dbef
oll
owedupwi
thsur
vey
sof
womenf
rom manyabor
ti
oncl
i
nics.
1.
5.1.Fourmet
hodsf
orgat
her
ingi
nfor
mat
ion
Af
terchoosi
ngar
esear
chdesi
gn,
youmustdeci
dehowt
ogat
hery
ouri
nfor
mat
ion.Four
basi
ctechni
quesar
eav
ail
abl
e:i
nter
views,
quest
ionnai
res,
document
s,andobser
vat
ions.
I
nter
views I
fyouuseani
nter
view,
youwi
l
laskpeopl
equest
ionsont
het
opi
cst
haty
ou
wantt
oexpl
ore.Youcanchoosef
rom t
wot
ypesofi
nter
views.I
fyouuseast
ruct
ured
i
nter
view,y
ou wi
l
laskev
ery
one t
he same quest
ions (
forexampl
e,“
Whati
syour
r
elat
ionshi
ptot
hemanwhomadey
oupr
egnant
?”)
.Ify
ouuseanunst
ruct
uredi
nter
view,
y
ouwi
l
lletpeopl
etal
kindept
haboutt
hei
rexper
iences;y
ouwi
l
l,howev
er,
makecer
tai
n
t
hatev
ery
onecov
ersspeci
fi
car
eas(
cont
racept
ivehi
stor
y,f
ami
l
yrel
ati
ons,t
her
easons
f
ort
heabor
ti
on,andsoon)
.Lookatt
heThi
nki
ngCr
it
ical
l
yboxont
henextpage.To
l
ear
nhow womeni
nter
prett
hei
rabor
ti
on,Iusedunst
ruct
uredi
nter
views.Thewomen
coul
dtal
kaboutt
hei
rexper
iencesi
nanywayt
heywant
ed,
andInev
erknewwher
ethat
woul
dlead.St
ruct
uredi
nter
viewswoul
dnothav
etappedsuchi
n-dept
hfeel
i
ngsand
per
spect
ives.
Quest
ionnai
resI
fyouwer
etouset
hesecondt
echni
que,
quest
ionnai
res,
youwoul
dask
peopl
etoanswerwr
it
tenquest
ions.Yourquest
ionscanbeei
theropenended(
peopl
e
answeri
nthei ds)orcl
rownwor osedended(
peopl
echoosef
rom al
i
stofpr
epar
ed
answer
s).Anopen-
endedquest
ionmi
ghtbe“
Whati
syourr
elat
ionshi
ptot
hemanwho

10
madey
oupr
egnant
?”Thewomanwoul
dst
atet
her
elat
ionshi
pinherownwor
ds.A
cl
osedendedf
orm oft
hisquest
ionwoul
daskt
heper
sont
ocheckani
tem onal
i
st,
suchashusband,
boy
fri
end,
casual
acquai
ntance,
other
.Iti
seasi
ert
ocompar
eanswer
s
t
o cl
osed-
ended quest
ions,butopen-
ended quest
ions t
ap a r
icherwor
ld,el
i
cit
ing
comment
sandev
ent
opi
cst
haty
oumi
ghtnotant
ici
pat
e.
Document
sWr
it
tensour
cesorr
ecor
ds,cal
l
eddocument
s,canal
sopr
ovi
dev
aluabl
e
dat
aaboutsoci
alpr
obl
ems.Youmi
ghtexami
neof
fi
cialr
ecor
ds.Kr
ist
inLuker
,for
exampl
e,anal
yzedt
her
ecor
dsof500womenwhocamet
otheabor
ti
oncl
i
nict
hatshe
st
udi
ed.Ory
oumi
ghtl
ookatmor
einf
ormal
recor
ds,
suchasj
our
nal
s,bl
ogs,
andl
ett
ers.
Thesedocument
scanr
evealpeopl
e’
sat
ti
tudesandpr
ovi
dei
nsi
ghti
ntohowt
heycope
wi
tht
roubl
es.
Obser
vat
ionThef
our
tht
echni
que,obser
vat
ion,i
sjustwhatt
het
ermi
mpl
i
es:Tousei
t,
y
ouobser
vewhati
soccur
ri
ngi
nsomeset
ti
ng.Youwat
chandl
i
stent
owhati
staki
ng
pl
aceandr
ecor
dort
akenot
esonpeopl
e’
sconv
ersat
ionsort
hest
atement
stheymake.

