Kimberly A. Smith
From a sociological viewpoint, social problems are viewed from an objective and subjective reality, and the perspective is social constructionism. A social problem does not have to be the problem of the entire population. It could be the problem of just one person. The objective reality of a social problem is based on the acknowledgement that there is an actual problem (Sociology and the Study of Social Problems, 2014). In order to confirm an objective reality, surveillance is conducted in which the data in interpreted to identify problems. The degree of the social problem can be observed through acts and problems within the community without having to be a part of the problem itself.
The subjective reality of a problem
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is to configure how a problem will be defined as a problem (Sociology and the Study of Social Problems, 2014). The concept subjective reality is based off is social construction of reality, which refers to our world as a social creation, which grows and prospers from our everyday actions and thoughts (Sociology and the Study of Social Problems, 2014). By understanding the subjective reality of a problem, we can then begin to define and recognize social problems as they are. In addition to the objective and subject reality perspectives of sociologists, the biggest difference from other perspectives is they focus on defining the problem at hand by looking at the influences around us.
According to Malcolm Spector and John Kituse, it is a subjective process to identify a problem that consists of four stages (Sociology and the Study of Social Problems, 2014). The first stage is a transformation process where influences, activists or advocates look at the issue and define the issue as a problem. The second stage is the legitimization process where there is formalization in how the social problem is handled. The third process is the conflict stage where responses about the social problem are curtailed, practices and policies are revisited, revised, and reconstructed. The fourth stage begins when groups feel they can no longer function within the system …show more content…
itself. The one social problem that I believe is plaguing America at this time is racism. Since the incident in Ferguson Missouri where the “white” cop shot and killed the “unarmed, black child”, there has been an outrage of issues revolving around these two races. It is an increasing problem. In my opinion, there are several acts of ethnocentrism in these events, where a racial group feels they are inferior and that any discriminatory acts upon them are justified. I feel that racial discrimination has become an overpowering weapon that used out of fear and hate during times of conflict, like in Ferguson Missouri or Baltimore Maryland. There is also an abundance of segregation, individual and institutional discrimination. The only strategy I am aware of is all officers/cops have to wear body cameras in case of another situation like Ferguson occurs.
This is more of a preventive strategy than an act to eliminate or decrease the problem of racism. I am not aware of additional practices or strategies of how racism and segregation are being handled. But I can provide ways to decrease racism. Some simple strategies start with just understanding each other, understanding the world, having respect for one another as human beings, and having respect for our society. People need to recognize that there is a problem of racism and segregation that needs to be addressed. Communities should hold collaborative functions where everyone can get to know each to break down known stereotypes. Another strategy is to address the issue of racism head on and settle any
injustices. On the subject of racism, I will discuss the perspectives of the functionalist, conflict, feminist, and interactionist theories. The functionalist theory assumes that there is a shared goal of social integration. The solution is assimilation, which is where those minority groups assume the identity of dominant culture surrounding them, and that this is an experience for everyone. Stability is achieved through assimilation and ethnic pluralism. The conflict theory focuses their perspective around the dynamics of the relationships upon divided groups. The vision on conflict is that it is originating from a dominant ethnic group and that the conflict is potentially mutual. It is argued by Edna Bonacich that ethnic antagonism is the product of an economic split between the different classes and that the conflict is maintained by those differences (Sociology and the Study of Social Problems, 2014). The problem of inequality is maintained by those who are attempting to preserve their positions. The feminist theory is focused on the black feminist theory by Patricia Hill Collins. She states that black women do not live the same lives as other women, and their lives are different. There are perspectives, specifically the white feminist theory, that white women are authoritarians of black women. The interactionist theory states that race is a social construct, and that racial and ethnic coincide with the privileges and advantages of one’s position. Individuals are trying to redefine the racial boundaries by developing new racial categories which is called multiracial, and there are individuals who choose not to identify themselves with any racial group, which is called ethnic attrition. What we can learn from each different theory is that in regards to race, there is a collaboration of each of these instances in today’s social problem. There are those individuals who choose not to associate themselves with any race. There are major segregations between economic classes and labors. The feminist theory on the white feminist is, in my opinion, why we have a problem with race among women. White women are not superior of black women. I like to think that the functionalist theory is how the problem with racism will resolve. It is important that we all have a shared goal of integration.
One of the sociological theories is conflict theory. The conflict theory deals with people's level on wealth, or class. The conflict theory says that social change is beneficial, contrary to focuses on social order. In the story of the woman and her children, the conflict theory plays a big role on the situation. Police of higher class are threatening the homeless woman. The conflict theory is a constant struggle of people of higher class over powering people of lower class, or the weaker. The police are trying to over power the woman by telling her to leave. Even though the woman and her children were doing nothing wrong, the police used their power to tell her to leave. Also the people of the area showed their conflict theory by telling the police officers to come. They must have felt embarrassed to have a woman of such lower class to be around them. They used their power of class to have the woman removed from their community. The woman wants to be there because she has no home and it is a good community to be in, but the people look at it as an embarrassment to them because it makes their area look bad for someone of such lower class to be around them. The conflict theory is unique to all other theories because it separates people into categories determined by their wealth and standards. Their status is the element that categorizes them, weather it is class, race, or gender. The conflict theory do not always use class, race, and gender all at once. In this situation race and gender is not a main issue, although gender could be a reason, but it would fall under the feminist theory. This story is mainly dealing with class. Through all this conflict the woman feels over powered and domina...
