perspectives on social problems
Post on 31-Dec-2015
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Perspectives on Social Problems
Functionalist approach
• Institutions serve needs of society• Social problems: failure in functioning of
individuals and institutions• Sources of problems– Failure of socialization– Lack of consensus– Mismatch between institutions and current needs
of society
Conflict approach
• Different groups have different values and interests
• Definition and response depends on power of different groups
Implications for policy
• Functionalist: should try to bring institutions, individuals, and values into alignment– Focus on one problem at a time, possibility of
improving conditions for all• Conflict: should try to advance the interest
of oppressed groups– Focus on changing the underlying distribution of
power; problems seen as connected; gain for some groups will be loss for others
Interactionist
Focus on definition of social problems• Role of the media and social movements• What gets media attention
1. Events more than processes 2. Promoted by social movements or organizations
• “Waves” of attention
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