1.
5.Causesofsoci
alpr
obl
ems

Soci
alpr
obl
emscr
eat
edi
shar
monyandmal
adj
ust
mentbutst
il
lthepr
obl
emsexi
st.
Whatar
ethemai
ncauses,whi
chhav
ebeenposedbyoursoci
ologi
sts.Sof
art
he
pr
obl
em hasf
oundnosol
uti
onandev
eryat
temptmadei
nthi
sregar
dhasf
ail
ed.The
mai
nreasonf
ort
hisi
sthatt
hesoci
ologi
stscannotpi
npoi
ntasi
ngl
ecauser
esponsi
ble
f
orcr
eat
ingsuchapr
obl
em.Lethi
ghl
i
ghtsomeoft
hemai
ncausesofsoci
alpr
obl
ems
i
nIndi
a-

(
i) Soci
alchangel
eadst
osoci
alpr
obl
ems:Al
lsoci
alchangesdonotcausepr
obl
ems.
Thosesoci
alchangeswhi
char
eor
dinar
yinnat
ureanddonotcauseanypr
obl
ems

11
 ofadj
ust
ment
sfort
hepeopl
etocar
ryonwi
tht
hei
rday
-to-
dayact
ivi
ti
esr
arel
y
t
ri
ggersoci
alpr
obl
ems.Butwhenpr
obl
emsofadj
ust
mentar
ecr
eat
edbysoci
al
change,
soci
alpr
obl
emsmaycr
eepi
n.

Forexampl
es,at
tempt
sbyt
hegov
ernmentt
oint
roduceeducat
ionalchange
t
hroughanew educat
ionalpol
i
cywhi
chi
sbasi
cal
l
ydef
ect
ive,mayl
eadt
o
pr
obl
emssuchasst
udentunr
estandeducat
edunempl
oyment
.A sudden
mi
l
itar
yrev
oltmaypush a nat
ion t
owar
dspol
i
ticali
nst
abi
l
ityand soci
al
i
nsecur
it
y.

(
ii
) Cul
tur
all
agcausi
ngsoci
alpr
obl
ems:W.F.Ogbur
nwhoi
ntr
oducedt
heconceptof
‘
cul
tur
all
ag’st
atest
hatchangesar
equi
ckt
otakepl
acei
nthemat
eri
alcul
tur
e.
These,i
ntur
n,st
imul
atechangesi
nthenon-
mat
eri
alcul
tur
e.Butt
henon-
mat
eri
al
cul
tur
emaybesl
owt
orespondgi
vi
ngr
iset
oagaporal
agbet
weent
hemat
eri
al
andnon-
mat
eri
alcul
tur
es.Thi
slagi
scal
l
edt
he‘
cul
tur
all
ag’
.Thi
slagorcul
tur
all
ag
mayl
eadt
opr
obl
emsofadj
ust
mentandal
sot
osoci
alpr
obl
ems.

Forexampl
e,t
hepr
ocessofdef
orest
ati
oni
staki
ngpl
acef
ast
ert
ocat
ert
othe
needsoft
hegr
owi
ngpaperi
ndust
ry,houseconst
ruct
ion,
,maki
ngf
urni
tur
e,
et
c.(
mat
eri
alcul
tur
e).Butt
hear
tofconser
vat
ionoff
orest(
non-
mat
eri
al
cul
tur
e)doesnotkeeppacewi
tht
hesei
ndust
ri
aldev
elopment
s.Ther
esul
tis
t
hepr
obl
em oft
heenv
ironment
alpopul
ati
on.

(
ii
i) Nat
uraldi
sast
ers:Nat
urehasbeenbount
if
ult
omannodoubt
.Butmanof
ten
becomesav
ict
im ofi
tswr
ath.Fl
oods,f
ami
nes,cy
clones,ear
thquakes,v
olcani
c
er
upt
ions,t
sunami
,out
bur
stofcont
agi
ousdi
seases,et
c.r
epr
esentt
hef
uri
ous
f
acesofnat
ure.Man’
sat
tempt
stocont
rolnat
ureandi
tsf
orceshav
enotbeen
compl
eteandcannev
erbecomeso.Somewher
eatsomet
imesomepeopl
eort
he
ot
herwi
l
lhav
etopayagr
eatpr
icei
nthef
orm off
aci
ngt
hewr
athofnat
ure.

