1.2 Defining a Social Problem
Kimberly Puttman
When you think about the current issues facing our society and our planet, you might name war, addiction, climate change, houselessness, or the global pandemic as social problems. You would be mostly right. However, sociologists need to be more specific than that. Because they are trying to explain what social problems are or how to fix them, they need a much more precise definition. Sociology professor and author Anna Leon-Guerrero (Figure 1.2) defines a social problem as “a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world” (2018:4).
More concretely, it is not just that one person gets sick from COVID-19. The social problem is that our healthcare systems are overwhelmed with sick patients. People are experiencing different rates of exposure to COVID-19. Their health outcomes differ because of their race, class, and gender. Because social problems affect people across the social and physical worlds, the solutions to social problems must be collectively created. It is not enough for one person to get well, although that may really matter to you. Instead, we must act collectively, as groups, governments, or systems, to identify and implement solutions. Our health is personal, but getting well depends on all of us.
To talk effectively about social problems, we must understand their characteristics. In this text, we will explore five important dimensions of a social problem You may encounter some new terms in this list. We’ll define them in the related section:
- A social problem goes beyond the experience of an individual.
- A social problem results from a conflict in values.
- A social problem arises when groups of people experience inequality.
- A social problem is socially constructed but real in its consequences.
- A social problem must be addressed interdependently, using both individual agency and collective action.
In the following section, we examine each of these five characteristics. Where these characteristics exist, social problems follow. Each component provides an additional layer of explanation about why any human problem is a social problem.
Beyond Individual Experience
Individuals have problems. Social problems, though, go beyond the experience of one individual. They are experienced by groups, nations, or people around the world. An individual experiences job loss, but the wider social problem may be rising unemployment rates. An individual may experience a divorce, but the wider social problem may be changing expectations around marriage and long-term partnerships. Solving a social problem is a collective task, outside of the capability of one individual or group.
In his book The Sociological Imagination, American sociologist C. Wright Mills helps us understand the difference between individual problems and social problems and connects the two concepts (Figure 1.3). Mills (1959) uses the term personal troub