Sociology 2140 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination, Ascribed Status
2 Nov 2016
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Soc 2140 – Midterm #1 Notes
Thinking about social problems
- Objective element: awareness of social conditions through one’s own life experience and through
reports in the media
o Depends on how the individuals perceive the situation/event and if they define it as a problem
- Subjective element: (of a social problem) the belief that a particular social condition is harmful to
society, or to a segment of society, and that it should and can be changed
- Claims-making activities: the strategies and actions that individuals or groups undertake to define
social conditions as social problems that require remedy
- Overall a social problem can be defined as a social condition that a segment of society views as harmful
to members of society and in the need of remedy
o Individuals and groups frequently disagree about what constitutes as a social problem
o The definitions of social problems vary throughout societies, cultures, and historical periods
- The structure of a society refers to the organization of society into different parts – institutions, social
groups, statuses, and roles
o Social facts: defined by Emile Durkheim, a phenomena created by social organization rather
than individual acts of desperation
o Institutions: an established and enduring pattern of social relationships – the five traditional
social institutions are family, religion, politics, economics, and education
▪ Institutions are the largest elements of social structure
▪ Many social problems result from inadequacies in institutions or conflict between
institutions
o Institutions are made up of social groups which are two or more people who have a common
identity and who interact and form a social relationship, these can be categorized into primary
and secondary social groups
▪ Primary social groups: a small group characterized by intimate and informal interaction
(ex. family and friends)
• These often form inside of secondary social groups
▪ Secondary social groups: a group characterized by impersonal and formal interaction
(ex. employers and employees)
- Just as institutions consist of social groups, a social group consists of statues – statuses a position a
person occupies within a social group for example, the status in a family would consist of a mother,
father, and children
o Ascribed status: a status that society assigns to an individual on the basis of factors over which
the individual has no control (ex. SES, race, gender)
o Individuals may be assigned multiple statuses and their master status is one that is considered
the most significant in a person’s social identity (ex. occupation)
o Every status is associated with a role which is a set of rights, obligations, and expectations
associated with a status
▪ Roles guide our behaviors and allows us to predict the behavior of others
▪ A single status involves more than one role
- Beliefs refer to definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true, the beliefs of an
individual or group can influence how an individual views a particular social condition as a social
problem
o Beliefs don’t constitute sociological knowledge
- Values: social agreements about what is considered good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and
undesirable
o These can be central to the development of social problems, as well as absent or weak social
values
- The sociological imagination is a term coined by C. Wright Mills which refers to the ability to see the
connections between our personal lives and the social world that we live in
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o This enables the differences between private troubles and public issues and the seeing of
connections between the events and conditions of our lives and the social and historical context
in which we live
- Post-modern theory: a theory that rejects the positivist notion that societies are completely rational and
that a single truth about social worlds can be identified
o The theory takes into account of the competing realities according to and through which people
live their lives
- Queer theory: a theory that developed largely out of the 1980s response to public panics over HIV and
to medical system failures to treat with respect and adequate priority the needs of HIV+ persons,
especially gay men
o It asks how sexual identity relates to various problems rooted in oppression and prejudice
o It provides an analytic tool to understand the oppressive treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender persons in societal structures and in cultural representations
- Anomie: a state of normlessness in which norms and values are weak or unclear results rapid social
change and is linked to many social problems, including crime, drug addiction, and violence
- The study of social problems is explained using theory, but is based on methodically collected data
drawn from empirical research carried out using tools such as surveys, interviews, and participant
observation
Why study social problems?
• To understand social forces that shape our lives (personal and societal levels)
• To gain new insights into ourselves and connections between our world and other people
o The more we know, the more likely we are to view social issues differently than someone with less
knowledge
• To make more effective decisions
Some social conditions we experience in society include environmental pollution, resource depletion, education,
unemployment, poverty, drug abuse, etc.
