A social problem can be described as conditions that affect the quality of life of a large number of people, effect cherished values, and is something that can or should be remedied. One major issue in society today that concerns me is something called singular classification. Every person is different. We have our own views and opinions, and we come from different backgrounds and upbringings. Singular Classification, or stereotyping, however takes every trait about a person and makes it disappear by grouping people together by race, social class, or religion. In short, singular classification is making general opinions about someone based on what one person does, and few facts.
When the scandal came out about the Catholic clergy and abuse of minors, many people began to put all priests in the same category as those who were guilty, and began to doubt the vows that all priests took. This affected me and hit very close to home because I was born Catholic, and after being confirmed, my religion was something that shaped my life and gave it meaning. Throughout the decades, people have targeted groups of individuals based on acts they may or may not have been responsible for. Out of fear, people think it is fitting to separate these individuals in order to protect themselves and their family. In doing this, many are missing out on what they are in fact shielding themselves from. As writer Amartya Sen put it, “civilizational categories are crude and inconsistent…and there are other ways of seeing people” (405). It is ignorant and unjust to blame a group of individuals for something one person has done. Every time a crime is committed, people naturally begin to wonder if maybe it wouldn’t have happened had something been different abo...
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...Prejudice against Minority Groups Affects Support for Public Policies. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 21(1), 85-97. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1659901601).
Kornblum, W., & Julian, J. (2009). Social Problems (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Publishing, Inc.
MacLin K. M., & Herrera V. (2006). The Criminal Stereotype. North American Journal of Psychology, 8(2), 197-207. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1213258821)
Reynolds, L. R. (2004). COMING OUT & COVERING UP: CATHOLIC PRIESTS TALK ABOUT SEX SCANDALS IN THE CHURCH. Retrieved April 7, 2010, from .
Victim tells pope of altar boy robbed of youth. (18 Apr. 2008). Retrieved April 7, 2010, from
According to the Objectivist view, a social problem is something that is a real threat to human life (Goode and Ben-Yehuda 1994). That meaning, if something does not harm a large group of people, the threat and therefore the social problem does not
Of course, as a Catholic, I am not opposed to the Church’s traditions, nor do I see them as inadequate. Since the Church is a human institution meant to represent the divine and is not divine itself, however, I feel that there must be room for improvement. For example, I recently became curious as to why women were still not allowed to become priests, so I decided to find out. I questioned two priests, my religion teacher, and numerous other practicing Catholics, and the best answer anyone could give me was, “That’s just the way we’ve always done it.” While traditions provide stability and unity within a group of people, to be unquestionably planted in tradition can restrict growth. How often do traditions that once held deep meaning fade to become mundane tasks too difficult to let go? Too often, I see the congregation of a church monotonously reciting the Lord’s prayer, a prayer which Catholics believe was spoken directly from the mouth of God, with little regard for its meaning, or singing a joyful song such as the “Alleluia” with a positively depressing expression. No fault lies within these traditions themselves, but only in the way we view them. The Church must remind its members of the purpose of every prayer, every symbol, and every law so that Catholics do not lose the meaning of their religion.
This course has taught me very valuable things regarding sociology overall, but its focus on the processes of social problems has been of the most particular importance over the semester. The different types of problems identified in the book, as well as their subjective reparative measures, have opened my eyes up for the future. Although only my first sociology class in high school, this course introduced me to all the terminology and background information needed to advance in the study of social problems.
In 1970, a national survey said 70% of Americans believed “homosexuals are dangerous as teachers or youth leaders because they try to get sexually involved with children” (Herek). The idea that homosexuals are prone to child molestation has lessened in later years, however, another poll taken in 1999 stated 19% of heterosexual men and 10% of heterosexual women believed gay men are likely to molest children (Herek). Catholic officials are considering whether to ordain homosexuals as priests. This debate has been sparked by allegations, mostly by young boys and men, that priests sexual molested them. The Boy Scouts of America have declared homosexuals are not welcome in their organization, despite the fact that scoutmasters accused of molestation tend to be married. Fundamentalist Christians are determined to keep homosexuals away from children, claiming, “homosexuals molest children at a much higher rate than heterosexuals” (Traditional). This assertion is wrong, and an unfounded stereotype. Homosexuals are no more prone to child molestation than anyone else. In this paper, I will show the lack of a correlation between homosexuality and child molestation.