(
iv) Pol
it
icalandsoci
aldanger
s:Nat
urei
snott
heonl
ysour
cecausi
ngdangert
o
man’
sli
fe;manhi
msel
fcr
eat
escondi
ti
onst
hatof
tenpr
ovet
obenotonl
yhar
mful
butev
en danger
ous.Li
ke pol
i
ticalr
evol
uti
on,r
evol
ts,communalr
iot
s,r
aci
al
conf
li
cts,t
err
ori
sm,et
hni
ccl
ashes,massmov
ement
s,mi
l
itar
yrebel
l
ion,ar
sonand

12
 l
oot
s,bombexpl
osi
ons,
etc.
,di
stur
bev
ent
hesoci
etywhi
chhasawel
l
-est
abl
i
shed
or
gani
zat
ion.

(
v) Psy
chol
ogi
calcauses:Man’
sment
alt
endenci
es,t
emper
ament
,hi
sowni
nher
it
ed
qual
i
tiesi
nfl
uencehi
sbehav
iourandact
ivi
ti
es.Somet
imes,t
heseaspect
sofman
maydi
stur
bhi
minmaki
ngadj
ust
ment
swi
tht
hechangi
ngt
imes.Ment
alqual
i
ties
suchasi
nst
inct
s,i
mit
ati
on,suggest
ibi
l
ity
,hat
redness,pr
ejudi
ce,anger
,jeal
ousy
,
compet
it
iveness,
aggr
essi
veness,
hyst
eri
calnat
ure,
etc.
,dohav
ethei
rownposi
ti
ve
andnegat
ivei
mpactonhumanbehav
iourandact
ivi
ti
es.Theseact
ivi
ti
esul
ti
mat
ely
deci
dehowef
fi
cient
lyori
nef
fi
cient
lyt
heyf
acesoci
alchal
l
engesorcopewi
tht
he
di
stur
bingsoci
alcondi
ti
ons.

(
vii
) Technol
ogi
cali
nvent
ions:Technol
ogyhasi
tsownl
i
mit
ati
ons.I
thasbr
ought
bot
hgoodandbadr
esul
tsf
orman.AsOgbur
nst
ated,t
echnol
ogywi
denst
hegap
bet
weent
hemat
eri
alandnon-
mat
eri
alpar
tsofcul
tur
e.Menar
ebecomi
ngmor
e
mat
eri
ali
sti
candl
esst
radi
ti
onal
.Menar
edev
otedmor
etoquant
it
ythant
oqual
i
ty,
t
omeasur
ementt
hant
oappr
eci
ati
on.Humanbei
ngsbyt
heuseofmachi
neshav
e
becomel
esshuman,mor
epassi
veand mor
emechani
cal
.Ther
ehasbeen a
mov
ementt
owar
dsi
ndi
vi
dual
i
sm andhedoni
sm (
pleasur
e–seeker
s)whi
chhasi
ts
ownadv
erseef
fect
sonsoci
ety
.

For exampl
e, due t
o t
echnol
ogi
cal adv
ancement ci
ti
es hav
e gi
ven
encour
agementt
o soci
alpr
obl
ems such as sl
ums,cr
imes,pr
ost
it
uti
on,
env
ironment
alpol
l
uti
on,
gambl
i
ng,
drugaddi
cti
on,
etc.

(
vii
i
) Radi
calchangesi
nsoci
alv
alues:Soci
alv
aluespl
ayav
italr
olei
nmai
ntai
ning
soci
alequi
l
ibr
ium,butt
hesev
aluest
hemsel
vesar
esubj
ectt
ochange.Ther
eisa
cl
oseaf
fi
nit
ybet
weensoci
alv
aluesandsoci
alr
elat
ionshi
ps.Hence,whensoci
al
v
alueschangesoci
alr
elat
ionshi
psal
sogetchanged.Youngergener
ati
oni
sina
bet
terposi
ti
on t
o adj
usti
tsel
fwi
tht
he changi
ng v
alues,wher
eas t
he ol
der
gener
ati
onf
indsi
tdi
ff
icul
ttodoso.Thi
ssi
tuat
ionof
tenl
eadst
oagapbet
ween
t
hegener
ati
ons.Thi
s‘gener
ati
ongap’gi
vesr
iset
ocl
ashesandconf
li
ctsbet
ween
t
hepar
ent
sandchi
l
dren,
student
sandt
eacher
s,andt
heol
dandt
henew.