• Not all of these are social problems, it needs certain criteria
Studying social problems
• Using common sense doesn't work, need to use systematic research methods – not a cause and effect area of
study, it uses predictions
• The sociological imagination is needed, we need to see the connections between personal issues and
societal issues
o Consequences for the individual has an effect on the consequences that the society faces
o C Wright Mills – the ability to see the relationship between individual's experiences and larger society
▪ A "quality of mind" that allows one to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two
within society
o Main elements:
▪ Viewing social worlds from others perspectives
• Ethnocentric (ethnicity focused)
• Androcentric (male focused)
▪ Focusing on social, economic, and historical circumstances
▪ Questioning structural arrangements which shape our social behavior
• Don't focus on the individual, focus on the situation and institution
▪ Seeing solutions in changing the structure of society
Analysis
• Levels of analysis include macro and micro
o Micro are individual problems whereas macro focuses on societal perspective
o Individual vs. Institution (ex. First Nation students)
• Historical analysis examines the historical significance that connects the macro and micro levels
Identifying Social Problems
• Differing opinions – solution or problem (ex. Euthanasia and affirmative action)
• Depends on:
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o Historical context
o Cultural contexts
o Values & beliefs
• Social problems are:
o Conditions affecting the quality of life or cherished values
o Patterns of behavior warranting public concern and collective actions (ex. Violence)
o Discrepancies between ideals and achievement (ex. Discrimination)
• Four conditions:
1. Perceived to be a social problem publicly
2. Involve a gap between the social ideal and social reality – it has to rule counter to the values of
larger society
3. Involve a significant proportion of the population in defining the problem
i. It has to be at a national level
4. Capable of solving through collective action
• How much of a social problem is it?
o People affected by a condition are influential or powerful
o Condition affects a large segment of society (ex. Poverty among First Nations vs. Black Families)
o There is a rapid increase in number of affected individuals/groups (ex. Crime/pollution)
▪ An increase in the intensity leads to greater public concern
o Mass media gives attention to the issue/condition
▪ It gives selective attention to certain conditions such as, childhood obesity in America and devotes
more time to these issues
o Attention brought to an issue depends on ideology for example someone from a Marxist perspective
would focus on class issues and the solution to the problem
Theories of Social Problems
• Biological Perspective focuses on the individual, genetics, hormonal, and physiological factors that leads
them to participate in social problems (ex. Alcoholism, violence)
o For example testosterone levels lead to more aggression
• Psychological perspective focuses on the psychological, cognitive factors that lead individuals to commit
social problems (ex. Nature vs. Nurture)
• Sociological perspective focuses on group dynamics, nurture factors that lead individuals to participate in
social problems
o Structural Functionalism
▪ Society is a set of interconnected elements that work together to meet an equilibrium and status quo
▪ If something changes in one area of an institution, if affects the rest of the institutions (ex.
Industrialization)
▪ Social Problems
• Failure of institutions to fulfill the roles they are given
• SOLUTION – strengthen social norms and slow the pace of change to maintain the status quo
▪ Criticism
• Ignores inequality, conflict, and change
o Conflict Theory
▪ Conflict is unavoidable and not a bad thing – there is the bourgeoisie and the proletariat
▪ Economic inequality between the classes, men and women
▪ Social problems
• Division exists between the haves and the have-nots
• SOLUTION – abolish class differences, let workers have more control of the workplace, give
workers better wages
▪ Criticism
• Overemphasizes the importance of economic inequality, there's no lack of explanation for lack of
change
o Feminist Theory
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Document Summary
Objective element: awareness of social conditions through one"s own life experience and through reports in the media: depends on how the individuals perceive the situation/event and if they define it as a problem. Subjective element: (of a social problem) the belief that a particular social condition is harmful to society, or to a segment of society, and that it should and can be changed. Claims-making activities: the strategies and actions that individuals or groups undertake to define social conditions as social problems that require remedy. Values: social agreements about what is considered good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable: these can be central to the development of social problems, as well as absent or weak social values. Anomie: a state of normlessness in which norms and values are weak or unclear results rapid social change and is linked to many social problems, including crime, drug addiction, and violence.
