Social Problems Negatively Affect Societal Values - Research Paper Example

Social Problems Introduction A social problem is any condition that affects the quality of a large number of individuals in the society (Anderson and Taylor 31). Social problems negatively affect the societal values. Many Americans are aware that violent crimes are currently experiencing an upsurge in the recent decades. With increasing unemployment, cities such Detroit and Harlem neighborhoods are currently experiencing alarming criminal incidents. Many Americans are currently living in fear of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and murder. Although harsh laws have been enacted, crimes have remained high across many communities. Accordingly, more than half of the homicides are carried out using firearms while a majority of murders occurs through rampant shooting (Hester and Eglin 51). Statistics point out that more than 1 million Americans belong to a certain gang while more than 12 million crimes are committed annually. In addition, about 18 percent of US citizens become victims of crime each year. There are numerous sociological perspectives explaining the causes of the high crime rates across the US society (Waring 99). Symbolic Interaction Perspective According to this sociological perspective, individuals will construct their roles through interaction. Accordingly, individuals will negotiate the definition of a certain situation and construct the reality of such situations (Hester and Eglin 21). The perspective asserts that social problems like crime arise from the interactions between individuals and people with criminal behaviors often learn such behaviors from other individuals in the society (Anderson and Taylor 49). Accordingly, the individual will learn the perception of the crime from other individuals in the society. Individuals will reinforce beliefs that are favorable to crime since associating with individuals with criminal behavior will lead to justification of crime in certain situations. In this regard, juveniles will learn criminal behavior just like any other conforming behaviors through interacting with their family and peers (Waring 172). According to Sutherland’s differential association theory, crime is a learned behavior and individuals will have a greater tendency to associate with those of favor deviance than conformity. In addition, crime is a tendency to deviate from the current societal norms. For instance, differential association is more likely to lead to criminal activities if the individual repeatedly and intensely associates with others who violate the existing rules such as organized criminals (Hester and Eglin 247). The essential part of learning crime occurs within the intimate personal groups and entails the techniques of committing crimes including the rationalization of crime, the motives and attitudes of the crime. For instance, gang members will resocialize the recruits in order to oppose the dominant values in the society and adopt a pattern of criminal attitudes from stealing, to carrying guns and finally committing murders. Accordingly, the intimate personal group rejects the dominant societal norms and recruited members are expected to know how to commit specific deviant acts such as sell drugs and car hijackings. The gang members will ultimately form a subculture that is associated with crime thus making it difficult for gang members to leave crime and re-integrate back in the wider society (Waring 235). According to Becker’s labeling theory, deviant behaviors are a result of labeling. According to the theory, criminals are people who have successfully being labeled as such especially if such labeling emanates from individuals in high status or power (Anderson and Taylor 66). In this regard, labeling will lead to stereotyping thus manipulating the beliefs on what should be considered criminal behavior. This theory suggests that deviants will internalize the labeling and finally act according to the labeling thus leading to crime in the society. The societal preoccupation with some labels such as drug addicts will make an individual follow the ascribed label. The labeling will adversely affect individual self-image thus leading to stigmatization. For instance, individuals may not be capable of getting employment even after completing their education due to the labeling as criminals (Hester and Eglin 67). Individuals who fully accept these labels will often engage in criminal activities in order to conform to these deviant labels. According to Edwin Lemert, the reactions of individuals towards primary and secondary deviance lead to labeling. Secondary deviance entails other peoples’ negative reaction to the primary deviance thus leading the deviant individual to adapt a deviant identity (Waring 218). Functionalism Perspective According to functionalism perspective, crime and deviant behaviors will have some positive impact of the society. Durkheim claims that a certain amount of crime is essential since crime forms an integral part of the society. Functionalists claim that crime degrades the social values of the society and punishments will reaffirm the shared norms of a particular society. Functionalism perspective, crime results from the degradation of the existing societal values and norms (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 57). Attaining collective conformity to shared beliefs and social order is impossible though social order is essential for well-being of individuals in the society. According to functionalist sociologists, the society is made up of consensus and collective conscience and any behaviors that deviate from the core societal values are perceived as deviant (Waring 191). Crime and deviant behaviors result from the dysfunctional behaviors within the social institutions such as family, schools, religion and mass media (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 68). In addition, all societies have crime, but abnormal level of crime will weaken the collective conscience thus leading individuals to look at personal interests rather than respecting their neighbors in the society. Individualism will ultimately lead to crime and deviant behaviors. Accordingly, individuals seek four basic needs that are food, shelter, clothing and money (Anderson and Taylor 87). Functionalism asserts that education will transform the values and norms in the society and lead to universality of values thus contributing to social solidarity. Schools lead to secondary socialization thus creating values of high achievement and equality in the society (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 71). The family is also supposed to provide the initial socialization and stabilize the individual personalities. Accordingly, the mass media social construes crime through providing information that will degrade the existing social values and beliefs. The religion plays a part in the social structure by outlining the shared norms and enabling the members attain a common conscience (Hester and Eglin 131). From the above analysis, crime results from inter-relationship