5. Ford, Karen. "Social contrains and painful growth in A Doll's House". Expanded Academic ASAP. Methodist College , Fayetteville , NC . 30 Octuber 2005
Gusfield, J. (2011). How Do We Decide What are Social Problems? Retrieved April 6, 2011 from http://www.soc.iastate.edu/sapp/soc235ch02.html
In over a period of years, an increasing amount of attention has been shed to the problem of child sexual abuse in the church. While churches, and other facilities which care for children, have had their experience of this problem, most attention has been brought to the abuse in the Catholic Church. Around the world, case after case has been seen in the press of clergy and members of religious orders being charged with sex offenses against children. Some of these cases go back decades. The issue has certainly brought attention around the world. The reason why, is the question that ponders in everyone mind.
A social problem is an issue that is defined by society to be exactly that; an issue. This can range from issues such as murder; which is commonly agreed on in Australia, or to issues such as smoking or loud music being played in parks, where only certain individuals in society see it as a problem. Unemployment in Australia is considered to be a social problem, due to it affecting around 6 percent of Australia’s population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). If unemployment only affected a few people then it could be said that those individuals being lazy or could not hold down a job, but due to it affecting a majority of society it then becomes a social problem.
For example, some people may believe an airline crash every year could be considered a social problem, but this does not follow the definition of a social problem because it does not affect a large group of people. If planes began crashing all the time, then one may be able to determine whether or not plane crashes are a social problem by looking at claims of the condition. I choose to include the specific criteria, in the previous paragraph, when utilizing my definition of a social problem because I believe that everyone has a subjective outlook on life and although someone may deem something as a social problem, someone else may not feel the same way. I believe discovering the claim and determining how something emerged, as well as discovering why it spread can help direct the general public when deciding if something is a social problem or not. Although claims are important, I still believe a social problem is also something that affects a large group of people. Similarly, I believe a social problem in the United States follows the same definition and criteria but it may be viewed differently. For example, “some societies with large populations of poor people have not viewed poverty as a problem. In contrast, in the United States poverty is considered a social problem” (Best 10). Overall, a social problem in the United States depends on
Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2003. 600-605.
People have been put into categorizes all their lives by individuals and society based on features or aspects. As people are grouped into different categories, ideals of their character and personality based on just those categories. This is called stereotyping, Stereotypes has affected people of different races, and ethnicities. The overall issue with racial stereotyping is over generalization and discrimination which comes from implicit biases and stereotype threat. This can be seen throughout history such as slavery to today in media and academics.
social problems are inevitably subjective, and that a more valid definition could be sought in
...Catholic Church authorities had known about the many abuse cases, but sought to deal with the many problems they presented by moving the
A Social problems an issue that society feels needs to be changed or adjusted. Many social problems involve things that affect society and the people that live in it. A social problem can also just be something that people have two different opinions on. It can be described as a controversial issue. Social problems are ideas that people think should be brought to attention to better society. Almost every social problem that exists affects someone somewhere. There are people that have studied these issues for the past several years called sociologists. If all of these problems were solved there would rarely be any conversies in the world.
A social problem has many definitions. One way to define is that is a social condition/issue which has negative effects on an individual, our social and our physical world. A social problem does not have to be experienced by every individual to be called a problem, it comes from acknowledging that the problem exists and that a particular social condition affects a greater percentage of the population. We as sociologists and psychologists need to be able to face the one-sided reality of a social condition and need to address it as a social problem.