Theories of social problems - publié le 30/06/2009

Résumé du document

All the societies in existence control their own organizations, in order to live, develop and survive. This is why one tries to notice and solve social disorders and problems. Sociology has developed as a science that studies how social problems are emerging. Studying the theories of the social problems allows us to have matrices or grids of interpretation to understand how a behavior can be detected as disorganizing the society, and how this behavior is created. Sociologically speaking, social problems find their roots in the phenomenon of deviance, i.e. the recognized violation of cultural norms. This implies several things. The fact that deviance depends on cultural factors means that a particular behavior won't be considered deviant at anytime in any society. Thus, how society defines deviance and identifies deviant people explains the way it is organized. Understanding this means understanding how social problems are identified as problems, and how they emerged. Trying to follow this logic, we will first study how a fact becomes a problem i.e. how, from a global point of view, deviance is identified. Secondly, we will see why people decide to conform to, or oppose social norms. Eventually, we will consider the relativity of the social problems, since they are subject to temporal and local norms.

Extraits

[...] Conformity lies in pursuing conventional goals through approved means. The strain between our culture's emphasis on wealth and the lack of opportunities to get rich gives rise, especially among the poor, to crime. Merton calls this kind of deviance innovation: using unconventional means (crime) to achieve a cultural approved goal (wealth). The inability of using conventional means may also lead to another type of deviance that Merton calls ritualism. For example, low-level bureaucrats, knowing they will achieve only limited financial success, stick closely to the rules in order to at least feel respectable. [...]

[...] First, the norms and laws of a society generally reflect the interests of the rich and powerful, as Karl Marx argued. Or as Richard Quinney puts it, “Capitalist justice is made by the capitalist class, for the capitalist class and against the working class”. Second, if their behaviour is called into question, the powerful has the resources to resist deviant label. Those who are involved in corporate executive scandals and finally end up going to court, have the means to employ the best lawyers available. [...]

[...] In fact, it performs four essential functions. First, deviance affirms cultural values and norms. As moral creatures, people must prefer some attitudes and behaviours to others. But any conception of virtue rests on an opposing idea of vice: there can be no good without evil and no justice without crime. Deviance, then, is needed to define and sustain morality. Second, responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries. By defining some people as deviant, people draw a boundary between right or wrong. [...]

[...] People without these activities have time and energy for deviant activity - Belief: strong belief in conventional morality and respect for authority figures retrains tendencies toward deviance. People who have a weak conscience and who are less supervised are more vulnerable to temptation. These two symbolic-interaction theories see deviance as process. Labelling theory links deviance not to action but to reaction of the others. Yet labelling theories have several limitations. First, these theories ignore that such behaviours such as murder are condemned everywhere. Second, not everyone resists being labelled deviant. Some people actually seek it out, by taking part in civil disobedience to denounce social injustice. [...]

[...] In short, deviance or conformity rests on the relative opportunity that structures one's social environment. Albert Cohen followed the same mindset in 1971, suggesting that delinquency is most pronounced among lower-class youth because they have the least opportunity to achieve conventional success. They seek therefore self-respect by creating new goals and new means that “define as meritorious the characteristics they do possess, the kind of conducts they are capable”. Walter Miller adds on the question of subcultures, that they are characterized by trouble, arising from frequent conflicts with teachers and police ; toughness, the value placed on physical size and strength, especially among males ; smartness, the ability to succeed in the streets ; a need for excitement, the search for thrills, risk or danger ; a belief in fate, a sense that people lack control over their own lives ; and a desire for freedom, often expressed as hostility towards authority figures. [...]