Social Problems: A Down-to-Earth Guide, 11eJames M. Henslin

Chapter 1How Sociologists

View Social Problems:

The Abortion Dilemma

CHAPTER 1

How Sociologists View Social Problems: The Abortion Dilemma

Learning Objectives

1.1 Understand the sociological imagination (sociological perspective), explain the difference between a personal and a social problem, and explain the significance of social location.

 1.2 Understand that sociologists can use location to predict group behavior but not individual

behavior.  1.3 Explain why a social problem consists of both objective conditions and subjective concerns

and why social problems are relative. 1.4 Identify the four stages through which social problems evolve. 1.5 Describe the contributions that sociologist can make in studying social problems. 1.6 Explain why common sense is not adequate to understand social problems. 1.7 Understand the four basic research designs and research methods that sociologists use to

study social problems. 1.8 Summarize the disagreement in sociology regarding whether or not sociologists should

choose sides.

1.1 - The Sociological Imagination

• What is the Sociological Imagination?

Explore: Applying the Sociological Perspective

http://www.socialexplorer.com/SpiceMap/?v=d346f5cd83394456

What is the Sociological Imagination?

• A goal of this course is to develop your sociological imagination.

• Understand how personal troubles connect to society

• Application of the Sociological Imagination: Abortion– Look at the social context:

1. broad2. narrow3. intimate

– Social location

Video: Applying the Sociological Perspective

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/sociology/videos/MSocL/chambliss_major_areas_768K.html

 

1.2 – Social Location

• The Group, not the Individual

• Social location matters, but is not deterministic.

• The sociological perspective shapes what is a social problem and what should be done.

1.3 – What is a Social Problem?

• The Characteristics of Social Problems

The Characteristics of Social Problems

• Social Problems Have Objective Conditions and Subjective Concerns

• Social Problems Are Dynamic

• Social Problems Are Relative

• Competing Views

How people define the unborn is the essence of their position

on abortion. That which is pictured here is about eleven

weeks’ gestation. To describe it, those on one side of the

abortion controversy use terms such as fetus and “product of

conception,” while those on the other side call it a baby.

1.4 – The Natural History of Social Problems: Four Stages

• The First Stage: Defining the Problem, the Emergence of Leaders, and Beginning to Organize

• The Second Stage: Crafting an Official Response

• The Third Stage: Reacting to the Official Response

• The Fourth Stage: Developing Alternative Strategies

The First Stage…

• Defining the Problem– People have to be upset about an objective

condition.

• Emergence of Leaders– Leaders can crystallize an issue.

• Organizing around the Issue– Organizing influential people in politics,

education, the media, and more

The Second Stage…

• Crafting an Official Response– Often, the stages overlap.

The Third Stage…

• Reacting to the Official Response– An official response is not the end of a social

problem.– For some, it is the beginning

• The response and reaction can stimulate further change.

The Fourth Stage….

• Developing Alternative Strategies– Alternative Strategies of the Antiabortionists

• Moderates• Radicals

– Alternative Strategies of the Proabortionists– Making Mutual Accusations– The Controversy Continues: The Supreme

Court after Roe v. Wade– The Controversy Continues: Coming Supreme

Court Decisions– No Middle Ground

Like Lisa and her grandmother in the chapter’s opening vignette, why might this grandmother and granddaugher have quite different opinions about abortion? What does it mean to say they grew up

in different societies?

1.5 - The Role of Sociology in Social Problems

• Sociology as a Tool for Gaining an Objective Understanding of Social Problems

Sociology as a Tool…

Sociology can be used as a tool to:

1. Measure objective conditions.

2. Measure subjective conditions.

3. Apply the sociological imagination.

4. Identify possible social policies.

5. Evaluate likely consequences of social policies.

1.6 - Sociology and Common Sense

• Common sense is not adequate for addressing social problems.– Faulty assumptions

1.7 - Methods for Studying Social Problems

• Four Basic Research Designs

• Four Methods for Gathering Information

• Striving for Accuracy and Objectivity

Four Basic Research Designs

• Case Studies– In-depth information

• Surveys– Uses a sample of the population– Allows you to generalize– Random samples are best

• Experiments– Experimental v. control group– Rare in the study of social problems

• Field Studies– participant observation

Four Methods of Gathering Information

• Interviews– structured vs. unstructured

• Questionnaires– open ended or closed ended

• Documents

• Observation– overt vs. covert observations

• Combining methods

This woman, paralyzed four months ago, is taking her first steps with bionic legs. To study what you see in this

photo, sociologists would record what the workers and the woman are saying and doing. They would also

analyze how this technology is affecting her life.

Striving for Accuracy and Objectivity

• Objectivity is essential in research.

• Watch for question bias

• Publications help sociologists remain objective.

L.O. 1.7

The advantage of a random sample is it allows researchers to ___________.

A. determine cause and effect

B. generalize to the population

C. gather detailed information

D. observe participants in a natural setting

1.8 – Should Sociologists Take Sides?

• The Problem of Determining Morality

• Taking the Side of the Oppressed

• Uncovering Values

• Taking Sides: Divisions and Agreements

The Problem of Determining Morality

• Sociologists can do objective research, but that is not the basis for value judgment.

• Some debate whether or not sociologists should take sides on social issues.

A problem sociologists grapple with when they analyze social problems is objectivity (dispassionate analysis) versus partisanship (taking sides).When it comes to poverty, as in this photo I took in

Medellin, Colombia, taking sides wins hands down.

Taking the Side of the Oppressed

• Those who champion neutrality stress the position that sociologists enjoy no superior vantage point from which to make moral judgments.

• Is there a moral obligation to take a side?

Uncovering Values

• Whenever someone takes a position on a social problem and advocates one solution or another, values of some sort underlie that person’s views.

• Sociologists have personal values, but we cannot choose values for society.

Taking Sides: Divisions and Agreement

• Private citizens can take sides. – Sociologists should not

• Sociologists possess the tools to do objective research.

• Thorough, objective research is valuable to the public and policy makers.

Question for Discussion

• What is the role of sociology in understanding social problems and social policy?