Module 10:

SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Reporters: AYERAS, Jayvee COSTALES, Rywin Shyrr INZON, France David RAMOS, Eironn Norvin WAJE, Janina

What is a Social Problem?

 According

to Reab and Selznick

(1961) 1961) - a problem in human relationships which seriously threatens society or impedes the important aspirations of many people

 According

to Mckee and Robertson

(1975) 1975) - it exist when a significant number of people, or a number of significant people, perceive an undesirable difference between social ideals and realities, and believe that this difference can be eliminated by a collective behavior

Nature of Social Problems



Social problems involve the subjective perception of an objective condition. condition. Social problems involve a gap between social ideas and social reality. reality.

Social problems must be perceived as problems by a significant number of people, or by a number of significant people. people. Social problems must be regarded as capable of solution through collective action. action.

The Sociological Approach

Two Elements used by Sociologist in Analyzing Social Problems:

THEORY

RESEARCH

RESEARCH ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS

CASE STUDY

SAMPLE SURVEY

EXPERIMENT

Case Study
 involves

a comprehensive and intensive examination of a particular individual, group, or situation over a period of time. time. doing so, the researcher becomes a participantparticipant-observer

 in

Sample Survey
here, instead of examining the entire group called population or universe, one examines only the small part which is called sample. sample.  done only by a chosen representative group  not as useful as the case study
 In

Experimental Method
 rests

on the assumption that there exists invariant relationships between certain antecedents and consequences so that, provided a given set of condition that prevails, if one does this, that will follow. follow.  The most precise and reliable way of obtaining data. data.

Sample Survey

Case Study

Experiment

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION

DEVIANCE

VALUECONFLICT

Perspectives in Social Problems

Interrelatedness of Social Problems

- one social problem leads to another

Poverty

Unemployment

Immorality

Abortion

Pornography Population Growth R.H. Bill

Social Work
 stresses

the individual or case work and group work that approaches to social problems, with some increasing emphasis upon the institutional or social organizational approach. approach. its area with medicine, psychiatry, public health, public administration

 shares

Social Workers
 sociologists

whose specialties are in applied sociology

 includes,

social organization, social satisfaction, inter-group relationships, interfamily group, social psychology and social disorganization

What is Social Change?

- refers to the variations or modifications in the pattern of social organizations of subgroups within a society or the entire society itself. itself.

Nature of Social Change



 

slow, gradual, incremental, evolutionary; evolutionary; it might be barely noticeable fast, radical, sudden, revolutionary; it revolutionary; might take people by surprise wide in scope and affecting all people limited in scope and affecting a small group or number of people

Characteristics of Social Change



It happens everywhere although the rate of change varies from place to place. place. Social change is sometimes intentional but often unplanned. unplanned.

Social change controversy. controversy.

often

generates

Social change is more important that fads and fashions which only have a passing significance. significance.

Social Change and Technological Development

There are social patterns which are linked to industrialization. Peter industrialization. Berger (1977) noted four general 1977) characteristics of modernization: modernization:

The decline of small and traditional communities. communities. The expansion of personal choice. choice. Increasing social diversity. diversity. Future orientation awareness of time. time. and growing

Levels of Human Action and Change



First Level (Individual Personality) - has historically been the sphere of psychology. psychology.


Freud - the nature of social relations among human beings, the sum of which constitutes civilization, is to a large extent drawn from infant sexuality and instructive egoism. egoism.

Proshanky and Seidenberg attempted to explain the relation between physical world and the fundamental psychological process. process.

Second Level (Interaction among Individuals) - constitutes the area of social psychology. psychology.


Proshanky and Seidenberg studied the behavior of individuals n connection with their experiences in a social setting

George Simmel specified the social in the interaction among the social levels. levels. It also includes personality development upon interacting. interacting.

Third Level (Group of Social Systems) - is of general interest to sociologists. sociologists.

Emile Durkheim clarified this by his definitions of social facts as every way of acting fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint and social group is a small unit of workers that provide exercises that affects the individual. It is also individual. Karl Marxs belief. Marxs belief.

Fourth Level (Cultural System) concerns mainly by anthropology. anthropology.



