Social Problems Final Exam Review 2 3 4 5 6 General 1 What is Claims Making Claims making is a way of convincing people that a social issue is a problem Examples an act of communication a type of political action an essential tool for creating defining a social problem Sources media public leaders officials official announcements social move ments What helps get problems on the radar screen Public outrage publicity resources directed toward it organizations formed tionalized media coverage laws or lawsuits social movements new terms institu What is typification Typification characterizes a problem as a particular type Examples of typification moral problem medical problem economic problem etc explaining a horror story of a social problem is a good way of being able to choose naming the horror story also has an impact welfare queen or teen promiscu ity creates a more realistic image What is the objectivist orientation Social problems are objectively harmful conditions factual based on data What is the constructionist orientation Sometimes called subjective Socially defined based on values norms and opinions Social problems are socially constructed threats What was the point of the PB vs MJ comparison Just because something isn t on the radar screen doesn t mean it s not an issue For example marijuana is on the radar screen but has had no deaths attributed to its usage Peanut butter is not on the radar screen but has been attributed to deathly allergic reac tions you can choke on it it can lead to obesity food poisoning etc Victor Lacata case was used as the horror story for Marijuana typification claims making 7 What are the three general theoretical orientations 1 Structural functional society is a complex system in many different ways Problems are the result of deficient people too rapid change or dysfunctional consequences 2 Symbolic interaction understand how people experience social problems in their routine interactions It sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another 8 9 3 Social conflict highlights social inequality some categories of people benefit at the expense of others Shows society divided by inequality and conflict What are indicators of a social problem Whether or not it is 1 Dynamic change over time vary across place 2 Relative a problem for some is a solution for others 3 Visible publicized on the radar screen of most members of society 4 Objective social conditions found to be harmful 5 Subjective socially defined based on values norms What are some types of missing numbers Types of missing numbers Researchers may spin their statistics not showing all the facts There are countless ways to select and present statistics Researchers may deceivingly define their terms Research being done incorrectly Even if we agree on how to define the poor actually counting the millions of poor women men and children is a very diffi cult task 10 Examples of missing numbers Examples of missing numbers Low unemployment means low in relation to what What does a steep decrease in the homicide rate really mean How can you know where the rate was compared to what it is at now Why do numbers get suppressed Numbers get suppressed to make a claim more valid What is the relationship of missing numbers to social problems The relationship forms because researchers or anyone making a claim may present missing numbers to show their findings in a way that advances the argument they wish to make What is a crime A form of deviance a violation of a formal norm Why are biological explanations of crime limited in their utility There is no good data to support biological construction Crime is socially constructed How is crime data measured Through official date sources Arrests very tip of iceberg Uniform Crime Report UCR offenses known to police near the top of the ice berg 11 12 2 3 Crime 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Victimization Surveys National Crime Victimization Survey What is the iceberg Arrests measure or social control rather than crime or deviance Reasoning is because not everyone who commits a crime is arrested What are the most common violent crimes Aggravated assault is the most common What are the trends of violent crimes in the past 20 years Violent crimes have decreased in the past 20 years What are social characteristics of street criminals People of lower position and class are involved in the most arrests for street crime Crime and violence are serious problems in many low income neighborhoods Street crimes and age Rates are highest in the late teens and fall steadily among older people In the U S 15 24 year olds make up 14 percent of the population but account for 41 percent of arrests for violent crimes Street crimes and gender Men make up about half of the general population but account for 67 percent of arrests for property crimes From 1996 to 2007 the number of arrests of women increased 7 percent while arrests of men fell by 6 percent What is the social bias in sentencing Non caucasians tend to receive harsher sentencing Non caucasians are also more likely to receive the death sentence What are the relative costs types of white collar and corporate crime White collar and corporate crimes go largely undetected due to status and means usually done by paperwork or computer Types embezzlement fraud bankruptcy consumer securities financial bribery insider trading computer crime medical crime public corruption medical crime identity theft environmental crime Why is hate crime considered a problem It is not just a crime against property or persons Hate crimes harm individuals and threatens degrades an entire group of people What has been the discovery of child abuse Violence harms children physically and psychologically Henry Kempe a physician set up the first child protection team to investigate and evaluate children s injuries Sex Sexuality 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Biological vs Culture Biological Sexuality is socially constructed through meanings differences between man and woman Culture Different ways of doing sex are likely to be contested Heterosexual is most accepted What is the revolution The revolution took place in the late 1960s Birth control pill was created reducing the historical connection between heterosexual intercourse and pregnancy Moved away from the double standard where men enjoyed sexual freedom while women were supposed to delay sex until they were married What is the counter revolution Counter revolution took place in the 1970s