The sociological viewpoint toward social problems

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Raising society’s awareness
Conducting research
Developing sociological perspective
Coordination of social policies
Being realistic
References

According to Crone (2011), there are many ways that sociology can help in solving the present problems in the society. Sociologists can enlighten the society about the problems, conduct research about the problem and give report to the public on what needs to be done.

The research performed by sociologists can be used by policy makers to address the problem, analyze the existing policies and see if they are working properly or not.

In his book, James provides some steps that sociologists can use in solving social problems. Some of the social problems discussed in the book include; violence, inequality, Gender inequality, crime, and drug abuse.

Raising society’s awareness

The first step towards solving social problems is raising the society’s awareness. He suggests that sociologists can do this by analyzing the social phenomena to recognize new social problems that may have developed in the society.

According to Leon-Guerrero (2011), social problems can be described as those issues that affect most people directly or indirectly. Social problems can also be viewed as issues that affect all members of the society. They affect the society and are beyond the influence of an individual regardless of his or her power.

Once a problem has been identified, sociologists can inform the public through the media and or report to political authorities about their findings. Sociologists can act as whistle blowers by enlightening the society about what they feel is a social problem.

Presently, social media also provide a good avenue where people can air their views. Sociologists can use social media platform to excite members of the public to think about social problems. Sociologists can identify social problems based on certain sociological guidelines.

For instance, whether the social condition is harmful to people’s lives and how many people could be affected by that condition. Sociologists can also raise awareness by writing articles and publishing books about social problems.

James point out that through publications and teaching activities, sociologists are able to make people to perceive certain social conditions as problems. Raising awareness is an important step in seeking solutions society’s problems in the long run (Crone, 2011).

Conducting research

Another important step that sociologists can use in solving social problems is conducting research. It is the responsibility of sociologists to research on issues that affect the society. Research not only provides useful information about the society’s problems but also helps in finding the most suitable ways of solving such problems.

In addition, research helps to validate the existing theories and modifies them to suit the prevailing conditions. Research helps sociologists to identify problems based on their standards. For example, based on statistical research and the extent to which an issue is harmful to people’s lives, sociologists are able classify it as a social problem or not.

Data collection forms a significant part of research. Sociologists can collect data about the victims of social problems by using accurate methods such as carrying out surveys, interviews, and direct observations. James mentions that policy makers can only develop good policies based on valid data collected.

They can use some guiding questions to obtain accurate and useful data. For instance, sociologists can find out what the experiences of the victims are, how victims handle the social problem, and what happens in their lives that could be different from the rest of the society.

Sociologists can also ask the victims to give their opinions about the solutions to the social problem. Data collected from research can also help policy makers to develop appropriate strategies and policies towards solving social problems.

Developing sociological perspective

Developing sociological perspective is another step in solving social problems. Sociologists can steer members of the society towards developing sociological perspectives of viewing and solving social problems. Developing sociological perspective involves making the society to have an understanding of a social problem from the perspective of sociologists.

For instance, sociologists can make people to see the negative effects of a social problem, thus stimulating them to think towards solving it. Most policy makers use sociological principles, hypothesis, theories, and studies to evaluate and seek solutions to social problems.

According to James, sociologists can solve social problems by taking two actions. These actions include making necessary effort to communicate the results of their studies to policymakers and make them to develop a sociological perspective towards the social problem.

This will help policy makers to acquire a deeper understanding of the causes, the effects and help them seek for appropriate solutions.

Sociologists can also solve social problems by employing proper coordination of social policies. How social policy is carried out is a key step to solving social problems. Social problems can better be solved if novel social policies are coordinated well with the existing social policies.

Sociologists should analyze how new policies and the existing policies would affect and or supplement each other. In addition, if sociologists feel that the two policies conflict each other, they can find ways of harmonizing them with an intention of solving social problems.

Implementation of social policies could fail or slow down without proper coordination of policies. Therefore, sociologists need to analyze and coordinate existing and new policies to solve social problems. Working towards a shared value is closely associated with coordination of policies.

Even though conflicting values of society members could lead to failure or slow pace of solving problems, having common values can be helpful in solving social problems. There are certain values that are widely accepted in the society.

Some of these values include freedom, equal opportunity, equality, honesty, and democracy. According to crone, these values could form the basis for solving social problems. Developed policies that are consistent with shared values would be widely accepted by majority of people, which is very useful in solving social problems.

Being realistic

Finally, it is important to be realistic in solving social problems. Even though some social problems could be solved completely if they are addressed properly, most social problems would only be solved to a small extent.

This is because solving some social problems conflict with political powers, vested interests, and the ideals of groups of people. This implies that most social problems would be bettered rather than solved fully. However, it is important to give social problems proper attention and visibility through the media to encourage the public to take action.

When media persistently covers a social problem, it is likely to be addressed by policy makers completely. Therefore, sociologists should not have very high expectations of solving all social problems completely. Nonetheless, if the condition of the social problem is made better from time to time, it would eventually be solved completely.

References

Crone, J. (2011). How can we solve our social problems?. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press.

Leon-Guerrero, A. (2011). Social problems: Community, policy, and social action. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press.

Click Here To Order Now!