Parson states that human acts are formed in terms of symbol systems, along with codes through which they operate, in patterns that focus on the universal aspect of human society is called language. language. Hoebel, Murdock, Hoebel, Murdock, Kroeber and Klunchkhon and Steward refer to culture as the characteristics of human

What is Cultural Change?

refers to all alterations affecting new traits or trait complexes in cultural context and structure. structure. This includes: includes:  development of oral and written language and other means of communication; communication;
-

  

 

modifications in technology; technology; shifts in economic principles; principles; historical evolution of religious and dogma, educational philosophy, and political ideology; ideology; variations of musical styles and other art forms; forms; transitions in scientific theories; and theories; alterations in other forms and rules of social interaction. interaction.

What is Technological Change?

-

denotes the revisions of peoples application of technical knowledge

It can be seen in: in:



increasing divergence in the forms of tools, instruments and implements used; used;

constant addition and deletion from the range of inventions; inventions; obsolescence and advancement in scientific knowledge; and knowledge; innovations in the ability to utilize and exploit the natural environment for the human need. need.

Typology of Theories of Social Change



Evolutionary Theory characterized by primarily by an assumption of smooth, cumulative change, often in a linear fashion, and always in the direction of increasing complexity and adaptability. adaptability.

Equilibrium Theory characterized by the concept of homeostasis, and focuses on conditions that tend toward stability consequence

Conflict Theory - characterized by an assumption that change is endemic to all social organisms, and focuses on the conditions that tend toward instability consequence

Rise-andRise-and-Fall Theory characterized by an assumption that societies, cultures, or civilizations regress as well as grow, and that all societies do not move in the same direction

Modernization
 Levy

defined it directly from terms of technology conceived it as related to economic development, and often occurring simultaneously in at least four distinct but interrelated processes: processes:

 Smelser

In technology, a developing society is developing from traditionalized techniques toward the application of scientific knowledge. knowledge. In agriculture, a developing society evolves from subsistence farming toward commercial production of agriculture goods. goods.

In industry, a developing society undergoes a transition from the use of human and animal power toward industrialization power. power. In ecological arrangements, a developing society moves from the farm and village toward urban concentrations

Profound changes are expected in the emerging nation, such as:  in political sphere, a simple traditional or tribal authority turns to suffrage system, political parties, representation and bureaucracies; bureaucracies;


in educational sphere, society strives to reduce illiteracy and increase economic productive skills; skills;

in religious sphere, secularized belief systems begin to replace traditional religion; religion; in familiar sphere, extended kinship units lose pervasiveness; and pervasiveness; in stratification sphere, geographical and social mobility tends to loosen fixed, astrictive hierarchical systems

Factors in Social Change



Rate refers to as speed of pace; pace; when the balance between opposing forces tilts toward change-preventing changeones, the stability of the society predominates, on the other hand, when the balance tilts the changechangepromoting forces, a rate of change occurs. occurs.

Cultural lag it is the disparity in the rate of change between different elements of culture (W.F. Ogburn) and (W. the inability of a society to adapt immediately new ideas to counteract the occurrence of new objects. objects. Tecnicways the peoples way of developing individual and group customs in surviving the change of technologically shifting society. society.

Rate and Cultural lag can be measured by:  comparing overall or parts of a culture of different societies at a given period of time; time;  examining overall or parts of the culture of the same society at different times; or times;  viewing the parts of the culture of the same society at a specific period. period.

Form indicates the characteristics of social change. There are two change. forms: forms:


Cyclical which whole cultures or their parts are repeated over a considerable period of time Linear which cultures or their parts change in only one direction and never recur. recur.

Direction refer to the rapidity and slowness of social change that could either lead to progression or retrogression. retrogression.

Modernity
social patterns to industrialization Peter Berger (1977) lists four major 1977) characteristics of modernization: modernization:
   

decline of small, traditional communities expansion of personal choice increasing diversity beliefs future orientation of growing awareness of time. time.

Modernization: The Philippines

     

New direction, bold initiatives Economic Modernization Agricultural Modernization Educational Modernization Political Modernization The Mindanao Imperative

Questions:
1. Is Martial Law considered as a solution to a social problem?

2. Why do you think that theories are used in sociological approach and laws are not?

3. Do you consider yourself as a social worker?

4. If you are a social worker, what social problem will you solve? Why?

5. What do you think is the most serious social problem we are facing right now? Why?

6. Do you think that social change is important? Why do you say so?

7. As a Filipino citizen, in what way are you going to contribute in the betterment of our society?

8. Do you foresee our country as a progressive one if social change will continue? Why?

9. Give your opinion about the involvement of technology n our modernization. modernization.

10. Do you think that technology is 10. also inseparable with society and culture?