Taking Two Of The Theoretical Approaches To Social Research Discussed In The Module, Demonstrate The Connections Between Their Ontological, Epistemological And Methodological Assumptions. Which Method Or Methods Would Proponents Of Each Theory Favour As A Result Of Their Assumptions.
This essay will be explaining the definition of sociology, the sociological factors of obesity using Symbolic Interactionism Theory and the Functionalism Theory and a description of the medical condition obesity and how it may affect individuals suffering from it.
Student outlines the social problem, including a definition of the problem, a description of the populations affected, and the ways in which they are harmed.
“Society is an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes” (Dictionary.com, 2015). Sociologists are interested in knowing how people from different cultures involve in other societies. They are interested in what problems people face that relate to a larger sociological perspective, from culture shock to social class. “According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination in his article, The Promise, is the ability to perceive the interconnections between personal troubles of milieu and the public issues of social culture” (Mills). In this essay, I will highlight the personal problems which I had by growing up in a high class family in Pakistan.
Throughout history, sociology has played a large role in understanding social issues that have developed and reoccurred in various societies around the world. Therefore, sociology is considered as the study of human social behavior and its development of structures and functions in a society. As a result of this study, multiple sociological theories have developed to explain social phenomena and help give a greater explanation to social interaction and human existence. Social theories can be thought of as puzzle pieces because they allow us to pieces together empirical data and interpret facts necessary to understand what’s going on in our worldly societies. This also explains why social theories are often very abstract since they are used
The term sociology is used to refer to the scientific study of the social behaviors and the societal components like the origin, its developments, the organization structure, institutional networks and the manner in which all these factors are related or fit into one system. Sociology is categorized as a social science because it applies empirical methods of investigation as well as the critical analysis of situations in the development of a pool of knowledge related to social orders or disorders and social relationships. The main aim of sociology therefore is to provide an avenue upon which human beings can understand each other as well as the social process around them. The modern time sociology entails understanding the society
Theories in sociology sometime provide us with the different perspectives with which to view our social...
When researching the following question, I intend to find multiple resources which depict different perspectives such as life stories, articles and statistics that show the connection between anti-social behavior and relationships in both a positive and negative light. It is best to consider both perspectives that help formulate an objective answer to the question, giving readers a unbiased response. While researching, there will be a multi-disciplinary approach, as I expect to find information regarding the three social sciences including anthropology, psychology, and sociology which gives a fair response to the question. This can include links on how brain development during prenatal development, or how socialization of the child can impact
social problems are inevitably subjective, and that a more valid definition could be sought in
Sociology is a social science that enables people to understand the structure and dynamics of society. By using a scientific approach, and by critically analysing society using qualitative and quantitative methods, sociologists can find patterns and connections within human behaviour to provide explanations of how society affects people. Sociological views are based on theories that have been tested through unbiased research and attempt to take all values into account. Common sense theories are generally individualistic and naturalistic assumptions that are based on opinions than can vary depending on an individuals class or cultural background. During this essay I will aim to provide examples of the differences between the sociological viewpoint, and the common sense viewpoint of human behaviour, using theories of some renowned sociologists.
In my own perspective, the actions, behaviors, thought of majority consist what called normal society. That of the minority is defined as deviance. Take an example from China. People who are from Henan province are labeled as bad guys and quacks. This is because of an infamous fake medicine case in the 1990s in Henan Zhoukou, which shocked all people in China when the televisions started to popular in China. Some People in Henan province did these bad things, but all people in Henan province were considered as bad guys and quacks. When people who are not from Henan province talked about people who are from Henan province, the first word is bad, although some people from Henan are honest. It is the infamous fake medic case that produces labels
What is sociology, and how do we study it? Sociology studies anything and everything that involves humans interacting in some way. The focus of American Sociology is to study inequalities based on race, sex, age, where you live, sexual orientation, class, disabilities, etc. Sociology critically evaluates interpersonal interactions, the education and political systems, gender roles, crime and deviance, and so on.
“Sociological perspective is understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context” (Henslin, 2014). This is how we view the world socially, how people live in the world. It is also how culture and their values change how people perceive the world around them. It explains how it is important to get a college education in America but how this is not important in a small village in Africa. Different parts of the world have diverse cultures that shape their values and behavior.
Offer friendly greetings to people, regardless of race. By doing this, we are crossing the racial divide, extending the hand of friendship to other ethnic groups which will ease the tension between ethnic groups caused by racism. Doing something when you see something. Stepping up to a racist when you see racism occurring and challenging them by asking for supporting evidence to back up their racist assumptions. Standing up to a racist will encourage more people to stand up to the threat of racism. Advocate for equal rights in employment. In multiple studies there was irrefutable evidence that employers reject coloured people for employment far more than white people. Advocating for equal rights in employment will hopefully bring about change in the employment system and see more coloured people gaining