13
(
ix) Laxi
tyofsoci
alcont
rol
:Soci
alor
gani
zat
ioni
spossi
blebecauseoft
hesuccessf
ul
f
unct
ioni
ngofsoci
alcont
rol
.Butr
igi
dit
yandf
ail
ureont
hepar
toft
hemeansof
soci
alcont
rolt
oadj
ustt
hemsel
vest
othechangi
ngt
imesmaket
hem t
obecome
l
essef
fect
ive.Thus,
fol
kway
s,mor
es,
cust
oms,
rel
i
gion,
law,
val
uesandsuchot
her
meansofsoci
alcont
rolhav
ebecomeweak.Ar
educt
ioni
ntheef
fect
ivenessoft
he
meansofsoci
alcont
rolnat
ural
l
yleadst
oani
ncr
easei
nthei
nst
ancesofcr
imes,
v
iol
ence,
expl
oit
ati
on,
ter
ror
ism,
cheat
ing,
sexcr
imes,
etc.

1.
6.ConsequencesofSoci
alPr
obl
ems

Soci
alpr
obl
emscan hav
eawi
der
angeofconsequencest
hati
mpacti
ndi
vi
dual
s,
communi
ti
es,and soci
etyas a whol
e.Some oft
he keyconsequences ofsoci
al
pr
obl
emsi
ncl
ude:

1. Economi
c i
mpact
: Soci
al pr
obl
ems such as pov
ert
y, unempl
oyment
, and
homel
essnesscanhav
easi
gni
fi
canteconomi
cimpactoni
ndi
vi
dual
sandcommuni
ti
es.
Thesei
ssuescanl
eadt
odecr
easedpr
oduct
ivi
ty,
incr
easedheal
thcar
ecost
s,andhi
gher
r
atesofcr
imeandi
ncar
cer
ati
on.I
ntur
n,t
hiscanst
rai
ngov
ernmentr
esour
cesandl
ead
t
oacy
cleofpov
ert
yandi
nequal
i
ty.

2.Heal
thi
mpact
:Soci
alpr
obl
emscanal
sohav
easi
gni
fi
canti
mpactont
hephy
sical
andment
alheal
thofi
ndi
vi
dual
s.Forexampl
e,l
ackofaccesst
oheal
thcar
e,poorl
i
ving
condi
ti
ons,andexposur
etov
iol
encecanal
lcont
ri
but
etopoorheal
thout
comes.Thi
s
canl
eadt
oincr
easedr
atesofchr
oni
cdi
seases,
ment
alheal
thdi
sor
der
s,andsubst
ance
abuse.

3.Educat
ioni
mpact
:Soci
alpr
obl
emssuchaspov
ert
yanddi
scr
imi
nat
ioncanal
sohav
e
anegat
ivei
mpactoneducat
ionalout
comes.Chi
l
drenf
rom di
sadv
ant
agedbackgr
ounds
mayhav
eli
mit
edaccesst
oqual
i
tyeducat
ion,l
eadi
ngt
oloweracademi
cachi
evement
and hi
gherdr
opoutr
ates.Thi
s can per
pet
uat
ethe cy
cle ofpov
ert
y and l
i
mit
oppor
tuni
ti
esf
orsoci
almobi
l
ity
.

4.Soci
alcohesi
oni
mpact
:Soci
alpr
obl
emscaner
odesoci
alcohesi
onandt
rustwi
thi
n
communi
ti
es.I
ssuessuchasi
nequal
i
ty,di
scr
imi
nat
ion,andcr
imecancr
eat
edi
vi
sions

14
bet
weendi
ff
erentgr
oupsandunder
minesoci
alsol
i
dar
it
y.Thi
scanl
eadt
oincr
eased
soci
alt
ensi
on,
conf
li
ct,
andabr
eakdownofcommuni
tyr
elat
ionshi
ps.

5.Pol
i
ticali
mpact
:Soci
alpr
obl
emscanal
sohav
epol
i
ticalconsequences,i
nfl
uenci
ng
publ
i
cpol
i
cydeci
sionsandshapi
ngt
hepol
i
ticall
andscape.I
ssuessuchaspov
ert
y,
i
nequal
i
ty,and di
scr
imi
nat
ion can l
ead t
o soci
alunr
estand pol
i
ticali
nst
abi
l
ity
.
Gov
ernment
smaybef
orcedt
orespondt
othesechal
l
enges,butt
hei
ract
ionsmaynot
al
way
sbeef
fect
iveorequi
tabl
e.

15