between the cultural goals of society such as achieving shelter, food, and money and the chances of attaining such needs. According to Merton, individual who are denied a legitimate means to accessing their needs result to some deviant behaviors. Merton outlined five ways of responding to the strain to anomie. The methods include conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and finally rebellion (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 40). In this case, retreatism makes individuals drop the existing collective societal norms and turn to deviant behaviors such as drug abuse and crime. Again, rebellion makes an individual create a new societal culture and new goals thus ultimately contributing to new norms and shared beliefs that may entail criminal activities. The denial of legitimate means to succeed and pressure from the society contribute to strain to anomie thus leading to deviant behaviors. Accordingly, the degradation of existing collective conscience of the society and malfunctioning of social institutions will weaken the social norms thus contributing to individualism and deviant behaviors (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 44). Conflict Theory Perspective According to conflict theorists, crime results from the struggle for control of power in the society. Few powerful individuals in the society make laws that prohibit any behaviors that threaten their self-interests. Accordingly, the society keeps on changing depending on social inequalities thus poor individuals are more likely to commit crimes when struggling to gain economic power (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 82). Social lifestyles that threaten the interests of those in economic and political positions are considered criminal. According to Karl Marx, social institutions such as laws, education system and politics shape the social structure by creating social classes that aim at maintaining the capitalism ideals thus leading to individual struggles for power. For instance, some drug laws aim at controlling immigrant workers and not necessarily eliminating the drug menace in the society (Anderson and Taylor 127). The poor individuals engage in crimes in order to afford necessities like food and shelter. Conflict theorists conclude by asserting that crime is a rational response to social inequality and unequal distribution of both economic and political power in the society (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 83). From this perspective, individuals living in poor neighborhoods are more likely to engage in street crimes such as gang violence and drug abuse. The poor individuals also lack basic education and support systems that can enhance their living conditions and economic status thus leading to struggles for economic power through engaging in criminal behaviors (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 87). Current societal Response to Crime The US has relied on the criminal justice system to minimize crime in the society. The criminal justice system approach entails increase in crime intelligence gathering and stiff penalties and long sentence terms for individuals convicted of a crime (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 107). Accordingly, some of the criminal justice methods entail increased powers of the law enforcement officers, increasing patrolling in crime hotspots and deterrence through threats of prosecution. Other measures that have been enacted include increased offender profiling and screening individuals in public gathering. Other measures that have been implemented include crime prevention strategies that focus on built environment such as closed circuit televisions, safe locks and electric fences that harden the crime target (Guarino-Ghezzi and Trevino 109). However, the current societal response to crime prevention has not been effective. The policy makers have not aligned with prevention strategies with the root causes of the high crime rate in the society. Some crime response approaches that can be successful in reducing the crime rate include elimination of the risk factors that cause individuals to engage in crime. Some risk factors include domestic violence, academic failure and poor neighborhoods. The society must address the high poverty level and homelessness experienced by individuals from disadvantaged families in order to ensure proper parenting and socialization of teenagers (Sutton, Cherney and White 111). Accordingly, the society must promote social inclusion and community cohesion through offering equal opportunities to the poor families in the society. Some social inclusion initiatives include community charity work, sporting events and social services. Neighborhood interventions will strengthen the community structures and ensure individuals are comfortable in their living environments (Sutton, Cherney and White 128). Another response mechanism for addressing crime is the formation of partnerships between the criminal justice system and community organizations in order to identity individuals who are at risk of committing a crime at an early stage. The communities must ensure teenagers at risk are provided with essential counseling and support services (Anderson and Taylor 143). Conclusion Crime is still a major social problem in the society. Symbolic interaction perspective asserts that crimes occur through interactions in the society whereby gang members recruit new individuals and instill them with new norms and criminal attitudes through interactions. The individual will learn crime techniques through interactions. According to functionalism perspective, crime is inevitable and occurs due to degradation of societal cohesiveness and failure of the social institutions in instilling societal shared norms and values. In addition, inability to attain personal needs such as food, shelter and clothing will make individuals change their attitudes and norms. According to conflict perspective, the struggles for economic and political power will lead to crime. The poor are more likely to engage in crime in order to afford basic economic needs. The society has responded to crime through harsh criminal justice fines and long imprisonment terms. However, addressing the risk factors such as unemployment and promoting social inclusion and cohesion will reduce the crime rate in the society. Works Cited Anderson, Margaret and Howard Taylor. Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont: Cengage Learning. 2009. Print. Clinard, Marshall and Meier, Robert. Sociology of deviant behavior. Belmont: Wadsworth. 2011. Print. Guarino-Ghezzi, Susan and Javier Trevino. Understanding Crime: a Multidisciplinary Approach. New York: Elsevier. 2010. Print. Hester, Stephen and Eglin, Peter. A Sociology of Crime. New York: Routledge. 1992. Print. Sutton, Adam, Adrian Cherney and Rob White. Crime Prevention: Principles, Perspectives and Practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2008. Print. Waring, Elin. Crime & Social Organization. New Jersey: Transaction. 2002. Print. 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