The Distinction of Social Problems from Others - Essay Example

Social Problems Distinction of social problems from others A social problem can be described as an issue opposed by a considerable number of people within the society and are undesirable in nature (Anyon, 2014). These are not fixed and change over time. Social problems are often the consequence of various factors, which are beyond the control of individuals. Each society has a different perception of social problems and normal behaviour in one society might be perceived as an issue in another community. Social problems are interlinked to all other problems prevailing in a society (Anyon, 2014) Types of Social Problems Social problems that are encountered in a community are diverse. The variety in social problems can easily be broken down into four main factors, which are stated below (Anyon, 2014): Juvenile delinquency, divorce, caste, gender and racial discriminations are usually the major cultural problems witnesses by a society. Food poisoning, infectious diseases and other such problems are major biological issues encountered by a society. Unemployment, poverty, illiteracy and lack of sanitation facilities are the most important economic problems witnessed by the society. Neurological diseases are related to the psychological problems. Abovementioned factors show that the social problems are interlinked with other problems encountered by a community and cannot be distinguished in a significant manner. Hence, cultural, economical, biological and psychological aspects are all constituents of a social problem (Covaleski, Tinsmith and Weiss, 2013). Presently, the rising number of unemployment, poverty and illiteracy is a major economic and social issue being faced by the developing and underdeveloped nations. Such an issue can be mitigated only with the government initiative by extensively carrying out various kinds of program in the rural areas for facilitating welfare of the people therein (Ford, 2014). Literacy is the only way whereby the alarming rate of economic problems experienced by a society can be minimized. Thus, it is relevant to link the economic problem with the social problem. Cultural problem is another aspect of the social problem. A major cultural problem can be witnessed in the form of cast, gender and racial discriminations. Cast differentiation is witnessed majorly in countries like, India (Covaleski, Dirsmith and Weiss, 2013). Such discrimination is prevalent in the modern era and can be witnessed in workplaces as well as in communities. Women are still considered to be inefficient as compared to men. Many organizations allot important positions and job roles solely to men as they consider women to be less competent. Juvenile delinquency is another major problem faced by a society. Juvenile delinquency can be referred to as the crimes committed by youths, which occurs when minors participate in illegal behaviours (Warner, 2013). Such behaviour mainly arises out of lack of education and improper social environment and circles. The alarming rate of divorce can be attributed to the cultural problem, along with the fast pace of life that highly affects individual lifestyle. Hence, cultural problems also form a part of the social problem (Kallen, Miller and Daniels, 2014). The changing environment, food habits and ways of living are collectively responsible for the biological and the psychological problems. Increase in this respect is another social problem that the global society faces presently. These are the few social problems affecting communities. Besides that, there are various other problems related to migration, poor neighbourhood and homelessness (Kallen, Miller and Daniels, 2014). The degree of migration taking place to the foreign countries and from rural to urban region has increased drastically over the years. The alarming rate of increase in migration is mainly for the purpose of searching employment opportunities in these developed regions (Warner, 2013). Poor neighbour is also a social issue that have affected society for a long time. People have different values and behavioural qualities that invariably differ from that of others, which in turn results in conflicts arising among neighbours. Homelessness is an issue that has increasingly surfaced. Due to the greater cost of living, several individuals are unable to own a shelter for themselves (Kallen, Miller and Daniels, 2014). The dearth in literacy rates and employment opportunities can be blamed for the same. Therefore, in order to sum up, it can be stated that social problems cannot be distinguished from the others. It is interlinked with all kinds of problems and cannot be divorced from them. Divorce between Social construction and Common Sense Social construction is a theory on sociological knowledge that explains the way in which a social phenomenon develops in a social context. The term, social construction, can be explained as dependency of the contingent variables on our social selves. Social construction can be the manner whereby a society constructs culture, norms, rules and regulations (G. Dennis and A. S. Dennis, 2014). Such survival constructs are created by individuals living therein, which are subsequently followed as a traditional pattern. People tend to follow rules, rituals and traditions blindly without using common sense, which reflect lack of formal education, greater inclination towards the traditional way of living and stereotyped views about unknown aspects (Kallen, Miller and Daniels, 2014). People tend to believe that those agreeing with them are displaying a degree of common sense present. The divorce between social construction and common sense can be witnessed in various aspects of social life (Covaleski, Dirsmith and Weiss, 2013). It is always thought that women are physically incapable to run in marathons as they are the weaker sex in comparison with men (Mooney, Knox and Schacht, 2014). Also, people who are referred to as blacks like, the Africans, are often regarded quite inferior by nature and are not considered as a complete citizen or disrespected in certain parts of the world (Broom, 2014.). Homosexuality is sadly taken to be an abomination (L. Jacobs and J. Jacobs, 2014). The concept of sati was prevalent in the past and still exists in some parts of India. Few women were also considered