SOC102H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Microsociology, Socalled, Symbolic Interactionism
Document Summary
Social problem is a social condition or pattern of behaviour that is believed to warrant public concern and collective action. Marx, durkheim and weber all were concerned with social problems and spoke about them in different ways. Sociology has always been about social change, conflict and cohesion. Rise of sociology took place in the nineteenth century when progress was the main goal. Believed that social life could be improved though the study of social issues. Objective elements are the measurable feature of a negative condition (crime, poverty, alcohol abuse) Subjective elements are peoples evaluations of objection conditions and the processes that influence their evaluations (moral labels applied to certain acts) Affect our emotional reactions to information about the world. Lead to the social construction of a social problem (search for a villain, demand for improved laws etc) By bringing together the measurable reality and peoples perceptions we can define a social problem as both a condition and a process.
