1.5 Chapter Summary
Kimberly Puttman
Throughout this chapter we’ve learned that social problems arise from conflict and inequalities in our society. We’ve reviewed a social problems process to understand more about the steps many social problems go through to be addressed. Finally, we looked at the both/and solutions of individual agency and collective action to create social justice.
In our subsequent chapters, we do three things. We build our understanding of how sociologists explore social problems. We look at social problems related to wealth and health. We wrap things up by ending where we started—with the Echo Mountain Fire. By looking at the community response to this disaster, we can explore the interplay between all the social problems happening at once and the resilient responses of a community committed to rebuilding.
Essential Ideas
Learning Objective 1: What is a social problem?
A social problem is a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world. Most social problems share five characteristics: 1) A social problem goes beyond the experience of an individual. 2) A social problem results from a conflict in values. 3) A social problem arises when groups of people experience inequality. 4) A social problem is socially constructed but real in its consequences. 5) A social problem must be addressed interdependently, using both individual agency and collective action.
Learning Objective 2: How are social problems created and resolved?
Sociologists use a five step social problems process to describe how social problems arise and resolve. These steps are: 1) Claimsmaking: People make claims that there is a social problem, with certain characteristics, causes, and solutions. 2) Media Coverage: Media reports on claimsmakers so that news of the claims reaches a broader audience. 3) Public Reaction: Public opinion focuses on the social problem identified by the claimsmakers. 4) Policymaking: Lawmakers and others with the power to set policies to create new ways to address the problem. 5) Social Problems Work: Agencies implement the new policies, including calls for further changes.
Learning Objective 3: Why does the interdependent nature of social problems require both individual agency and collective action to support social justice?
Addressing social problems requires a both/and approach. We need collective action, people acting in groups to address social problems, because the problems are too interconnected to be addressed alone. We also need individual agency because individual people must act to create change in their own way. Each act of positive social agency matters to that person and their community. Our effective response to social problems strengthens social justice, creating a society that meets everyone’s needs equitably.
Key Terms Review
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Key Terms List
claim: an argument that a particularly troubling condition needs to be a