Framing Social Problems
An introduction to a theoretical framework for
the analysis of Social Problems 1
Jumpstarting exercise
• Form groups of 2 and on a piece of paper
write down 10 social problems that come to
mind
• You have 15 minutes!
• See assignment 1
The sociological imagination
Sociological Imagination (1)
• One quality of mind that
all the great social
analysts need to possess
in order to study social
phenomena
• The ability to understand
“ the intersection
between biography
and history”
• The interplay between
the self and the world
C. Wright Mills (1916 -1962)
Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills:
• “Personal troubles of milieu”
• “Public issues of social structure”
Sociological imagination (2)
• The sociological imagination requires that we search
for the link between the micro and macro levels of
analysis
• Mill’s characterization of sociology as the intersection
between biography and history reminds us that the
process works in both directions:
• While larger social forces influence individual
lives, there are many ways in which our
individual lives can affect society as well
Personal or social problems?
What do you think is the difference
between personal and social problems?
Assignment 2
Personal or social problem?
• What difference does the distinction between personal
and social problems make in understanding the causes
and consequences of problems?
• Work in groups and choose one problem from the list
you made at the beginning of this class and try to
understand this specific problems in terms of
a) A personal problem
b) A social problem
c) Make a comparison: what different analysis outcomes do
you get? What consequences does this have
Personal problem
• A personal problem is one whose causes and
solutions lie within the individual and his/her
immediate environment
• “personal troubles or milieu”
Personal vs. Social problems
• Viewing a problem as either personal or social
leads to identifying very different
consequences as well as different causes
• Helping individuals deal with personal
problems is important but it is only a stopgap
approach to social problems.
Approaching rape: a personal or
social problem ?
rape
rape
defined as a personal problem
defined a social problem
due to personal inadequacies
due in part to social attitudes about women
results in guilt in victim and impunity for the
offender
results in collective action –education of the
public and criminal justice personnel
ends in appropriate or no action and
continuation of the problem
ends in amelioration of the problem as attitudes change
and women are treated as victims rather than as the guilty
ones
Defining it as a personal problem either blames
the victim or castigates the offender
Defining rape as a social problem organizes the
need for collective action that attacks factors
outside the individual
Tackling personal problems
• Individual strategies employed to deal with
problem
• Help from professionals depending on the type
on problem (e.g. social workers, psychologists
etc.)
• Possible consequences:
– Personal empowerment
– Escape mechanism
– Sense of inadequacy (low self-esteem, self-fulfilling
prophecy)
Let’s practice our sociological
imagination
And in the same neighborhood…
‘Personal troubles of milieu’ of ‘public issues of social structures’?
What is a social problem?
What’s a social problem?
A broad definition of a social problem
“A social problem is a social condition that has
negative consequences for individuals, our social
world, or psychical world” (Leon-Guerrero, 2010)
A Normative framework for social problems
•
•
•
•
•
Social condition?
Negative consequences?
For individuals?
Our social world?
Our psychical world?
Says who? People often disagree, because of
different perspectives
different Level of social problems
•
•
•
•
•
Problems of behavior deviance
Problems of inequality
Problems of social institutions
Global social problems
As we will learn it is difficult to place social
problems in boxes of categories, since they so
complex and overlap.
Critical thinking for the analysis of SPs
Recognizing fallacies of thinking
9 fallacies of thinking when analyzing social problems:
Fallacies of thinking when analyzing SPs:
1.
Fallacy of dramatic instance:
Overgeneralizing
2.
Fallacy of misplaced concreteness:
making something abstract into something concrete
3.
Fallacy of personal attack:
Argument by attacking the opponent personally rather than dealing with
the issue
examples
• Fallacy of dramatic instance:
Overgeneralizing
“We saw two young boys doing drugs in the street; the modern youth
is really in decline”
• Fallacy of misplaced concreteness:
Making something abstract into something concrete
“The masculine Aruban culture inhibits a good education for women.”
• Fallacy of personal attack:
Argument by attacking the opponent personally rather than dealing
with the issue
“We shouldn’t start a program for the homeless; they are all drug
addicts.”
9 fallacies of thinking when analyzing social problems:
Fallacies of thinking when analyzing SPs:
4.
Fallacy of appeal to prejudice:
Argument by appealing to popular prejudices or passions
5.
Fallacy of circular reasoning:
Using conclusions to support the assumptions that were necessary to make the
conclusions
6.
Fallacy of retrospective determinism:
That argument that things could have not worked out any other way than they did
examples
• Fallacy of appeal to prejudice:
Argument by appealing to popular prejudices or passions
“We shouldn’t hire gay people, they have AIDS”
• Fallacy of circular reasoning:
Using conclusions to support the assumptions that were necessary to make
the conclusions
“Poor people are inferior because they are unable to make any money.”
• Fallacy of retrospective determinism:
That argument that things could have not worked out any other way than
they did
“There will always be poor people, there always have been”
“Without tourism Aruba would be broke”
9 fallacies of thinking when analyzing social problems:
Fallacies of thinking when analyzing SPs:
7.
Fallacy of composition:
The assertion that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole
8.
Fallacy of non sequitur:
Something that does not follow logically from what has preceded it
9.
Fallacy authority:
Argument by an illegitimate appeal to authority
examples
• Fallacy of composition:
The assertion that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole
“Members of parliament are wasteful, parliament is wasteful”
• Fallacy of non sequitur:
Something that does not follow logically from what has preceded it
“If you don’t donate to this charity organization, you don’t care about the
poor.”
• Fallacy authority:
Argument by an illegitimate appeal to authority
“Aruba’s crime rates are rising”
“Why do you think that?”
“Professor x said so.”
Defining the concept of “Social problems”
Defining the concept of ‘social problems’
• Social problems can be defined in terms of
different perspectives
• The specific angle you choose will influence
the way you approach social problems
A perspective influences how you:
Identify
(pinpoint)
See
(frames)
Analyze
(causes &
consequences)
understand
Value &
attitude
Talk about
with others
(discourse)
Act
(solutions)
Tomorrow we will focus on different perspectives for
the understanding of social problems