as witches in the past and were killed to death. Such incorrect and harmful notions were framed long back and were blindly accepted by the commoners without application of right senses. People tend to make their own set of rules and regulations and influence others into follow the same blindly without any constructive reason. Thus, it can be inferred that social construction does differ from common sense (Broom, 2014.). Social construction of Moral panic Moral panic can be defined as an intense feeling that is expressed in a society among the masses for an issue, which has the capacity to threaten the complete social order. These are controversies hat have the ability to create social tensions and arguments (Broom, 2014.). Disagreements in such matters are difficult as they are rendered a taboo. Moral panic consists of facts that can create panic and anxiety among people. It can more specifically be described as an episode created by shocking and alarming stories by the media (Ford, 2014). These effects are then reinforced by thoughtless public policies and laws. Finally, such panic leads to misdirected and exaggerated public concern, anger, fear and anxiety over the perception of a threat to the order. All our perceptions regarding the outer world, including normalcy and deviance, is constructed socially. Then again, all classifications are not unreal, erroneous and often mistaken. The White Slave traffic can be cited as an example of moral panic, which was created by the society (L. Jacobs and J. Jacobs, 2014). In the 20th century, a renowned newspaper known as the Hearst and Pulitzer had created headlines about an Asian schemer who kidnapped vulnerable, young, farm and small town women and forced them into prostitution across the United States (US) (Argyle, 2014). Soon after the reports were published, the Congress government passed the Mann Act stating that it would be considered a crime if women are assisted to cross lines of the state for the purpose of prostitution (L. Jacobs and J. Jacobs, 2014). The stories proved to be false because when the news was brought to light, there were no reports of such enforced prostitution and kidnapping (Mayo, 2014). Thus, it was a perfect storm of moral panic and figment of the vague imagination of the media. The Mann Act presently remains unchanged on various books (Argyle, 2014). The society and the media are responsible for the creation of moral panic. These stories provide them with fodder to fill in the newspapers. They are involved in these stories so as to attract attention of the people and give them pangs of anxiety and fear. There are many cases of moral panic created by authors as well as media (Covaleski, Dirsmith and Weiss, 2013). Many authors rightfully know the way to sell their books. They circulate eye grabbing stories so that books offered are accepted by the public. These authors realize that most people in our society lack proper knowledge and education and can easily be fooled by such sensational notions. People mostly fail to use their sense of logic. However, it would be wrong to label all reports of the media as unreal (Argyle, 2014). There are many grave incidents related to trafficking and prostitution of women at present, which truly can create moral panic among the mass and are not socially constructed reports. Therefore, it can be stated that moral panic are socially constructed more often so as to increase anxiety levels of people (Lucas, Gunawardena and Moreira, 2014). Conclusion Social problems appear to be prevalent in every society and are interlinked with all other problems that are economic, cultural, psychological and biological in nature. These issues can never be separated from other abovementioned problems. Social problems primarily arise due to differences in thought process, culture, community and behaviours of people. Unemployment, low rates of literacy, increasing poverty and lack of shelter is the basic causes of social problems. While some problems are relevant, there are others that are man-made and irrelevant. Creation of moral panic with odd and baseless stories can be inferred as unnecessary and uncalled. Reducing the social problems requires proper education, sensible and a wise thinking pattern among people. Hence, social problems were always prevalent in the society and can be minimized only when individuals exhibit open mindedness, along with proper awareness programs conducted by the government, especially in the rural areas. Therefore, the current essay rightly highlights on the major social problems, their source and the ways to overcome them. Reference List Anyon, J., 2014. Radical possibilities: Public policy, urban education, and a new social movement. London: Routledge. Argyle, M., 2014. Psychology and Social Problems (Psychology Revivals). London: Routledge. Broom, D. H., 2014. Feminism in the Social Sciences of Health and Illness. Australian Feminist Studies, 29(80), pp.171-179. Covaleski, M. A., Dirsmith, M. W. and Weiss, J. M., 2013. The social construction, challenge and transformation of a budgetary regime: The endogenization of welfare regulation by institutional entrepreneurs. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 38(5), pp. 333-364. Dennis, G. and Dennis, A. S., 2014. Vampires and Witches and Commandos, Oy Vey: Comic Book Appropriations of Lilith. Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies, 32(3), pp.72-101. Ford, T., 2014. Becoming multicultural: Personal and social construction through critical teaching. London: Routledge. Jacobs, L. and Jacobs, J., 2014. Badmothers have alcohol use disorder: moral panic or brief intervention? Gender and Behaviour, 12(1), pp. 5971-5979. Kallen, D. J., Miller, D. and Daniels, A., 2014. Sociology, Social Work and Social Problems. Sociological Practice, 7(1), pp.14. Lucas, M., Gunawardena, C. and Moreira, A., 2014. Assessing social construction of knowledge online: A critique of the interaction analysis model. Computers in Human Behavior, 30, pp. 574-582. Mayo, E., 2014. The social problems of an industrial civilisation. London: Routledge. Mooney, L., Knox, D. and Schacht, C., 2014. Understanding social problems. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Warner, J., 2013. Social work, class politics and risk in the moral panic over Baby P. Health, Risk & Society, 15(3), pp.217-233. Read More